Phil wrote: > Hi again: > > The reason for my asking about backing up files is due to some > sad news. Two days ago I lost my dog to illness. She was my best > friend for 12 1/2 years, and all of the photos that I have of her are > stored on the computer. I can not lose these files. > [...] > > I really don't know what to do just now. I am not able to think real > clearly, obviously. Money is super tight right now (unemployed) but > I am freaking a bit thinking I might lose these files. I will have to > step back for a bit and give my head some time to clear. > How about CDs with a universal format? They're cheap enough to make multiple copies to keep in multiple locations. I don't know what kind of CDs last the longest or what's the best way to store them.
Camera cards with a USB reader seem like another good way to archive. I have an MP3 player with more than a gB to spare where I could archive some files, and the format could be used by different computers. I don't know if camera cards, flash cards, and MP3 players can go bad in a desk drawer.
One trick I've used is to plug an old drive (too small and slow for regular use) into a USB enclosure, load it with archives, and remove the drive from the enclosure to store in a drawer. I don't know how reliable that is because I don't know how likely it is "aging" could kill a drive sitting in a drawer.
