How do YOU backup?

Offbeat · Oct 23, 2007

How does everyone store their stuff?
Ive just got a MacBook and external USB2.0 hard drive and dont know how i should set things up. Do I:-

1)Use my Macbook hard drive,backup to an external HD and then CD/DVD, then delete stuff from Mac and HD when things are getting full?

2)Use my external HD to keep all my photos on and just backup to CD/DVD every month or so?

Never really done this backing up business before as ive been really lucky and never really lost anything important before but now im at university any notes, documents, photos i feel that i NEED to have copies coz if i lost them... I dont even want to think about it.

Anyway just want to know how other people do it and what programs you use?

-Matt

Sw1tchFX · Oct 23, 2007

I have a 2nd internal HD and a USB/firewire HD that I use.

WDodd · Oct 23, 2007

I use the same setup as Sw1tch.

Check out iSync. I don't use this because I have my photo programs and stuff on my PC but it might make your life easier.

astrostu · Oct 23, 2007

If you just got your MacBook, meaning you purchased it after October 1, then wait 'til Friday and get a free upgrade to OS X 10.5. It has an automatic backup utility called Time Machine. I would suggest using that if you're not an "expert" user - as in you don't have your own backup system already in place (which is what it sounds like).

Otherwise, I keep 8-bit JPGs of my photos on my hard drives (laptop and desktop) in iPhoto, and I back up my desktop weekly to an external drive. I keep the original RAW and processed PSD files on my laptop hard drive until I have a DVD-worth and then copy them over to the DVD, deleting the stuff on the hard drive.

CDG · Oct 24, 2007

I use a blue binder made by Avery. :lmao:

Offbeat · Oct 24, 2007

astrostu said:
If you just got your MacBook, meaning you purchased it after October 1, then wait 'til Friday and get a free upgrade to OS X 10.5. It has an automatic backup utility called Time Machine. I would suggest using that if you're not an "expert" user - as in you don't have your own backup system already in place (which is what it sounds like).

Otherwise, I keep 8-bit JPGs of my photos on my hard drives (laptop and desktop) in iPhoto, and I back up my desktop weekly to an external drive. I keep the original RAW and processed PSD files on my laptop hard drive until I have a DVD-worth and then copy them over to the DVD, deleting the stuff on the hard drive.

I dont think that free upgrade applies to the UK

I was pretty gutted when i found out Lepoard was coming out 7 days after i bought my Mac but it might be better, ill wait a few months until the bugs have been sorted out.

NathanJK · Oct 24, 2007

I double everything thats from the last year or so up on two different hard drives. I then burn two dvd's of everything. My plan is to recopy the dvd's every two years or so. I use taiyo yuden dvd's, I've heard they are the best for archival. I store one set of the dvd's off site as well just in case.

astrostu · Oct 24, 2007

Offbeat said:
I dont think that free upgrade applies to the UK I was pretty gutted when i found out Lepoard was coming out 7 days after i bought my Mac but it might be better, ill wait a few months until the bugs have been sorted out.

The Apple press release doesn't say anything about it being limited to the US. The press release says:

The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1, 2007 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US).

clarinetJWD · Oct 25, 2007

Normally, I just put the car in reverse and go. Once in a while, I mix things up and actually look

Alex_B · Oct 25, 2007

internal HDD storage for the images, internal HDD for backup.

Several external HDDs for archives and backups.

No CDs no DVDs as I hate backing up all those hundreds of GBytes to DVDs

Using this way of backing up for about 10 years now, and never lost a single file/image. Except once when I was travelling and the laptop HDD died without being backed up. Lost some recent shots then.

hawkeye · Oct 26, 2007

Time Machine is the way to go! Hopefully you didnt get Tiger too soon... Leopard is going to be great!

hawkeye · Oct 26, 2007

Alex_B said:
internal HDD storage for the images, internal HDD for backup.

Several external HDDs for archives and backups.

No CDs no DVDs as I hate backing up all those hundreds of GBytes to DVDs

Using this way of backing up for about 10 years now, and never lost a single file/image. Except once when I was travelling and the laptop HDD died without being backed up. Lost some recent shots then.

I use externals too, but I would be afraid to not put on DVD. Hard drives crash, discs stay nice and safe in their case and put on a shelf where they belong. I leave my stuff on the external for random access, and put the discs away for safety.

I guess certain RAID configs will give peace of mind (fault tolerance) in the case a hard disc fails, but its just too easy to burn to disc every couple days / weeks etc.

TCimages · Oct 26, 2007

I have three external HDDs for backup. One is a secondary internal resource drive (networked) that is always running with all my images for daily use. The second is connected (not running) external drive for backup in the event I need it. A third copy sits on a shelf, just incase. BTW- I never use the Primary drive for any files or images. Only apps and OS.

I also have a fourth drive that is running on my network. This is my Temp drive for all images when I get in from the field. I sort them here and organize them in a folder structure thats duplicated on all the other drives. This is another reason I like DPP. I can view all my RAWs and drag and drop. I don't like back up programs that create propriatery files. I prefer to back them up as they are.

If you make money in this business, I would even consider a drive offsite. Drives are so cheap, that you can have a couple extra that you switch out with a family member or friend.

DVD's have a shelf life as well, and with 100 GB's to 1/2 TB of data, they just aren't practical. IMO

EOS_JD · Oct 26, 2007

Discs are not "nice and safe"

I've lost data from DVD and many images!!!

I've also lost data from HDD (100Gb) and after that decided I needed to take back up seriously.

DVD/CD to me are a waste of time and space. A 2 x 400Gb drives (or higher) can be purchased very reasonably now and to fill a 400Gb drive you are looking at about 100 DVDs!! And the time taken to burn these makes using them uneconomical and an inefficient use of my time.

I store all my work on external drives although as noted above drives are prone to failure and you have to make sure your backups on different drives and preferaby in different locations.

My current setup is now getting rather large!!

2 x 200Gb external drives
1 x 400Gb external drive
1 x 500Gb external drives
2 x 40Gb external drives

1 x 300Gb internal drive
1 x 250Gb internal drive
1 x 200Gb internal drive

Total - 2.13Tb of space.

I have each file on my PC backed up at least once (two copies or more) and I store a couple of externals off site in case of fire/theft.

Some may think this is overkill but if you want to keep your data safe, be thorough.

If you only have a small amount of data, backup to Hard Drive and DVD can be useful and I'm not knocking it completely but for me the time to burn a wedding to DVD is not on. I can copy all the files from card to my portable 40Gb P2000 at the wedding and then from my P2000 to my appropriate drive in a couple of minutes.

hawkeye · Oct 26, 2007

EOS_JD said:
Discs are not "nice and safe" I've lost data from DVD and many images!!!

I've also lost data from HDD (100Gb) and after that decided I needed to take back up seriously.

DVD/CD to me are a waste of time and space. A 2 x 400Gb drives (or higher) can be purchased very reasonably now and to fill a 400Gb drive you are looking at about 100 DVDs!! And the time taken to burn these makes using them uneconomical and an inefficient use of my time.

I store all my work on external drives although as noted above drives are prone to failure and you have to make sure your backups on different drives and preferaby in different locations.

My current setup is now getting rather large!!

2 x 200Gb external drives
1 x 400Gb external drive
1 x 500Gb external drives
2 x 40Gb external drives

1 x 300Gb internal drive
1 x 250Gb internal drive
1 x 200Gb internal drive

Total - 2.13Tb of space.

I have each file on my PC backed up at least once (two copies or more) and I store a couple of externals off site in case of fire/theft.

Some may think this is overkill but if you want to keep your data safe, be thorough.

If you only have a small amount of data, backup to Hard Drive and DVD can be useful and I'm not knocking it completely but for me the time to burn a wedding to DVD is not on. I can copy all the files from card to my portable 40Gb P2000 at the wedding and then from my P2000 to my appropriate drive in a couple of minutes.

I see what your saying, but I also see that you need an intense amount of storage, DVD's are just not feasible when there is that much data. When I say DVD, I dont mean a DVD thats flipped around, used, subjected to direct light etc. I mean put your info on it, put it in a secure case, and put it away. I've never lost 1KB of data on a back up disc. Of course, if I needed 2TB's of storage, I wouldn't even think of going single disc back ups.

But... keep in mind that eventually, price will plummet on Blue ray, and thats 50GB's dual layer... and when they become just a few bucks a piece, that's pretty cheap. At the same time though, of course, TB drives will be available too, for cheap. Thats technology I guess.