Computer Troubles

[rivercrow]

Whew. That was an uncontrollable outburst of INTPness....

 

[Xander]

I'd have thought that after 10-20 years I'd not be able to find the damn CD so I wouldn't really care if it no longer worked.

Permanent storage does not exist yet in the world of computers. Change and change regularly. It's the only way to fly.

 

[htb]

Commercially burnt CDs and DVDs have a longer life than the home-consumer equivalents. An article I read recently dropped the life expectancy of CDs from 50 to 10-20 years.

Have you got any information handy on a similar comparison between burned and stamped discs?

 

[rivercrow]

Have you got any information handy on a similar comparison between burned and stamped discs?

Handy, no.

It's one of those factiods that's stuck like a dead moth in my memory mansion's overhead lighting. I was responsible for electronic public records where I last worked (one of my many hats was "e-archivist"), so that kind of debris tended to accumulate.

I'll see what I can do about locating that info and PM it to you.

 

[htb]

Appreciated. I could search and receive results, but not necessarily accurate results.

 

[Chaselation]

Is there an equivalent of an online bank for data?

I.E. for a small fee you upload (whatever) and it is kept backed up for you. This would seem to be a good answer to data loss and would provide universal access regardless of location. I know there are a lot of places to keep these things but there are no guarantees. This would have to be a fail safe service.

 

[sdalek]

I'd have thought that after 10-20 years I'd not be able to find the damn CD so I wouldn't really care if it no longer worked.

That would be an archival/archivist problem. I still have a burned CD with the original release of Windows 95/Office 4.2/ccMail on it from when I used to work on Thinkpad 750s and Deskpro 486 systems.

Permanent storage does not exist yet in the world of computers. Change and change regularly. It's the only way to fly.

Archival storage might run like this: Install applications on your computer to something other that C:. This leaves it open to store only operating system critical files. Install to either external or internal D:. Store all your critical data on network storage, something like a Buffalo drive for example. Backup up that critical data to DVD on a weekly/monthly basis (depending on how often you change the data). Keep your critical data backups someplace safe. What you can do is keep a copy at home and another copy at either a friend's, parent's place or keep it in a safety deposit box at the back. The idea being that if something happens at home, at least you have a copy someplace else.

 

[Wolf]

Is there an equivalent of an online bank for data?

I.E. for a small fee you upload (whatever) and it is kept backed up for you. This would seem to be a good answer to data loss and would provide universal access regardless of location. I know there are a lot of places to keep these things but there are no guarantees. This would have to be a fail safe service.

Yes.

 

[sdalek]

Is there an equivalent of an online bank for data?

I.E. for a small fee you upload (whatever) and it is kept backed up for you. This would seem to be a good answer to data loss and would provide universal access regardless of location. I know there are a lot of places to keep these things but there are no guarantees. This would have to be a fail safe service.

.MAC
eSureIT Online Data Backup Service - Secure Remote Computer Backup Software for Business & Home

Some ideas, not endorsements.
Research them and others first; Make an informed decision if you choose to go this route.