Lifespan of External Hard drives
Nov 26, 2020 09:54:55 #
DirtFarmer wrote:
...
...
"When it comes to backup you can't be too paranoid"
...
"When it comes to backup you can't be too paranoid"
31 drives, one for each day of the month, might be considered paranoid,
by some.
Nov 26, 2020 10:35:29 #
Longshadow wrote:
31 drives, one for each day of the month, might be considered paranoid,
by some.
by some.
What part of "can't be too paranoid" don't you understand?
Nov 26, 2020 10:36:17 #
Actually, for safety, I believe that distribution is more important than duplication. (Although there is a minimum level of duplication needed for safety).
Nov 26, 2020 11:48:08 #
DirtFarmer wrote:
What part of "can't be too paranoid" don't you understand?
♪♫ I love, I love, I love my calendar drives,
one for every day of the year...♫ ♪
Nov 26, 2020 14:19:31 #
dbfalconer wrote:
A speaker at a recent photo club meeting was describing the importance various redundant backup options. He mentioned that external hard drives (like Seagate and WD) need to be replaced about every 18-24 months.
I understand any such device can fail, and one needs a backup of the backup, so to speak. But I was shocked at his assertion. I keep adding more WD units as my collection grows...but I had not considered constant replacement too. Thoughts? Thanks.
I understand any such device can fail, and one needs a backup of the backup, so to speak. But I was shocked at his assertion. I keep adding more WD units as my collection grows...but I had not considered constant replacement too. Thoughts? Thanks.
I have one that is 28 years old on my backup desktop. However, Since they don't make things as they used to
I would suggest 1-2 years.
Nov 26, 2020 14:26:48 #
Picture Taker
Loc: Michigan Thumb
Those of us who duplicated our back will keep doing it. Those who don't think they need to will not, and if or when the single back-up fails we will not hear a word about it.
Hope we all keep our backups.
Hope we all keep our backups.
Nov 26, 2020 16:40:39 #
wcsungod
Loc: Walnut Creek California
I agree with you about using cloud backup. My 4 TB drives are for automatic duplicated local backup. I also do daily auto backups to Microsoft OneDrive using SiberSystems GoodSync.
Nov 27, 2020 08:19:25 #
A free and portable app "crystaldiskinfo" (32 or 64-bit) will help you monitor the health of your HDDs. If one or several control points become yellow or red, it's time to look at it. Read the associated readme file to understand what the failures may be (before a final crash).
Nov 27, 2020 08:26:18 #
gmw12 wrote:
A free and portable app "crystaldiskinfo" (32 or 64-bit) will help you monitor the health of your HDDs. If one or several control points become yellow or red, it's time to look at it. Read the associated readme file to understand what the failures may be (before a final crash).
I love that program.
Nov 27, 2020 08:26:19 #
"Dave, I’ve just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit. It’s going to go 100% failure in 72 hours.”
Nov 27, 2020 08:26:57 #
Longshadow wrote:
"Dave, I’ve just picked up a fault in the AE35 unit. It’s going to go 100% failure in 72 hours.”
"Thanks, HAL."
Nov 27, 2020 08:32:38 #
Nov 27, 2020 11:21:06 #
I have had several Seagate's for several years. No problem.
Nov 27, 2020 12:27:03 #
The subject of HD longevity is like threading a needle; just because someone got the life span right does it make it true for all drives, just because you thread the needle once does it assure it will happen again. I have read life spans of HDs, regardless if it is an SSD or spinning drive and the information is all over the place, from 2 to 10 years; we have seen and read many drives have outlived 20 years and still going. The answer is: do the best you can and wait for the drive to fail, because we have learned that it will fail. Therefore we need to have Plan A, B and C to protect the data. Also consider Plan D just in case.
It looks like this thread will outlast the HD longevity.
It looks like this thread will outlast the HD longevity.
Nov 27, 2020 12:29:43 #
rkaminer wrote:
The subject of HD longevity is like threading a ne... (show quote)
I get drives, hook them up, use them,
replace when they quit working.
Repeat as required.
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