Backup Procedures for JPEGs, MP4s and MP3s

[larrytucaz]

I consider myself a bit above average in terms of computer literacy, in that I'm more computer literate than just a typical "end user." I've built computers, know how to system-image, done a little fooling around with .bat files, even done some Visual Basic with SQL statements in Microsoft Access. So I'm a bit more educated than your average user. However, I'm not a typical "IT Tech" or MIS type of person, either, I'm not on that level. Moreover, I haven't kept up with my awareness of the latest technology either.

With that background, here's the deal. I had an external portable hard drive fail on me, a Western Digital "My Passort" 1T. I'm not bothering with trying to recover any of its contents, it was a backup so nothing "original" was on it & I only paid $40 for it 2½ years ago. Also, I had another 1T Toshiba external portable already on hand, so I had it take over. However, such is causing me to sort of make sure that my backup procedures are up to par.

The crucial files that need to be backed up are media--RAW and JPEG files from my photography, .avi and .mp4 video files (either downloaded or our own home movies), and MP3 files. Let me detail what my procedures are.

I am currently using a "net-top" PC (Dell Zino HD) instead of a normal full-sized chassis type, which is unusual for me & apt to change. I store nothing on the C drive except the OS (Windows 7) & software so that if I have to perform a "system image" restore of the OS, the data isn't involved, it's all out-of-the-way. Everything goes on a Seagate 1T "GoFlex" external portable hard drive. I then use Windows SyncToy to "echo" everything left-to-right with any incremental backups to another external portable HD, which was the WD 1T & the Toshita 1T (now just the Toshiba until I get another one, which I'm working on).

Here are my questions:

(1) Would it make more sense for the "main" data drive to instead be another internal one (which would require a new PC so I can add on) vs an external USB-based one? What's the point of using a full-sized USB hard drive vs the portable ones, or are portable ones not meant for as much "daily" usage? (The lack of ventilation with portables has always puzzled me, wouldn't they overheat?) I think my Zino net-top PC does have an eSata jack, if I recall, if that makes any difference. I've been using USB 2.0, which is getting to be awfully slow now that I'm well approaching 1T of data. If I were to upgrade to USB 3, I'd need a new PC (which I'm probably due for anyway).

(2) What are good utilities for checking a hard drive's condition? I also have a WD 500G USB external (full-sized) & it has diagnostic software, but it seems specific to WD models, it flunked trying to check my Seagate.

(3) I have Acronis True Image Home 2010 which I've used for system-image backups of the OS. However I've been using Microsoft SyncToy for the data back-ups because of how it just replicates everything as-is vs creating a .tib file you then have to "extract" to do anything with. Am I missing out not utilizing Acronis for the data back-ups?

(4) Others have suggested I also back-up to DVD & tape, but I imagine tape is very slow (regardless I'm not up-to-date on what they cost & what sizes you find them in etc), and as for DVD 4.3G per disk isn't very much. I assume an upgrade to Blu-Ray would be in order if I were to backup to DVD? Regardless given that we now have 1T portable hard drives, which are way smaller than a stack of disks & are read-write, I'm not seeing the point.

 

[GAO]

I have lots of photo images. I have 4 internal drives:
A SSD for the system
A 1TB spinner for primary data
A 1 TB spinner for backup of the data, and
A 1TB spinner for system backups.
I also have a 2TB external for both data and system backups.

I use Synctoy to backup the primary data internal disk to the secondary data internal and the external. I use the Windows scheduler to run Synctoy to sync the internal data backup every night, I use Macrium to backup the system to the internal and external drives at a lesser frequency.

I also have an external USB 3.0 that I make system backups to.

 

[larrytucaz]

(GAO) Do you keep any external portables stored off-site (say in a bank safe deposit box)?

 

[dma0991]

1. You can use a bigger internal storage but if it means partitioning into two because you can't fit another HDD in the Dell Zino, don't do it. After going through several OS hiccups in the past, I now keep OS and data in separate drives. Also, it makes it easier to detach a data specific HDD and plug it to another computer without having to deal with a unused OS partition. eSATA would be faster than USB 2.0 but it isn't widely available. If you need more "internal" storage for the Dell Zino, get a slot loading HDD dock.

2. I've been using WD's Data Lifeguard which is sufficient but I do get second opinions with CrystalDiskInfo.

4. I've tried using DVDs as backup but find it tedious after a 100 DVDs or so. BD makes more sense with its bigger capacity but I wouldn't recommend backing up with optical media unless they're data that wouldn't be constantly accessed or changed.

If you want to achieve a reasonably safe backup, do three copies. One internal, one external and one external that is kept elsewhere(offsite storage).

 

[Cerb]

(1) Would it make more sense for the "main" data drive to instead be another internal one (which would require a new PC so I can add on) vs an external USB-based one? What's the point of using a full-sized USB hard drive vs the portable ones, or are portable ones not meant for as much "daily" usage?

Mainly speed, but other factors can vary, too.

(The lack of ventilation with portables has always puzzled me, wouldn't they overheat?)

The HDDs use fairly little power, so tend not to, though you probably don't want to copy TBs to and from them all day long, and expect them to last forever. However, even today, the bridge chips can overheat with lots of transfers over short time (this is a model-specific problem, though; not a general problem).

(2) What are good utilities for checking a hard drive's condition? I also have a WD 500G USB external (full-sized) & it has diagnostic software, but it seems specific to WD models, it flunked trying to check my Seagate.

That's the stuff for checking the HDD's health, sadly. Your best bet is to use backup methods that incorporate CRC checks for your data, and/or parity info. ExactFile is a good SFV program, allowing the CRCs to be stored for later checking.

(3) I have Acronis True Image Home 2010 which I've used for system-image backups of the OS. However I've been using Microsoft SyncToy for the data back-ups because of how it just replicates everything as-is vs creating a .tib file you then have to "extract" to do anything with. Am I missing out not utilizing Acronis for the data back-ups?

Maybe, but if so, there's nothing special about Acronis v. the competition. My main gripe with SyncToy is that when it fails, it never gives enough info to figure out why it failed. Depending, I like Karen's Replicator (easy to use) and Cobian (bells and whistles, but free and uses common file formats), due to that. Create Synchronicity looks good, but I haven't done anything with it.

(4) Others have suggested I also back-up to DVD & tape, but I imagine tape is very slow (regardless I'm not up-to-date on what they cost & what sizes you find them in etc), and as for DVD 4.3G per disk isn't very much. I assume an upgrade to Blu-Ray would be in order if I were to backup to DVD? Regardless given that we now have 1T portable hard drives, which are way smaller than a stack of disks & are read-write, I'm not seeing the point.

Every media fails. Tape has known properties, and is highly reliable in the short term (like 5-10 years short-term), but expensive. HDDs may lose data or mechanically have issues if they sit too long (6-12 months, even). Some flash may do the same thing (most is rated to 1yr, but I'm not sure how much I trust random USB sticks' flash quality). Good quality optical discs last, if stored well, but you'd still want multiple copies.

Basically, there's nothing perfect, that's affordable. It's a question of how much money, time, and effort you can put in to mitigate the risks to a degree that you feel comfortable with. The most important things for backup:
1. Multiple copies, not permanently powered inside the computer.
2. Data you can verify. Don't trust the drive's CRC checking, because that's not the only corruption vector.
3. If you intend to back up more than just documents, worry about how you'll restore them. In the case of just photos and such, if you can read and verify them, then you can restore them.
4. Don't expect any single copy to be long-term reliable, unless it's duplicated tapes in separate climate-controlled vaults . IoW, verify your backups every now and then. When TSHTF, you only need one good copy; but don't trust copies that sit forever to be just like when you left them. Even though they usually will be, assuming they will be is what will get you a visit from Murphy .

IMO, we really need more and better FS-RAID and correctness-checking type tools out there, these days, as part of backup tools, but I don't know of good packaged software for that. I like split archives and par2 for my WORM backups, but that might be a bit much--I also value not having to care what OS I'll be running if I need to read them, which is something most people don't care about, compared to a bit more convenience.

If you want to get a file server at some point, check out FreeNAS and NAS4Free, as easy ways to get simple RAD-Z setups (using ZFS--Google it!).

 

[jkauff]

Personal cloud storage is now pretty affordable. Shop around for 1TB or unlimited services, zip up your RAW files, and use the cloud storage as the offsite component of your backup strategy. I used JustCloud for awhile ($99/yr. unlimited at the time), but they weren't happy when I exceeded 2TB despite the "unlimited" claim.

This is assuming, of course, that you have decent upload speed from your ISP.