DVD's used for file backups

[Rhombus65]

I have no experiance with DVD's other than to watch a movie on my TV.

My question is: Can you use DVD's for backing up files. I currently use CD's, but they do not hold enough info.

"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing..." -Albert Einstein

 

[jlshelton]

Sure; most good backup software supports DVD media. Checkout BUMP (BackUp My PC) and Retrospect.

 

[Rhombus65]

jlshelton:

Thank you for your reply.

"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing..." -Albert Einstein

 

[garebo]

You would still have to buy a dvd burner to do this, and they have dual layer dvd burners out there that give you double the space of a standard dvd burner, and they are only a few dollars more.

Or, you could wait about 6 months for the first "blueray" dvd burners to come out, they will save much much more to one disk than current dvd burners.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[jlshelton]

Double-layer is good if you want to take less time flipping discs in and out, but currently, the media is more than 2x as expensive. (However, it doesn't hurt to spend a few bucks extra to get a drive that supports double-layer.)

For backup, you probably want the most reliable storage; DVD is "good" but not best. Double-layer burning is not as proven. I'd stick with single-layer DVD, and plan on discarding media after 5 years. Read elsewhere about proper storage.

Also, good backup software lets you keep multiple backup "sets" (collections of media.) Using sets "A" and "B", you alternate backups. (Mon, Wed, Fri, backup to A; Tue Wed Sat backup to B; Sunday go fishing.) Properly done, both A and B have COMPLETE backups, so if one set gets trashed, the other set is OK. Keep one set off-site. E.g., mail DVDs to your bro-in-law in a different city.

I'm guessing it'll be 3-5 years before Blu-Ray is cost competitive with DVD. Also, the TV vendors haven't settled yet on the fight between blu-ray and the alternative. Until that fight is done, we'll have a format war. Stay tuned. Perhaps a year or less before the two converge on a standard.

Good luck.

 

[Rhombus65]

Thanks to all for your input.

"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing..." -Albert Einstein

 

[garebo]

I read in a pc mag last night that the HP DVD technology will be out long before Blu-ray so its very possible the HP DVD format will be the dominant one. It also spoke of eventually having 200 gig disks, yes, i read right. Course that doesnt mean it will happen for sure either.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[cdogg]

I've seen dual-layer DVD discs at places like BestBuy and Circuit City for as little as $3 a disc when bought in bulk packages. Granted, that's about 5-6 times the cost of single-layer, but the cost has come down a lot in the past 6 months (was $10 a pop originally). You can probably even save more online.

Also, if you don't have a DVD burner yet, I recommend going somewhere online like

http://www.newegg.com

or

http://www.pricewatch.com

for more options. OEM drives are nice if you already have software, because you can get some of the fastest burners out there for well under $70.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
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