jim in TC Loc: Traverse City, Michigan

An external can fail, just like any hard drive. I have had a couple failures over the years, so the most important images are on the computer and at least 2 other places...tablet, second hard drive, or cloud. But I have moved on from CD's, as it seems most here have. And remember the zip? I lost a lot of files on those babies...but not very many images.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Some people use programs that automatically back up files to a disk or the cloud.

Let me just note that 20 years ago I had a program that automatically backed up my files to a disk. The program compressed the files. I still have the files today but the program is long gone and the compression was proprietary. Completely useless backup. (Fortunately I have alternative archives).

So if your backup program does compression, make sure it's an algorithm that will be around in the future.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

After a burglary in which they literally took EVERYTHING in my office, I've gone to doing some backups on DVD's. Guess what: They didn't steal the DVD's or CD's! They DID take every external hard drive on the premises - even the ones I thought I had hidden. I also use stick drives which I can hang on a string in a hidden area that will hopefully keep them from being stolen.

Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA

Are you going to be here in 50 years? Unless a scientific miracle happens, I won't be, and I doubt my collections of photographs will be either

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

1) MDisks are readily available in 100GB sizes now and likely to get larger.

2) may be hype, but they have been extensively tested including by the DOD, and as long as they last until the next gen of media/readers (as you mention), who cares?

3) Any digital media and the device to read it will eventually become obsolete. It’s a given that you will need to migrate you data to a new technology every few decades - a fact of life in preserving digital data (unless you want to write down ones and zeros on paper or carve in stone

cytafex Loc: Clarksburg MA

Blu-Ray seems the way to go, more storage and seemingly the most stable, but that's what they say about everything!

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

Wire recorders were intended as a dictation device, not a "permanent"audio medium as disk records were. Even when they were new, people didn't go out and buy Sinatra on a wire reel. They were more like Dictaphone belts. Although some wire recordings still exist and are playable on restored devices.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

JaiGieEse Loc: Foxworth, MS

[quote=f8lee]I would humbly suggest that you check your older CDs to see if they are still readable - due to oxidation of the mirrored surface that can occur where micro-cracks may exist at the edges a home-burnable CD or DVD can actually become unreadable just sitting on the shelf. [quote=f8lee]

I had exactly this problem a short time back. I'd been archiving original images - copied from my memory cards - to CD's and DVD's. and I'd been using the same back-up method for my software installers. I had accumulated nearly 200 CD/DVD's full of archived images and another 120-130 full of installers. This was taking up a LOT of room in my home office, so I bought some large-capacity WD drives and started to copy my image/software archives to same.

Along the way, I ran across a few CD's - software set, thankfully - that had corrupted. Fortunately, the installers on those discs were long out of date, so there as no loss. BUT - it could've easily happened with my image archives - I had image CD/DVD's as old or older than the bad software archives. Now, I have TWO HD archives - duplicates - plus I use a two-disc system on my Time Machine back-ups.

This system is, I feel, much safer, and FAR easier to deal with, not to forget taking up a LOT less space in my office.

duane klipping Loc: Bristow iowa

I use dvd as a backup mainly because I think it is foolish to put all your eggs in one basket. With a disc system if one fails you only lose that one not everything. Electronic devices all fail in time and all the studies I have read show discs last longer.

As far as not having devices to read them in the future? Vinyl records are of no use now after 100 years because there are no means to play them?

How many dvd players have you been through in the past 20 years? But the discs I have for the same length of time still play today. Well cared for discs will last a lifetime.

Jim Bianco

I put all my pics on flash drives works great.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

That why Raid 50 is good... has redundancy. My son mentioned that Raid 5 is not used anymore with new installs... He mentioned that Raid 6 was a better application.

Dik

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

USB, Good for temporary storage.

Dik

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Yes, I suspect that the poster is talking about new macbooks with only USB -C ports vs new iMacs with 4 Thunderbolt ports.

I like the little usb-C port boxes that can be had cheaply to hang off a macbook and provide all the other older ports thru the USB-C interface.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

CDs and Blue-rays are not good long term storage solutions because they will deteriorate over time. External hard drives are cheap. You need to backup your photos in at least three places, one of which should be off site.

For the beginning amature photographer, I would suggest that you buy two one or two terabyte external USB hard drives and keep duplicate copies of your photos on each. Although hard drives do fail, unlike CDs and Blu-rays there is usually a warning before they crash. Both Ebay and Amazon currently have 1Tb drives at a little over $50 each. I would also use cloud storage for your third backup, however I would NEVER use cloud storage alone.

As you alluded to, RAID systems are a preferred method of backup, but it sounds like it would be overkill for you. I have a RAID system myself with five 4Tb drives. I trade two of the drives into and out of a bank safety deposit box for off site protection. But I take thousands of pictures a year.