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General discussionTake Pity on my Terabytes(33 posts)(33 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 18, 2022
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rabblevox: TY, all!
I very much appreciate the feedback. Seems consensus leans the direction I was already pointed. I've got a 2T Western Digital "My Passport" portable HDD ordered. Should be here in a few days.
Probably the same one I just got too? So far had a 500 GB Verbatim Store 'n' Go, bought 3.5 years ago, but ran out of space, just because of GOG games... And those are the only external HDDs I ever used.
In terms of internal ones, used Seagate for a long time but first had a failure of one in 2007 and then the one I got with the previous computer, in 2008, failed multiple times under warranty, the store also sent a DoA one once, was seeing in reviews that it was a bad model, but saw that too late, and eventually store refunded it as store credit for another and I got a WD Black 500 GB, and also bought a WD VelociRaptor 250 GB from somewhere else around that same time. That was 9 years ago, and they're still going strong.
Posted March 18, 2022
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ignisferroque: One drive isn't a backup, especially if it is connected to power/the internet all the time. Id get at least two, ideally stored at different locations.

I've been using two Seagate IronWolf 8TB drives in my NAS for a while (in mirror mode) and a third one as an offline-backup drive that i connect about once per month. Plus a 2.5" 5TB WD MyPassport (or something) for all the essential stuff...
My computers are set up to do daily/weekly syncs of selected folders to the NAS plus TimeMachine backups for my main computer... i feel somewhat safe now with at least 3 copies of everything important. Don't backup games yet though.

So far i'm pretty happy with this setup (and having data scrubbing and integrity checks with the NAS is somewhat encouraging, compared to a normal enclosure). But these things are loud, i previously used two WD Blue 4TB drives and could barely hear them. So far i'd easily recommend them though, I'd just get bigger ones next time. Somehow i always end up telling myself that after buying new HDs ;)
A NAS, unless you hard cable remove it from the internet is NOT a backup! I can tell you from experience if you have it in anyway connected to the internet me day you will lose all your data. It happened to me a few years back, high security and everything, eventually hackers who never stop, will find a way in. I cannot say this enough, NAS is not a backup, it may be storage but it is not secure. Even having multiple drives, if you have them connected at once is not secure, lots of different drives, one of which ever connect up at the same time period fully offline and away from the internet.
Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right? If so, I would be cautious of that as well, your access could go out for any number of reasons (mega storage lost lots of peoples data a while back). The internet is not owned and controlled by you, so it is a risky storage medium. Again offline internet free multiple time point delimitered drives that you own and handle is the only secure backup medium.
Posted March 18, 2022
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ignisferroque: One drive isn't a backup, especially if it is connected to power/the internet all the time. Id get at least two, ideally stored at different locations.

I've been using two Seagate IronWolf 8TB drives in my NAS for a while (in mirror mode) and a third one as an offline-backup drive that i connect about once per month. Plus a 2.5" 5TB WD MyPassport (or something) for all the essential stuff...
My computers are set up to do daily/weekly syncs of selected folders to the NAS plus TimeMachine backups for my main computer... i feel somewhat safe now with at least 3 copies of everything important. Don't backup games yet though.

So far i'm pretty happy with this setup (and having data scrubbing and integrity checks with the NAS is somewhat encouraging, compared to a normal enclosure). But these things are loud, i previously used two WD Blue 4TB drives and could barely hear them. So far i'd easily recommend them though, I'd just get bigger ones next time. Somehow i always end up telling myself that after buying new HDs ;)
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nightcraw1er.488: A NAS, unless you hard cable remove it from the internet is NOT a backup! I can tell you from experience if you have it in anyway connected to the internet me day you will lose all your data. It happened to me a few years back, high security and everything, eventually hackers who never stop, will find a way in. I cannot say this enough, NAS is not a backup, it may be storage but it is not secure. Even having multiple drives, if you have them connected at once is not secure, lots of different drives, one of which ever connect up at the same time period fully offline and away from the internet.
Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right? If so, I would be cautious of that as well, your access could go out for any number of reasons (mega storage lost lots of peoples data a while back). The internet is not owned and controlled by you, so it is a risky storage medium. Again offline internet free multiple time point delimitered drives that you own and handle is the only secure backup medium.
You are correct, in every particular. For critical data I'd recommend your advice to a letter. But remember, we're talking about old games that mainly cost the price of a Cup O' Noodles. Investing 20 minutes to bulletproof a five dollar game doesn't make much sense to me. (unless you think your time is only worth 15 bucks an hour...if so, I could use a part-time maid).
Posted March 18, 2022
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nightcraw1er.488: A NAS, unless you hard cable remove it from the internet is NOT a backup! I can tell you from experience if you have it in anyway connected to the internet me day you will lose all your data. It happened to me a few years back, high security and everything, eventually hackers who never stop, will find a way in. I cannot say this enough, NAS is not a backup, it may be storage but it is not secure. Even having multiple drives, if you have them connected at once is not secure, lots of different drives, one of which ever connect up at the same time period fully offline and away from the internet.
Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right? If so, I would be cautious of that as well, your access could go out for any number of reasons (mega storage lost lots of peoples data a while back). The internet is not owned and controlled by you, so it is a risky storage medium. Again offline internet free multiple time point delimitered drives that you own and handle is the only secure backup medium.
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rabblevox: You are correct, in every particular. For critical data I'd recommend your advice to a letter. But remember, we're talking about old games that mainly cost the price of a Cup O' Noodles. Investing 20 minutes to bulletproof a five dollar game doesn't make much sense to me. (unless you think your time is only worth 15 bucks an hour...if so, I could use a part-time maid).
Depends, I have a fairly substantial GOG library, but also libraries from other companies which no longer exist, and images of old physical games, and patches and nocds and mods, and saves, going back to the spectrum days. Not to mention personal photos and documents and stuff which can’t be replaced. Is a lifetimes history worth 20mins? So depends on what you are backing up.
Posted March 18, 2022
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nightcraw1er.488: A NAS, unless you hard cable remove it from the internet is NOT a backup!

...

Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right?
I agree, even with 2FA enabled and internet access disabled, that's why i keep the offline/offsite backup. Being dependant on manual interaction just isn't very reliable/practical for every day use.

Nah, TimeMachine is the built in backup tool in mac os, its entirely local, i just use a network drive as destination.
Posted March 18, 2022
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nightcraw1er.488: Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right?
No it's not, it's incremental backup to a physical drive.
Posted March 18, 2022
low rated
I'd say the best way to save your data is to use a cloud solution, like Google Drive (as much as I hate google because, you know, privacy). I don't see Google going bankrupt anytime soon, actually I'm sure Google will outlive any physical medium you might get.

Now if you really want to store your games on some physical medium, I can only recomend SanDisk; I don't know about their HDDs (or even if they make HDDs) but I know for a fact that their SSDs are the best. Still using some of them after more than 10 years and never a problem.
Posted March 18, 2022
low rated
I would rather get back to discs or similar for long term storage.
Even tape has a high price barrier for the normal people.




20:00
Post edited March 18, 2022 by §pec†re
Posted March 18, 2022
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nightcraw1er.488: A NAS, unless you hard cable remove it from the internet is NOT a backup!

...

Also, time machine, that’s internet storage right?
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ignisferroque: I agree, even with 2FA enabled and internet access disabled, that's why i keep the offline/offsite backup. Being dependant on manual interaction just isn't very reliable/practical for every day use.

Nah, TimeMachine is the built in backup tool in mac os, its entirely local, i just use a network drive as destination.
Ah ok. I use freefilesync for a similar type of thing.
Posted March 18, 2022
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maxleod: I'd say the best way to save your data is to use a cloud solution, like Google Drive (as much as I hate google because, you know, privacy). I don't see Google going bankrupt anytime soon, actually I'm sure Google will outlive any physical medium you might get.

Now if you really want to store your games on some physical medium, I can only recomend SanDisk; I don't know about their HDDs (or even if they make HDDs) but I know for a fact that their SSDs are the best. Still using some of them after more than 10 years and never a problem.
SanDisk is the flash memory department for Western Digital. I have also always found their products to be well made, especially compared to the likes of PNY who have always disappointed me.
Posted March 18, 2022
I have a Seagate and a WD MyBook. They have both served me well for nearly a decade. The Seagate is 4TB, the WD is 6TB. I'm about to get another because the Seagate with my games on it is full. I need more space.
Posted March 19, 2022
I run 2 12TB Seagate drives, an 8TB WD, and various 4TB drives.

I'd always suggest WD over Seagate. I prefer the build quality and -- although I've had the Seagates for a few years and no real problems -- I've heard failure horror stories.
Posted March 19, 2022
One of my older Toshiba drives gave me trouble after about a year but the one I bought a couple years ago has done very well and has given me no trouble at all. Another one that has done well for me is an Easystore by WD. They have also done well by me for internal drives. Nothing else really to say, I suppose I would play it safe and get the WD especially since Toshiba is doing a corporate restructure.
Posted March 19, 2022
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§pec†re: I would rather get back to discs or similar for long term storage.
Leaving aside the problems with speed and incremental backups, what about disc rot?
Posted March 19, 2022
External drives are probably the easiest and most cost effective way to make backups.

Cloud storage is good for having a remote backup, but it's way too expensive for backups of GOG games. Use cloud storage services for photos and documents, not for game installers.

Discs are interesting, but burning a disc image takes time and it can be tedious for multiple discs. I like the idea of making nice physical copies for my favourite games, though.

When it comes to backups, redundancy is important: "one is none and two is one". Having multiple backups is good practice. I actually have two HDDs, one of which is just a clone of the other.
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussionTake Pity on my Terabytes(33 posts)(33 posts)
(33 posts)