How about some more ... ed-ja-macation

[ssil2000]

backup is the most overused and obsessively paranoid thing photographers are guilty of. the way we carry on about it you;d think we were the CIA. those PC companies are making a motza off us dopes.

Having said that if you dont backup and your hard drive fails you would be kicking yourself

[Rooz]

i agree back ups are essential. but the extent we go to....back up the back up. then back up the back up of the backup. fire proof safes etc. i mean seriously.

[DonSchap]

Rooz,

I don't know if you have been reading the information that has been posted here, from time to time, but the weather in the Chicago area is one of the most volatile in the nation. The saying goes, "You don't like the weather, here, wait 5 minutes..."

As such, you have to plan for some serious eventualities if you are a reasonable person about it.

We have and have had (in no particular order):

• Floods
• Fires
• Tornadoes
• Wind sheer of exceptional power
• Earthquakes
• Baseball to softball sized hail
• Lightning
• Extreme snowfall
• Prolonged Electrical failure

and then throw in the constant threat of theft of your computer, camera, & storage devices. Backing things up and having them in a "safe" place makes a little more sense. "Data is money," I would suspect. Erase all your image data and see what it is worth to you and others. Go ahead. An entire business could be wiped out and you could be legally liable for not having copies of the content.

Better safe than sorry.

I'm just sayin'

[Peekayoh]

i agree back ups are essential. but the extent we go to....back up the back up. then back up the back up of the backup. fire proof safes etc. i mean seriously.

Yes, paranoia can be problematical, but a fireproof safe ... yes ... seriously?
A couple of years back a lightening strike blew off the corner of our roof, it didn't set fire to the place but could have.
HDD don't like being in a fire.
There are other uses for the fireproof safe as well, like all those other papers and valuables that you would sorely miss.
Not that dear either, the cost of a couple of hard drives.

[DonSchap]

Well, you guys are talking me into spending more money. I am truly concerned about "elemental" damage (fire & water), after seeing all the nonsensical destruction my neighbors have gone through, recently. To be reasonable, I do not want to have to keep going back and forth to the bank, to store disks. Once or twice a year, maybe, but more than that, and it is drudgery.

Now, obviously a clear cut nuclear blast is going wreak havoc on my data storage and hardening my systems to department of defense standards is just about financially impossible. Oh, sure... I think about it, but then practicality slips back into the picture and I figure if our "enemies" are making use of these methods of destruction, my pictures are going to be the least of my worries.

So, barring that rather extreme method of destruction, in the hunt for a relatively decent solution... how about this? ioSafe SoloPro

The cost... well, a lot less than the cost of gas going back and forth to the bank, over time. This definitely has some merit until something else comes along.

I must investigate.

[DonSchap]

Okay... you might say we got our "second wind" of summer, as an 86-90mph waft of air ripped us another one, today. Power was suddenly gone at almost exactly 8:00AM for over 1/2 million people in the area, as the tree limbs snapped and took the wires with them, again. We have four other states power employees rebuilding this above ground crap. Roofs were removed, also... as these straight-line winds just sheered them like haircuts.

Uh, what's up with this?

I do not want to seem like I am complaining, but... why cannot I have a first day of the school quarter without something weird going on! Knock it off!

[sparkie1263]

Wow you are having a rough year!!!

Frank

[DWessel]

Well, you guys are talking me into spending more money. I am truly concerned about "elemental" damage (fire & water), after seeing all the nonsensical destruction my neighbors have gone through, recently. To be reasonable, I do not want to have to keep going back and forth to the bank, to store disks. Once or twice a year, maybe, but more than that, and it is drudgery.
...
So, barring that rather extreme method of destruction, in the hunt for a relatively decent solution... how about this? ioSafe SoloPro

The cost... well, a lot less than the cost of gas going back and forth to the bank, over time. This definitely has some merit until something else comes along.

I must investigate.

Seems to me that you can get two ordinary 2-TB drives for about the same cost and have dual back-ups. Keep one at home and another at a place you visit often and you can trust it won't go missing.

The pros that have spoken at PCC indicate they usually have mirrored back-up drives and often an off-site storage location. Now, I suppose when you're making money and have clients paying for your images, it makes financial sense.

[DonSchap]

Darin,

My biggest concern is the rather wild weather we are encountering, this year.

Historically, the Midwest has been subject to varied and occasional bouts of a solo tornado occurrence. The population had accepted that as "the norm." Sadly, though, this year seems quite a bit more... intense. We are literally being swept, much like a broom, in broad bands with winds moving of such velocity, it defies explanation. P

I must conclude that preparation for a major (albeit still considerably random strike), does not seem to be anything short of "informed" wisdom. I feel it is similar to throwing dice at a crap table. You place your bet... and let them puppies fly. You know your number will eventually come up. It's not an "if," but more of a "when."

I know I would be severely saddened if all my work were suddenly... Gone with the Wind!

Des Plaines has taken it on the chin two weeks in a row, but, so has the entire area around the south end of Lake Michigan, since the Fall (2010). It does feel like the entire area is building up to something really awesome and digging out from under it or swimming free from it, or being airlifted... I think you get my drift.

A minor investment in data preservation may be in order, paid for by me, because as a student needing to present four years worth of accumulated work and resources, I am my own customer, at this point. The value of the accumulated work far exceeds the cost of protecting it. I mean, if it is "hobby-work"... the value is mostly personal or of sentimental value, but I figure my degree pursuit represents my lead-in to actual business, therefore exceeds the hobby consideration. If anything, it represents a total investment, despite its novice quality.

[etravers]

i go to school for filmography and it is pretty much worthless. all i need is that paper at the end