Lay My Hat Forum

lv · Joined: 16 Feb 2005 Posts: 10425

I did the soft backup with Carbonite as recommended by MG and I can't really see any advantage a hard drive backup would have over it. It updates regularly, far more regularly than you would do a hard backup and as MG says, it is impossible to lose the data, unlike with a hard drive. Or am I missing something?

vrooje · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 3233 Location: Burgundy, France

I think usage must be important, too... but I'm not so sure exactly how it works.

I had an external drive that I used for backup -- stored some data on it and then turned it off, and it sat unused for about a year. When I needed the data again, I turned the drive on to find that the USB connection had broken, and the firewire port broke soon after that. We managed to get the data off the drive because we have an electronics lab next door, but the thing went kaput well before I would have expected.

In contrast, my desktop hard drive dates back to 2002 and (fingers crossed, touch wood, etc.) is still doing just fine -- and I rarely turn that computer off. So it could be that the act of physically spinning a drive isn't so wearing, but switching between on and off states is much more risky. Or perhaps external drives are even flakier than internal drives. I don't know; I just know that you should never rely on a hard drive if you have data that absolutely cannot be lost under any circumstances.
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Brooke

Alan Knighting · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 6:51 pm Post subject:

Brooke,

Including the time before and after I retired from business I have now been in IT in various guises for over 25 years and I have never experienced a complete hard drive failure. The C: drive in my main PC is now getting on for 12 years old and isn’t even developing bad sectors. I think that’s possibly because I bought the best available at the time.

I think your comments about longevity are so true. Light bulbs wear out very quickly the more you turn them on and off. I think the same is true for PC’s and their ancillaries.

Alan

vrooje · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 3233 Location: Burgundy, France

TTP mk2 · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject:

Alan Knighting · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject:

Brooke,

In business my "zero" scenario was to maintain a RAID HD system which mirrored and shadowed a network of DEC PDP11’s, UNIX servers and MS NT servers. In addition an incremental tape back-up of the whole system ran every night and those tapes were held off-premises. What private person could possibly afford all of that?

It’s just little me but I still prefer a dual mirroring system to occasional backing up on-line and I don’t regard it as rocket science.

Alan

lv · Joined: 16 Feb 2005 Posts: 10425

Jimbo · Joined: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 3104 Location: Perigord noir

Vrooje wrote:

Alan Knighting · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 8:18 am Post subject:

Mountain Goat · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject:

Prevention of the loss of a day’s work, even an hour’s work in many cases, is worth the annual subscription (around £25) to an online backup service such as carbonite.com (unlimited storage, but downside is only one PC). Assuming, of course, you've discarded your bicycle generator and dial-up set-up and enjoying broadband.

This thread is exhibiting a prime example of Cognitive Dissonance, which I'd only vaguely heard of until listening to Radio 4’s Today programme this morning (0825 UK time available online via the Listen Again section of bbc.co.uk).

You’re faced with facts challenging your belief, you know they’re correct, but you can’t accept them. A good example given was Bush and his Poodle with their Iraq adventure: Weapons of Mass Destruction didn’t exist; Iraq’s citizens weren’t dancing in the streets and throwing flowers when ‘we’ ‘liberated’ them.

Quote: Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation. It therefore occurs when there is a need to accommodate new ideas, and it may be necessary for it to develop so that we become "open" to them.

Reading List
Wikipedia
psychology.org
learningandteaching.org

Enjoy.

MG
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Jimbo · Joined: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 3104 Location: Perigord noir

Mountain Goat wrote:

Mountain Goat · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 6:41 am Post subject:

not until Gordon stops doing that odd thing with his mouth

Yes, what is that? Interestingly, some people can't see it.

MG
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Mountain Goat · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject:

I've found updating to the Free version 8.0 of AVG a complete pain - a dozen attempts using the various workarounds posted on geek forums - mainly partial downloads and corrupted files.

I finally managed it using the link from their own server, see this page: AVG Free Download and use the small link marked - Download AVG Free 8.0 (AVG server) rather than the prominent blue download link - it worked first time.

I've noticed that it includes anti-spyware, but they don't push it as a feature.

MG
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Alan Knighting · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: