Actually, CD-R has been found as not very good for archival storage, as
the media on a the cheaper discs has been seen to break down after as
little as a couple years. The longevity of better quality discs is not
yet certain. For regular backups it's fine, as is recordable DVD media;
in fact I'd recommend CD-R or DVD-R for regular backups since even
some new DVD-R drives can be had for <$100 and the best quality media
is still only $1 or so per disc. Just make sure the discs you buy are
silver or gold colored media. The other types are various hybrids and
not very stable(there's a reason they're so cheap).
For archival purposes(3 or more years or absolutely critical data)
magneto-optical is pretty much the best consumer-accessible solution
available. It's not particularily cheap though, but again, you get what
you pay for. It's a mature technology that is still supported and will
likely be for the foreseeable future. And the cartridges can handle
considerable abuse.
- Alan
On Aug 30, 2005, at 8:06 AM, Aaron wrote:
If you're thinking of using Jaz or Zip cartridges as archival storage,
your just asking for trouble. They're extremely unreliable.
If you need something for archival storage, get yourself a slow, cheap
used CD-R drive -- unless you can afford a new, fast one! You can fit
the contents of 6 Jaz carts on 9 CD-R disks which should cost you a
total of about $2 if you buy them in quantity, $3 or $4 otherwise. At
that price, you can afford to make two or three copies of important
files and keep them in different places.
Also, you should keep the drive that you're "decomissioning"! It
should be at least as likely to be readable in the future as any Jaz
cartridge would be.
- Aaron
--
PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives |
-- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! |
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml>
--> AOL users, remove "mailto:";
Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]>
To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
iPod Accessories for Less
at 1-800-iPOD.COM
Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal
www.1800ipod.com
