Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Flash drives aren't bulletproof. That's just the thing. It's really easy to break the solder on the flash, making it useless. Plugging them and unplugging them over and over can actually lead to them breaking. They also have a limited number of writes before they're just worn out. Flash drives make for decent file storage but they suck for actual backups.
If dropping an external HDD is that big of a problem for you (I've personally never dropped one myself but I don't generally carry them around either, that's what flash drives are for. :-)), get a protected one.
Several companies make external enclosures covered in silicone or other materials to make them drop and shock-proof.
PLEASE post a link! My job teaching over 100 kids in a huge welding shop with CNC capabilities is hard as hell on technology. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
PLEASE post a link! My job teaching over 100 kids in a huge welding shop with CNC capabilities is hard as hell on technology.
I have used a few Lacie drives and really like them.
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
I hate to disagree but flash drives are bulletproof. External hard drives are NOT.
They can't take any punishment at all. I dropped this one 6" and its done????
I know my job requires alot of moving around from computer to computer but Never again.
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
I hate to disagree but flash drives are bulletproof. External hard drives are NOT.
They can't take any punishment at all. I dropped this one 6" and its done????
I know my job requires alot of moving around from computer to computer but Never again.
Nah, flash drives are certainly not bulletproof. I've seen more fail than I could keep count. Not just from drops and mishandling either. Just flat failure.
Flash media tends to have an advantage, because there aren't any moving parts. So you're usually more protected against drops and bumps. But they still can fail just the same. Too much heat, overvoltage, undervoltage, and sometimes just for the fuck of it.
To hell with it, this old man is headed for the cloud. I have been in the same job for 31 years, tweaked my job about 15 years ago due to burnout and been happy since. EXCEPT they are always asking us to learn something new. Nothing new in teaching, either you can teach or you cant. Well now Im gonna learn something new dammit. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
To hell with it, this old man is headed for the cloud. I have been in the same job for 31 years, tweaked my job about 15 years ago due to burnout and been happy since. EXCEPT they are always asking us to learn something new. Nothing new in teaching, either you can teach or you cant. Well now Im gonna learn something new dammit.
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
To hell with it, this old man is headed for the cloud. I have been in the same job for 31 years, tweaked my job about 15 years ago due to burnout and been happy since. EXCEPT they are always asking us to learn something new. Nothing new in teaching, either you can teach or you cant. Well now Im gonna learn something new dammit.
If you go cloud, you might still want a portable drive. The cloud is great for sharing files and storing backups offsite but it's not always accessible and available in a pinch. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Wizard:
I hate to disagree but flash drives are bulletproof. External hard drives are NOT.
They can't take any punishment at all. I dropped this one 6" and its done????
I know my job requires alot of moving around from computer to computer but Never again.
And flash drives are crazy cheap, so you can just keep multiple copies.
I have a quick local copy that I keep on hand here at the house and a copy that I keep in my Credit Union safety deposit box (mine is Free for having an account with them(yours may differ)) with some papers that I don't have digital copies of. (Original copy of my Will, DNR, etc...)
Monthly, when I update my local copy of my flash drive, I take it to the credit union and swap it with the one in the safety deposit box. [Reply]
Originally Posted by MeaTy The Pimp:
And flash drives are crazy cheap, so you can just keep multiple copies.
I have a quick local copy that I keep on hand here at the house and a copy that I keep in my Credit Union safety deposit box (mine is Free for having an account with them(yours may differ)) with some papers that I don't have digital copies of. (Original copy of my Will, DNR, etc...)
Monthly, when I update my local copy of my flash drive, I take it to the credit union and swap it with the one in the safety deposit box.
External hard drives are actually cheaper than flash drives.
You can get a 4TB name-brand external HDD for $100.
A high-end 512GB USB3 flash drive will cost you $75 easy and it is:
1. not as fast as a HDD
2. not as reliable as a HDD
3. not as efficient as a HDD
For all of you using USB flash drives to backup important material - the USB connector is PHYSICALLY attached to the flash chip.
Simply inserting it into a USB port can break the drive and destroy your data forever.
I'm not trying to be a dick but I simply cannot stress enough not to use USB flash drives for backup. They're for convenience and portability but I've seen too many people burned using USB flash drives. USB flash drives always seem like a good idea until the first time you plug them in and they're not recognized because they broke. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
External hard drives are actually cheaper than flash drives.
You can get a 4TB name-brand external HDD for $100.
A high-end 512GB USB3 flash drive will cost you $75 easy and it is:
1. not as fast as a HDD
2. not as reliable as a HDD
3. not as efficient as a HDD
For all of you using USB flash drives to backup important material - the USB connector is PHYSICALLY attached to the flash chip.
Simply inserting it into a USB port can break the drive and destroy your data forever.
I'm not trying to be a dick but I simply cannot stress enough not to use USB flash drives for backup. They're for convenience and portability but I've seen too many people burned using USB flash drives. USB flash drives always seem like a good idea until the first time you plug them in and they're not recognized because they broke.
I had a flashdrive break on me, luckily I had all that info on other flashdrives, but thank you for posting those links from amazon. Which one do you think I should order between the LaCie or ADATA? [Reply]
I finally got my old VHS tapes digitalized. Very happy seeing the kids 1st Christmas, 2nd birthday party etc.
There are several companies that will get data even off a physically broken hard drive.
I back up the most crucial files on a 500GB thumb drive. Then full backup to an external hd. Backup all photos from phone and computer to Amazon for free. [Reply]
I backup via Time Machine and I have my data in a RAID. As I understand it, a RAID means that there are 2 drives that appear as one and when the computer saves to the RAID, it saves to both drives at the same time. I have them encrypted and use a VPN.
Sounds good, but .... a friend of mine had his office burn down and he said he had no off-site backup. I think about that every 6 months and resolve to do something about that but then forget about it for another 6 months or so. [Reply]
