# Computer Backup Solution **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337 "2011-01-12T13:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/1 "2011-01-12T13:35:40Z")
In addition to his normal daily backup, my “friend” would like to do a weekly backup to a media which can be saved indefinitely and never written over. It’s about 40GB of data. What’s the most cost-effective way to do this? Tape cassettes? DVDs? Also, my friend would like to just let the backup run overnight - he doesn’t want to have to be changing disks or cassettes or whatever. TIA ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/2 "2011-01-12T15:16:11Z")
I’m a bit confused. Does your friend want to make a one-time backup of that 40 GB of data, never to be touched again afterwards? In this case, why does it matter if the backup is done overnight or that he has to change any data medium? Anyway, to save data “indefinitely”, you better engrave it to high-grade steel (or even more high-grade metal) plates, but in digital form it’s impossible. I’m no expert in backup strategies, but the first you can rule out for a reliable backup are optical media like DVDs and magnetical like tapes. If this data is of such great value, I would recommend to store it on two separate hard drives and verify the data daily. If one of them should fail, you can swap it immediately for a new one and still have the data on the other. You could simplify this process by using a RAID system, but I’m no expert on this either, so let’s hope someone with more experience will participate in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/3 "2011-01-12T15:25:33Z")
You can get a 500GB external HDD from Best Buy for around $60. That’s what I would do. Back everything up, then keep it unplugged (from the wall and the computer) to protect from any kind of electrical surge. If you’re _really_ worried about this data, get two of them, copy everything on to both of them, keep one at your house and the other one somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/4 "2011-01-12T15:45:12Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’m a bit confused. Does your friend want to make a one-time backup of that 40 GB of data, never to be touched again afterwards? In this case, why does it matter if the backup is done overnight or that he has to change any data medium? Just read the OP again, and noticed that I overlooked the word “weekly” the first time. So please forget about this question. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/5 "2011-01-12T15:53:08Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Just read the OP again, and noticed that I overlooked the word “weekly” the first time. So please forget about this question. Wow, I missed that as well. In that case, pick up a 500GB drive from Best Buy and get (for free, from Microsoft’s Website) a program called SyncToys. It will do exactly what you want to do. It will only add new data to that backup but will never remove anything from it. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/6 "2011-01-12T18:09:46Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You can get a 500GB external HDD from Best Buy for around $60. That’s what I would do. Well that will last for about 10 or 15 weeks. Then what? Do I just buy a new HDD every couple months? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/7 "2011-01-12T18:18:38Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Well that will last for about 10 or 15 weeks. Then what? Do I just buy a new HDD every couple months? Well, if you got to store 40 GB of \*new \*data each week, either this (that’s the safer option), or else you burn it to DVDs, but as I said before, that’s not a reliable method in terms of durability. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/8 "2011-01-12T18:44:13Z")
Thank. Basically my “friend” is worried about a Stuxnet type attack where his data is corrupted in some subtle way without him knowing about it until months after it happens. In this case, the normal dual daily backup he does to flash drives will not protect him. So the idea is to do a weekly archive type backup on top of the daily backup. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/9 "2011-01-12T18:44:54Z")
Just wanted to add: If you go for storing your data on several hard disks, then go for the best storage/cost ratio, i. e. you should get you HDs with at least 2 TB. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/10 "2011-01-12T18:51:55Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Well that will last for about 10 or 15 weeks. Then what? Do I just buy a new HDD every couple months? Oh, I mis-understood the question. I assumed it was 40GB of data that would be more or less unchanging. Weekly backups to catch the small changes or added files, but not competently recreating the entire backup each week. Honestly, based on the way the OP was worded, I just assumed he wanted to back up his porn. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/11 "2011-01-12T19:13:03Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Honestly, based on the way the OP was worded, I just assumed he wanted to back up his porn. Me too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-backup-solution/567337/12 "2011-01-12T19:27:42Z")
Assuming we aren’t worried about Physical issues (fire, etc), just data corruption, the solution requiring the least screwing with IMO is: A blackx duet to hold 2 hard drives: > **[Amazon.com: Thermaltake BlacX Duet 2.5”/3.5” SATA I/II/III USB 3.0 External Hard...](https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-External-Enclosure-Docking-ST0014U-D/dp/B01J4XNLN6)** > > Thermaltake st0014u BlacX Duet HDD docking station. Read & write 2 Hard drives simultaneously. Hot-swap capability for rapid multi HDDs access & exchange.- Database: Read & Write 2 hard drives simultaneously.- Diverse: Supports all 2.5” & 3.5” SATA... Two 2TB hard drives: > **[Amazon.com: Western Digital Caviar Green 2 TB Desktop Hard Drive (WD20EARS) (Old...](https://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Desktop-WD20EARS/dp/B002ZCXK0I)** > > From the Manufacturer WD Caviar Green Hard Drives – Cool, quiet.The WD Caviar Green desktop SATA hard drives give you the space you need to hold enormous amounts of software, photos and videos. These drives make it possible to build high... Acronis True image Home: (Set backup to FULL method, and don’t enable auto-cleanup > **[Amazon.com: True Image Home 2011 PC Backup and Recovery \[Old Version\]](https://www.amazon.com/True-Image-Backup-Recovery-Version/dp/B003VIVY7G)** > > Product Description Acronis, INC. TI-14-DV-RT-W-EN true image home 2011 Amazon.com Have you ever accidentally deleted a file, had a virus corrupt your files, or had a disk fail? These are just a few examples of how... That should cover you for approximately two years without changing tapes or anything.