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Archiver > BK > 2006-03 > 1142265513


From: "Jo Davis" <>
Subject: New 'Take' on earlier query replies: [BK] BACKUPS. Last Question
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:58:33 -0500
References: <005801c63c96$987bd0d0$953119d0@howardtxj7cn9i> <6.2.5.6.2.20060301135924.02233280@one.net>


13 March 2006 ...

Hello, John ...
While not a major part of your recent "BackUp" discussion, I want to add
some newly acquired information, which I garnered in a local Computer Group
Meeting that may apply to your decision on what media to choose for storing
data. Measure it against the comments of the others you've been receiving
and see how my experience "fits" with them ...
Jo
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On 9 March 2006, I began this response ...

If you're talking about a mix of typed text and photo images ...
It appears that no one really knows exactly how well today's media will hold
up over the next 2 years, let alone 50 or longer! Our local computer group
leaders advise us to hold on to the original media, and save it to CD-RW,
regular CD and to DVD disks. Some save to external hard drives of 1 or more
gigabytes in size, and some to those tiny USB port jobs that look like a
whistle on a chain. Still others say to copy to a film ... yes, good
old-fashioned photo film, (and/or to a video film.) We know that those
early 8mm home movies have held up for over 50 years, and if not exposed to
too much heat or light, they are still pretty darned good images today. (I
have a couple of these and know first hand that this is true!)

I also learned something about my CD-RW disks that I did not know: You only
"copy" to them, not "burn" them! All this time I though all CDs were
"burned" to create. Not so! To make a CD-RW disk, you may use Roxio's
"Easy CD Creator"; mine came with my "Compaq" computer so I did not have to
go buy it. The system I'm on is also Windows XP. The only thing I had to
do was to "format" the CD-RW disk and just just following the instructions
that "popped" up once I put the disk in the drive drawer did that operation.
It may take a while (45 minutes +/-) if the CD -RW has not been previously
formatted; mine took about 5 minutes to do this. The "Easy CD Creator"
software will recognize the condition of the disk and give you the
appropriate information and steps to follow... (It has done so, for this
very non-techie person!)

Once that is done, all you do is "copy-paste" or "drag-drop" the files you
want directly to the CD-RW disk, and you are done! Take it out of the
drive drawer and treat it as if it were a mini-hard drive, in that, whatever
other computer you insert it into needs to have recognition compatible
software to access it - as, say, in an MS Word or Excel created file - to
"read' text created in that program. Or if an image, a photo editor of some
brand, to "read" a digital image. Every Microsoft Windows has, at the very
least, the "Accessory" image program called "Paint". RTF is a generic text
format, and a JPEG is a generic digital image file format. If you "save"
your work in such basic formats and use these types of file extensions to
create your CD-RW backups, you ought be comfortable that the work will
survive until better storage media is developed. Always, ALWAYS keep your
originally created work in the original file format, making copies as needed
in generic file formats, to create your backup CD-RW's.

I just learned all this at our monthly computer club meetings in the past
four days. Timely, eh?

When we get to DVD's I'll post what I learn about them, too, if an interest
is apparant. I've had these same "burning" questions for some time now, and
do hope these remarks are helpful. Oh, look up on your computer for
"Computer Club Groups" in your area; mine is NEOPC (North East Ohio PC).

Good luck!

Jo


----- Original Message -----
From: "John W. Southcombe" <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 1:59 PM
Subject: [BK] BACKUPS. Last Question


>A very sincere thanks to all You Geeks for your replies
> about my question on Back-ups. I have saved all of them.
>
> I will stick with my WD external Hard Drive. Even though
> even though Dantz is NOT user friendly.
>
> I would like to try using my CD burner. I have
> eMachine; Windows XP -2: Pentium (R) 4;
> 4CPU; 2.93GHz
> 2.93 GHz; 504 MB RAM
> Data: C: 7.73 GB; D:7.73 GB Slave J: 9.14 GB
>
> Please advise:
> The program I should use-It it in Windows XP??
> How do I access it
> The type of CD-I am not looking for long time storage
> At 84 years I look forward to tomorrow NOT next year
>
> I promise I will bother this list with any more problems (I hope)
>
> Kind regards
> John
>

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