Archiving Mediums

[NotALlama]

I was looking around for a cost effective arciving medium and came to a choice between two different solutions that are pretty cheap. I was wondering if both mediums were used the same amount for archiving, (rarely) which one would last longer? These two would be a USB 2.0 / Firewire hard disk and DVD-Rs. I like the external hard disk solution much better, as it takes up less space and everything is there, as opposed to the quivalent amount of 60 DVD-Rs which are bulky and IMO unnecessary. My problem is that people yell about how unreliable EIDE hard disks are now a days, with only having one year warranties and a very small lifespan. Do you think this would matter if I just threw stuff on it and then stored it away on a shelf, not using it that much at all? Tell me what you guys think.

 

[labrat25]

well DVDs last for >50 years, so that's my vote...

i personally don't know why hard drives fail... so i don't know if leaving it on a shelf would help or not
(i'm sure someone around here does )

 

[Hyperfocal]

If you have important information to archive, use several types of media.

I keep my digital image originals on DVD+Rs, CD-Rs and an external HD.

Whatever you do, keep an eye on the condition of your backups. Expect to make new copies of the disks every few years, especially as technology changes.

Think of archiving as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.

 

[nageov3t]

I do regular backups (every 2-3 months) of my data onto DVD's. pretty much just everything in the "My Documents" folder.

either every 6 months or before a major computer change, whichever comes first, I also ghost a backup on my OS/programs drive onto another hard drive that I keep outside my pc.

I keep the backups inside a fireproof safe, but that's really just me being paranoid. hehe. plus, my b/f got me the safe for christmas, and I had to do *something* with it