[Lammarite]

...and cd's/DVD's are not updatable. Good for archiving.

[nivantj]

>> So that implies, an external hdd is not quite stable.

Not quite true if your usage is limited, as everyone said, and that nasty enclosure is not cheap one in case of IDE.. I would still suggest 2.5" for moderate use, moderate storage option... Been using it for long without any problem...

[krypton]

basic rules of data backup

1) no storage is perfect and will corrupt.
2) always have more than one copy of data; in seperate physical locations. The probabily of all copies (even 2) failing at the same time is very low.

- Laptop hardrives are more shock resistant and shoud be use if you intend to carry this backup HDD around.
- If your backup disks sits on your desk, use the largest drive you can afford. And yes as KIA says, use a single drive.

For me, I use a laptop as my working copy and IDE disk as backup (dont have a case, just use a USB to IDE cable).

[Nutta!]

Originally Posted by Lammarite

...and cd's/DVD's are not updatable. Good for archiving.

ReWritable ones are.

[Nasty_Boy]

so guys,

which is more reliable? a true external hard disk or an internal hard disk placed on an enclosure? or maybe a laptop hard disk placed on an enclosure?

i had the same dilema before i got my dvd writer? i was choosing between getting an internal dvd writer with an enclosure and an portable dvd writer. of course the first choice was cheaper. but i opted for a true external dvd writer, which is slimmer and portable.

thanks

[nation]

Most reliable is the lappy drive. Can withstand a lot more shock and smaller diameter means less spinning stress. External/internal drive are about the same. What's important is how good the enclosure is - shock resistance, cooling abilities, solid connections etc.

And the other thing I try and do is spin up my drives once every few weeks just to keep them going. Shouldn't cause a problem if you don't plug it in for months but I just feel safer starting it regularlyeven if I won't be using it.

[shwetapershad]

Originally Posted by KnowItAll

Make sure that the external drive has ONE drive in there. Some of them combine multiple smaller drives on the external unit to make it look like one big one ... that technique (known as RAID) is not recommended for the purpose of an external system.

Just wondering......why is a RAID not good as an external drive?

[shwetapershad]

Never mind.... found this...

http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/neuffe...t_is_raid.html

[KnowItAll]

Raid data recovery is non trivial and extremely expensive (US$5000+) incase of hardware failure / crashes.

[HKNewBi]

Originally Posted by Nasty_Boy

hi lammarite,

hows the performance of your brick so far? im also considering a lacie for an external hd to backup my photos, and probably a system backup once in a while.

how much and where did u get it.

I am on my third Lacie brick in the last 12 months. The first one just died on me. I used some data recovery s/ware and I managed to get most of my data off it but it took a long time. It also won't reformat now - it is due to go in the bin.

The second one has started to show bad sectors and often makes a nasty clunking sound. I am pretty sure it has weeks, if not days to live.

My third one is still working but only had it 6 months.

Lacie's, according to my device manager, show up as either Maxtor or Seagates. I am not sure if I have been unlucky or Lacie's are rubbish. I don't run them 24 hour at all. One main reason being they seem to kick out a huge amount of heat!