Dead USB Key Drive

[WoodPeckr]

Plextor apps

Plextor came with 2 burning applications.
Their's and Roxio Easy Creator.
Used both and like Plextor's better till switching to Nero.

 

[Rockslinger]

Plextor came with 2 burning apps.
Their's and Roxio Easy Creator.
Used both and like Plextor's better till switching to Nero.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot.
I bought and installed an LG DVD writer and then my friend told me that Plextor is better.
I use Roxio Creator 10. I hate that it closes the disc after only one burn even though there is plenty of unuse space left.

 

[WoodPeckr]

I use Roxio Creator 10. I hate that it closes the disc after only one burn even though there is plenty of unuse space left.

My son likes Roxio, I prefer Nero but don't burn as much as in the past.

 

[WoodPeckr]

If you no trust CD and DVD, what do you trust?

Was talking with a cousin who just came into Buffalo for a visit. He got into the PC business ground floor over 30 yrs ago. Asked him about reliable safe long term storage. He's working for Sun Microsystems in Denver right now and says the best way to back up your important data, files, etc is 'tape drives'. Tape drives are cheap (1 TB cost $100) use no power and will last. His company warrantees them for 25 yrs but he claims they easily last longer. I've heard about tape drives before but never looked into them. My cousins says this is the way to go and this is how all the big corporations, banks and credit companies back up important data.

 

[Rockslinger]

I've heard about tape drives before but never looked into them.

Thanks. How does one transfer data stored on a harddrive to a tape drive? Also, where does one buy a tape drive?

 

[WoodPeckr]

Really know nothing about them. Just going by what he told me.
I will have to check out Google to find out more info on them.

 

[Rockslinger]

Really know nothing about them.

Did your cousin mention anything about the new solid state harddrives that are suppose to last 100 years?

 

[WoodPeckr]

Yes he has done some work with SSDs and used them.
He says they look promising but need to be improved more to bring prices down and randomize their rewritablity better.

They are fast and rewrite X amount of times, like flash drives and CD-RWs before crystallizing and going dead. Presently they always rewrite to the same sectors before moving on to another, as the constantly used sectors die. This causes 'dead spots' to form slowing performance as they seek good sectors. What they are working on is a way to make them write to random sectors all the time to spread wear more evenly across the whole drive which will keep performance at peak speeds all the time till the drive fully crystallizes and dies which in theory he says should be about 100 yrs once perfected.

 

[OnTheWayOut]

tape drives

Wow, I remember tossing an old tape drive several years ago. It was an IDE unit and it's capacity was blown away by the then new CDRWs. LOL Home tape backups went away at that time.

I'm not sure what is available these days, or if they make SATA or IDE tape drives. Conner (since bought by Seagate, or is it the other way around?) was a big name in the past. For home use SATA or IDE would be the more desirable if still available.

Corporations use SCSI tape drives. For small local backups they'll use a single drive. For large backups at larger sites with massive data they use tape libraries, units with 2,3,4 or more drives that hold many tapes and auto-load the appropriate tape to be used. This would be overkill for home use.

The 25 year life referred to must be for the tape media to retain data. The drives themselves are a fairly high failure rate item. And most tape and drive manufacturers recommend replacing the media every 6 months for heavy use. Again overkill for home use that wouldn't be writing to the tape to the extent a business would.

Guessing a drive and low end SCSI card would set you back around a grand. Cheaper to use a hard drive to backup, a 1TB external is @ $200 at Costco and other places. Not as secure so if you have extreme needs check into tape. Otherwise not too practical for home use.

BTW Woody, PCs weren't yet invented over 30 years ago ..... unless your Cuz was working at IBM doing R&D he slightly overstated things

 

[tboy]

Well, pcs were invented in the 60's and (I think it was) the head of IBM who said no one would want them for home use......DOH

Rock: wth is up with you and data backup? You got a case of add on this subject? lol.....

Tape drives are VERY sensitive to magnetic fields to corrupt the data, that's why very few people use them anymore. Just like cassettes, pass them anywhere near an electric motor (of any size) and woot, data gone. (plus they are slower than a turtle on valium).

Rock Rock Rock, you've got your drive, just do a backup of your files NOT YOUR OS every 6 months and you'll be good for 10,000 years. At 10 cents a pop it will maybe cost you $2000.00 for 10,000 years of data...now if 10,000 years is too much, just do it for 100 years and it will only cost you around 20 bucks.....

SHEESH!

 

[Cassini]

Isn't the perfect backup supposed to be the new solid state hard drives that are meant to last 100 years?

The flash memory on the drives might last 100 years, but then it's the same flash memory used on the USB keys that break all the time.

Modern electronics is using a lead-free production process. This, coupled with China's tendency to save money, has created some serious long-term reliability problems. Unfortunately, lack of quality control and lead-free production processes aren't the only major failure modes facing modern semiconductor and electronics production processes.

Bottom Line: I wouldn't expect any piece of inexpensive modern technology to last more than a few years before suffering from subtle fatal failures. I think the medium-term failure rate of electronics is significantly higher than most people realize. People are replacing their electronics before it hits the three year mark, so they aren't seeing the failure rate of new electronics when it is over 5 years old.

 

[WoodPeckr]

BTW Woody, PCs weren't yet invented over 30 years ago ..... unless your Cuz was working at IBM doing R&D

By PCs I meant computers, perhaps I used the wrong term.
His first job was with IBM working on UNIVACS and those big mainframes in the 60s.

He said the tape media has a 25 yr warr, by Sun and said many companies still use them because they are so cheap and failsafe. Sun in Denver has several rooms of those 'tape libraries' you mentioned. He said they handle right now all credit card verifications, when you swipe a credit card in the US. It's verified in a tape library in Denver by Sun. Never asked if it was cost effective for home use. After checking on Google it appears tape drives are on the pricy side for home use but he mentioned since he works for Sun he practically gets them for free with employee discount.

So for long term storage guess I'll stay with a couple HDDs for now.




FWIW:
I asked Cuz what OS he uses now.

He uses/prefers 3,
MS-DOS
XP Pro
Solaris (because Sun puts Solaris on all their work PCs)

Had to ask him about Mac and he laughed and said, "It costs too much and is really no better than a PC as long as you know what you are doing."

He also uses Norton for AV, he says it's great......

He also backs his entire OS, programs, apps, files, etc, on a tape drive.
This way if he has a problem and has to reformat his HDD, he just wipes the main drive clean and uses the tape drive to reload everything as it was and only takes a few minutes to be back up & running.

 

[Rockslinger]

I guess I am a bit paranoid about longer term digital photo storage. I have many family photos that are simply irreplaceable. Family members who have since passed on. Baby pics of nieces and nephews. These pics (unlike the CN Tower) can never be re-shot. Right now they are stored on the internal HD with a backup on an external HD. I also retain the images on the original memory card hoping that it will serve the same function as "negatives" back in film days.

 

[GDLLover]

OK, USB keys and memory cards do die. But why? Contrary to popular belief the memory chips itself doesn't die (which is why its possible to recover at a service), however its the mechanical connections that give up. The gold fingers wear as the gold is soft with repeated insertions. Also in an effort to make them smaller and lighter, the bodies are made of mostly plastic which allows stress on the internal pcb and conections when we put any lateral pressure or beat it about when placed in your pocket with your keys and change.

GDL.

 

[Rockslinger]

Contrary to popular belief the memory chips itself doesn't die (which is why its possible to recover at a service), however its the mechanical connections that give up.

Does this mean that I can still recover the images (for a fee) from the memory card (mine are all SD)? It is the images (family photos) that are irreplaceable. Back in the old days, we would safely keep the film negatives and they last forever.

 

[tboy]

Does this mean that I can still recover the images (for a fee) from the memory card (mine are all SD)? It is the images (family photos) that are irreplaceable. Back in the old days, we would safely keep the film negatives and they last forever.

Oh man, you just never give up do you? LOL. WHo the hell said negatives last forever? WRONG. they have a limited life as well. The emulsion dries up, the plastic cracks, and unless they are stored in a climate controlled vault, I bet you won't get 50 years out of them.

JESUS JUST DO A BACKUP EVERY YEAR ONTO DVD OR CD ROM DISCS AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!!

Since you're so paranoid, where do you have this second hard drive? Is it in the same PC? in your HOUSE? what happens if you have a fire?

Man you better hire an offsite data storage and recovery service to upload your photos to else if you have a fire or flood you'll lose your pics. For that matter what will happen if THEY have a fire? OMG you better take copies to your safe deposit box.

Shit, you'll be dead and buried and those discs will still be readable......

 

[benstt]

Hey guys I have a major problem with a USB key drive. Right now when I plug the usb key drive into the computer a blue light on the usb drive does not come on ( usually does when you first connect to the computer). However the computer recognizes a new drive ie. Drive F, yet whenever I try to access it, the computer prompts me to please install disk (as if I just put in a blank drive that needs to be reformatted).

Is there anyway to resurrect this drive or recover the data from it. I 've seen a few sites advise a recovery utility, but I don't think that will do any good since the drive isn't being recognized by the computer. Oh and I have tried to insert the drive on different computers with no success. I'm not so concerned with the usb drive as I am with the data that was on it. Any suggestions. Thanks


DP

Try PhotoRec. I've used it on Linux to get some files back from 'dead' usb keys that were still alive but with a corrupted filesystem. It is supposed to have a Windows version as well.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

 

[sexmeup]

Wondering?

Is there a brand name for "USB flash drive" recommended to buy?
Or it dosen't matter, they're all the same?

 

[WoodPeckr]

I only buy Lexar and SanDisk.

 

[enyaw]

I'll take kingston or patriot