[Hidden-tech] Advice on Online Backup Options

[ussailis at shaysnet.com]

I would advise caution. If the backup service uses a hard drive, you are in
the same pickle as using your own hard drive. Hard drives are mechanical /
analog devices, not digital devices. They fail. It is only a matter of time
until any hard drive fails.

The motor stops working, or the read head touches the disk, or the magnetic
domains on the platters get weak.

Yes, I have had some fail, and had a virtual server that I rent fail in
late July. Don't know if that was a hard drive, or processor. Server folks
arn't telling.

My method for back up is simple. Hard drives are for programs, floppies are
for data. I guess now data files are so large that this could be changed to
"CDs are for data." I still use Zip drives for data, along with CDs.

Generally backing up the programs isn't necessary because you probably got
a backup copy with the computer. And if a hard drive fails you will
probably get a new computer anyway.


Jim Ussailis
jim at nationalwireless.com

PS Here is a real story about backing up. Last fall I participated in a ham
radio contest in Nova Scotia. Of course the entire log is entered on an
as-you-go basis in the computer. At the end of this 48 hour contest, a
"little birdy" in my mind said to back up the log file in a Zip disk. I
did. You probably have guessed the outcome...the computer never came on
again. The hard drive failed.


Original Message:
-----------------
From: Michael Giles mgiles at visionstudio.com
Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:19:54 -0400
To: dtkboomer at gmail.com, Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Advice on Online Backup Options


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