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    External HD life Expectancy

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by OJsakila, Dec 21, 2008.

  1. OJsakila

    OJsakila Notebook Enthusiast

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    I hope this is the right place for this question. I'm getting a notebook running Vista64 for Christmas from CircuitCity and this will be my first time using Vista. My question is, I currently have two external hard drives that I keep backups and my music on. They are usb 2.0 but being as I purchased them in 2005, should I be concerned about being able to access the data on them through my new notebook? Also, exactly what would you say is the expected lifetime of these 3-4 year old external hard drives be? I have a ton of extremely rare music that I would just croak if I ever lost. Hence, the TWO hard drives. Any and all help/suggestions/altenatives greatly appreciated. :)
     
    OJsakila, Dec 21, 2008
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  2. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Tinderbox (UK), Dec 21, 2008
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  3. OJsakila

    OJsakila Notebook Enthusiast

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    OJsakila, Dec 21, 2008
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  4. Tinderbox (UK)

    Tinderbox (UK) BAKED BEAN KING

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    Hi.

    You need at least 2 copy's on different hdd`s for safety.

    In a couple of years when SDD drives come down in price they should be a extremely more reliable, especially for data storage.

    Regards

    John.
     
    Tinderbox (UK), Dec 21, 2008
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  5. Nankuru

    Nankuru Notebook Evangelist

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    If your data is extremely important I think you need more than two copies. You didn't say if your two drives were identical and bought at the same time but if they are, theoretically they may die at the same age too.

    If you look after them, they will probably last many years if they are 3.5" drives, but you never know.

    My oldest 3.5" hard drive (now rarely used) is eleven years old and I've never had one fail. I've never got a 2.5" drive to it's third birthday.
     
    Nankuru, Dec 21, 2008
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  6. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Hmmm - I've had two HDD failures in my old Medion...

    My external drives are fine - one is no getting close to 3 years I think....
     
    DetlevCM, Dec 21, 2008
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  7. Bog

    Bog Losing it...

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    The best way to back up your music would be on DVD media (or, in the near future, Blu-ray); optical disc media lasts about 20 years and does not suffer from the mechanical failures that come with the use of conventional HDs.
     
    Bog, Dec 21, 2008
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  8. Brian_C82

    Brian_C82 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I had an old Maxtor drive which quit working after about a year. I'm sure the technology has improved since then, but I would never back up anything important on those things.
     
    Brian_C82, Dec 22, 2008
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  9. hendra

    hendra Notebook Virtuoso

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    I have 2 external HD. One made by Samsung, the other made by Maxtor. Both of them started to have bad sectors within a year. Although they are not dead, they are no longer be trusted to store crucial files.
     
    hendra, Dec 22, 2008
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  10. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I suppose its a bit "luck of the draw".
    My Vaio's battery failed after 2 weeks... (Sony SZ)
    I got a new one under warranty and it has been perfect ever since.

    Bad luck.

    I suppose you will find many people with good experiences on this forum and many with bad experiences on this forum too.
     
    DetlevCM, Dec 22, 2008
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  11. OJsakila

    OJsakila Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok what great information! Thanks, everybody. Looks like burning to dvd is the best solution. Now, I go into Target this morning to get dvds for my new laptop I'll have in two days and there are apparently several different type of dvds. DVD -R, DVD -RW, DVD +R, DVD +RW, DVD -RAM

    ? Can anyone help me with what type of dvds I should get for music backup and also my restore disks I'm going to have to make for my HP dv4 1120us ...?
     
    OJsakila, Dec 22, 2008
    #11