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elissad

2 Posts

14330

September 12th, 2006 17:00

xps 410 Q: datasafe vs. serial HD, how important is it?

​ I'm on the brink of ordering an xps 410 configured with the 250 GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s HD ($1179). I'm already over budget, so upgrading to the lowest cost "DataSafe" HD 320 GB for another $220 would be very difficult. ​
​ ​
​ My Q is, is it a big mistake not to get the DataSafe? We have a LOT of pictures (thousands of them) of my daughter which we normally upload to Shutterfly as a back-up, but that's a real PITA. ​
​ ​
​ Just how advantageous is DataSafe, in your opinions? Is this a necessity? ​
​ ​
​ Thanks! ​
​ ​
​ E ​

SR45

12.1K Posts

September 12th, 2006 18:00

Dell did not offer DataSafe on my system four years ago, and I never had a problem.  I copied all of my pictures, music to a cdrw or dvd recordable drive, and Wala, no issue...  Everyone would be wise to do the same thing.  Its called, Back up.  Just in case of fire, hard drive failure, theft, etc... :smileywink:

Others will respond to your question

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MzMe

147 Posts

September 12th, 2006 20:00


@SR45 wrote:

I copied all of my pictures, music to a cdrw or dvd recordable drive, and Wala, no issue...  Everyone would be wise to do the same thing.  Its called, Back up.  Just in case of fire, hard drive failure, theft, etc... :smileywink:

Agreed, you don't need datasafe if you regularly back up your system or at least burn the irreplaceable data like photos to CD/DVD discs. Also, datasafe won't protect you in case of fire or theft because all the information is still stored on the same computer. While you're backing up your precious photos make a second copy to leave at a friend or relatives house or to put in a safe deposit box. That way one copy will be safe in case of fire or theft at the other location. If you're in a hurricane-prone area, which might put two copies at risk in the same town then send a copy to a relative in another state.

krdomingue

181 Posts

September 12th, 2006 20:00

That is a question only you can answer. In my 20+ years of computing, I have only once had a hard drive fail, but it hurt when it did. These days with my 80+ Gigs of family photos, and growing, I opted for data safe and added a third drive for my home videos. (My back ups for my videos are the orginal digital tapes.) Your uploading of the pics to an offsite location is a better solution, if you know they can handle the size of the file and will never delete them. I read an article recently that implied that many of the web providers will delete your pictures if it looks like you have quit being active on their site.

Desmithnc

150 Posts

September 13th, 2006 08:00

You make the choice, Datasafe HD, External USB HD around $100.00, or burn a DVD. I personally use the external Drive, once a month I back up my main drive just incase it fails.

 

XPS 400, 250gb HD, 2x1gb PC5400, 19" monitor, Sound Blaster x-fi, GeForce 7900 gtx 512mb, Pentium D 940 3.2MHZ

fanliorel

1 Message

September 13th, 2006 12:00

Like kr said, watch out for possible loss of pics and stuff even from a 3rd party.  Recently I went to login to strike9, and found my account and pictures completely gone.  I didn't have anything important there, but it was very irritating, and could have been potentially depressing if I had anything I really wanted to save there.  So don't use strike9 :/
 
Nothing beats a hard backup like a dvd you can hold in your hands imo, but then again, maybe computer problems just strike me more often than others.

dwlovell

196 Posts

September 13th, 2006 19:00

Here is what I recommend:
 
Get a Dual-Layer DVD burner (8GB storage space per disc). Organize your photos/important stuff into folders like this:
 
Volume1/
 2006_09_01_Daughter_bday party_photos
 2006_09_06_Sons_graduation_photos
 
Keep adding folders of photos/data until Volume1's size gets to be 8GB. Backup that volume1 folder to a similar-labeled dual-layer DVD.
 
Now create Volume2/ and begin again.
 
Since you generally dont want to alter digital photos from their original form for archiving, this method doesnt require a lot of work or expensive backup solutions. By arranging the folders by the date they correspond to, you can easily identify which of your photos will be on which volume because you can label the DVD with the date range that volume covers.
 
To maximize you backup redundancy:
- Always burn two copies and store one offsite (ie: parents house in case your house burns down)
- Never delete the original from the PC (hard disk space is cheap and a third copy only improves your redundancy)
- Dont backup worthless app data that can just be re-installed (ie: program files and system files) These files become noise that makes the process cumbersome and more likely for you to forget or too lazy to backup.
 
To ensure your DVD's last 50-100 years according to spec:
- Store DVD's in a case where the hub is the only part that touches the disc (ie: not a flip file or cheap thin cases)
- Store DVD's in a case that does not allow light in as UV rays will degrade the dyes used as the recording medium.
- Store DVD's cases in a upright "bookshelf" style rathering than stacking them on top of each other. This minimizes the chance that the disc will flex and the storage medium will contact the storage container.
 
If you really have HUGE personal data that you must backup, the USB/Firewire drive is a decent option, but its harder to bring on/offsite on a regular basis and is more costly than the DVD discs.
 
-David

elissad

2 Posts

September 14th, 2006 18:00

Thank you for all of the great feedback, it is appreciated.   I went with the serial HD and of course, a DVD burner. 
 
Just checked out my pics, just two year's worth of my daughter takes up a whopping 800 meg, lol!   Part of me just wants to pop the old hard drive out of my current computer and hold on to THAT as backup.   It sounds so simplistic--is that actually workable?   Maybe we should just stick the whole machine (sans peripherals) into a corner of the basement or in a family member's basement...it really doesn't take up a whole lot of room.

Herb11

20 Posts

September 14th, 2006 19:00

Yes, pulling the hard drive is a workable and easy option!

Just go to your local BestBuy or CircuitCity and purchase an external Hard Drive enclosure.

These will come with easy directions on how to proceed. They are usually connected to your New PC via USB 2.0.

Great for back-ups or for extra storage. Price for the enclosure varies, but should be able to be had for $40-60.

Good luck :smileyhappy:

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