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Stonebolt View Drop Down
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Points: 91 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Back up music on disks or a memory stick?
    Posted: June 26 2010 at 17:30
I need to back up all the music on my itunes, both because I don't trust this computer, and because I'm switching to a different computer in a couple months. ( I want to do this chore early)
 
My questions are, does using disks to back up my music compromise its quality. (It asks what "speed" you want to record on itunes, that's what gives me the warning flag), and is DVD-R compatible with MacBooks? It would be easier to put it all on disks if those two issues aren't problems.


Edited by Stonebolt - June 26 2010 at 17:31
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Points: 4373 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 17:55
Get an external hard drive. Loads of gigabytes for a reasonable sum. Plus, discs can scratch and get burn errors while memory sticks have comparatively little space.
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Points: 91 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 17:58
These disks only have like 3.8 gigs each, so I'd have to use like five of them, so memory sticks don't have the lack of space problem that you speak of in comparison.
 
How much are external hard drives?
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Points: 4373 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 18:02
Seventy dollars might get you 300 gigs while a hundred dollars can get you a terabyte. Again, it's a whole lot of space for the money.
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Points: 65760 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 18:04
For transferring that much data, an external is definitely worth it if it's affordable.
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Points: 91 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 18:04
Holy crap. I'll keep that in mind.
 
But I only need like 15 gigabytes.


Edited by Stonebolt - June 26 2010 at 18:09
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 18:29

DVD-R and CD-R are not reliable for long-term storage. (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/107607/Storage_expert_warns_of_short_life_span_for_burned_CDs)  Manufactures claim 20-100 years (which is a stupidly wide margin of error) and they add a caveat "dependant upon storage conditions" - reality is since no one can store their discs in a hermetically sealed temperature controlled environment, you shouldn't trust a CD-R for more than 3 years.

Pendrives are also not recommended - they have a 3 to 10 year lifespan (again dependant upon how you store them) they also are limited by how often you can write to them - they wear out.
 
External hard-drives are probably the best bet - but I still wouldn't trust them for too long ...
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Points: 3968 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 19:17

I still say to myself that I will relocate my dvd collection to hard drive one day. Some of these discs are almost 10 years old. Yeah, I think I should do that very soon :-D

Any idea how long external drives can last ?
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Points: 111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 19:25
So, really no storage medium is going to last forever. Is Vinyl one of the most reliable, though? I mean, sure, it wears out faster if you are playing it. But, for storage? Let's say you wanted to put music in a time capsule for 50 or 100 years. What medium would be the most likely to survive? 
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Points: 4373 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 19:30
Vinyl warps and bends, for heat and gravity have no mercy. Its also quite a pain to transfer vinyl to other formats (let alone make your own LPs).
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 19:46
Originally posted by Marty McFly Marty McFly wrote:

I still say to myself that I will relocate my dvd collection to hard drive one day. Some of these discs are almost 10 years old. Yeah, I think I should do that very soon :-D

DVDs and CDs are a different technology to CD-R and DVD-R so their long term storage isn't so much of a issue - they can last over 30 years without too much problem - there is a small problem of the silver (aluminium) layer being eroded by chemical interation and of the various layers that make up the disc delaminating, but those are rare.
Originally posted by Marty McFly Marty McFly wrote:

Any idea how long external drives can last ?
Not long. I don't have figures, but they are a mechanical contraption and due the high rotation speeds the bearings will wear out - once the mechanics die you cannot read the disc. The 40Gb disc in my iPod lasted about 2 years, the 120G drive in my laptop around 3 years - I've had 3.5" hard-drives die in a matter of weeks because they ran too hot. External drives are usually fan-less, that means they should not be used continuously - they are also easily damaged by dropping them. In principle if you only powered up the drive to back up your precious data, and then locked it in a safe place it will last indefinitely.


Edited by Dean - June 26 2010 at 19:47
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Points: 91 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 20:33
Ok, here`s why I`m nervous about sound quality for DVD-R. It asks what speed I want, offering the following speeds: 1x, 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, 12x, 16x, 20x, 24x, maximum possible. It also asks me to pick between making an audio cd, an mp3 cd, or a data cd/dvd. If I do use the DVD-Rs, which of these options should I pickÉ (oh and how do I change É back into a question markÉ This crap happens to me all the time.)
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Points: 4373 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 20:36
If purely want to store the files in order to access them later, make sure you burn it as a data DVD. As for  speeds, the faster you go means the higher the potential for burn errors.
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Points: 29630 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 22:57
Originally posted by Stonebolt Stonebolt wrote:

I need to back up all the music on my itunes, both because I don't trust this computer, and because I'm switching to a different computer in a couple months. ( I want to do this chore early)
 
My questions are, does using disks to back up my music compromise its quality. (It asks what "speed" you want to record on itunes, that's what gives me the warning flag), and is DVD-R compatible with MacBooks? It would be easier to put it all on disks if those two issues aren't problems.

First of all, you're making a step in the right direction.  Never trust your computer OK. Tongue
I don't particularly worry about backing up my music as I have hard copies and will be dead before they are likely to go bad.  I think these days memory sticks are more reliable as a backup than discs.  Certainly more compact.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Points: 111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 26 2010 at 22:58
Originally posted by WalterDigsTunes WalterDigsTunes wrote:

Vinyl warps and bends, for heat and gravity have no mercy. Its also quite a pain to transfer vinyl to other formats (let alone make your own LPs).


Yes, they are a pain to make and transfer to other formats, but you can still go buy 78's that play just fine. I'm just asking which current recording medium has the longest life expectancy. I'm thinking if you put a hard drive in a sealed box for 50 years, there might not be anything on it when you went to read it. Anybody know?
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Points: 5195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 27 2010 at 02:20
Don't trust DVD-Rs as a backup medium - I recommend you use a 32GB USB stick instead. These sticks are much more reliable than either discs or hard disks.

As far as compatibility with future computers is concerned: You should simply upgrade your backup device every couple of years. For example, 2-3 years from now you can probably pick up a 128GB stick for the same price, and it will probably be USB 3 instead of USB 2, or whichever technology will be used then.
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 27 2010 at 04:47
^ yup, I agree. Compatibility is the biggest problem for memory sticks and external harddrives. How many people can read 3.5" floppy discs today? USB will be replaced in the future, that's a given (look at the iPad).
 
The key to long-term data storage is to keep it moving - back up your back ups - copy files to new media regularily - don't rely on one media type, if you have DVD-R, external harddrive and memory sticks use them all - keep them in different physical locations in case of fire, flood and theft and don't leave them in hot environments or leave external harddrives powered up all the time.
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