Steve R.
Retired
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- Today, 06:42
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2006
- Messages
- 4,705
Over the years, I've been doing computer back-ups and filing them away. This past weekend, I was doing house cleaning, which also involved backing-up (onto an external device) a computer running Ubuntu. It all worked out, but in the process: .......
I found a bunch of 3.5" disks with Windows98 back-up files (over 10 years old), still readable, but no software for doing a restore. Still have one computer with an "A" drive, to look at them. Also remember paying big $$$$ for those disks. Off to the thrift store now.
Also found some R/W CDs. Again, some over 10 years old but still readable; but no software available for doing a restore. Did a quick search, there may be some software out there; but no point in getting it since there is no restoration need. But there is a degree of aggravation in that Microsoft has changed standards and has not retained backward capability. (Not to mention being referred to dead webpages) As with the floppy drive, spent big $$ buying them when this technology was new. Well at least the R/W CDs are reusable.
So, I tried the R/W CDs as the back-up media for the Ubuntu computer. Turns out the CDs capacity was too small!! As I was tossing the 3.5" disks out, I was reminded how our storage needs grow and grow. Can't even fit an MS Word program on a floppy drive now.
Technically, the Ubuntu back-up program should have "spanned" the CDs, but I guess there was a bug in the program. I was able to resolve that issue by backing up the files across the home network onto a "storage" hard drive that I have. Furthermore, the Ubuntu backup used "tar", so I won't be faced with Microsoft changing standards again. In fact, for backing up my Windows file, I just copy them to the "storage" drive to avoid proprietary nightmares.
Well, terabit hard drives are now available for around $100, so I anticipate getting one soon as the back-up media to replace my existing storage hard drive. To think, I probably spent over $200 getting floppies and R/W CDs!!!!
I found a bunch of 3.5" disks with Windows98 back-up files (over 10 years old), still readable, but no software for doing a restore. Still have one computer with an "A" drive, to look at them. Also remember paying big $$$$ for those disks. Off to the thrift store now.
Also found some R/W CDs. Again, some over 10 years old but still readable; but no software available for doing a restore. Did a quick search, there may be some software out there; but no point in getting it since there is no restoration need. But there is a degree of aggravation in that Microsoft has changed standards and has not retained backward capability. (Not to mention being referred to dead webpages) As with the floppy drive, spent big $$ buying them when this technology was new. Well at least the R/W CDs are reusable.
So, I tried the R/W CDs as the back-up media for the Ubuntu computer. Turns out the CDs capacity was too small!! As I was tossing the 3.5" disks out, I was reminded how our storage needs grow and grow. Can't even fit an MS Word program on a floppy drive now.
Technically, the Ubuntu back-up program should have "spanned" the CDs, but I guess there was a bug in the program. I was able to resolve that issue by backing up the files across the home network onto a "storage" hard drive that I have. Furthermore, the Ubuntu backup used "tar", so I won't be faced with Microsoft changing standards again. In fact, for backing up my Windows file, I just copy them to the "storage" drive to avoid proprietary nightmares.
Well, terabit hard drives are now available for around $100, so I anticipate getting one soon as the back-up media to replace my existing storage hard drive. To think, I probably spent over $200 getting floppies and R/W CDs!!!!