Backing up files

[kel3120]

I am hoping to get some ideas on backing up computer files...

Here in MN we are having a pretty bad winter storm, so I have stayed in all day and thought it would be a good idea to start backing everything up on my computer. I am actually thinking about possibly reformating because my computer is really messed up right now. Anyway, I don't seem to really have a good system of how to do it. I have an external hard drive and a DVD burner, so should be back everything up on both? How often do you do your backups, and do you have any good ways of keeping up on it while keeping it all organized (this is my biggest problem!)? Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[ScrapShana]

I've seen this question asked before, and there were several great answers. Most say to back it up to both an EHD and DVD. I was going to start burning my files to DVDs this past weekend, but my digi kits alone were over 2 gigs. That's a ton of DVDs to use. I desperately want, and need, an EHD, but dunno if that will be anytime soon.

I'd love to hear some more opinions on this matter.

[KattyZak]

I keep starting this project but always end before I get very far because something runs amok. What you are doing was exactly what I was going to do...burn/copy to both DVD and EHD...but it looked like my EHD burned out all of my USB ports and DVD drives but seems they are working again so I might try to move everything again tomorrow.
Still need to find an online source for storing pics in original files [not the reduced size].
How much snow do you have? We are probably at about 5", last time I looked it looked to have slowed down but yet we are expecting 10-12".

[emst]

I have an external drive that I back everything up on. Had an accident with that a couple of weeks ago, DH was going to put everything on DVD's for me but on the way to his computer with the external drive he dropped it and lost everything, the drive was destroyed by the drop. Thankfully he has his computer linked to my laptop and two days prior he had backed everything up to his computer. So at least I only lost a few things. He now has everything backed up again on the new external drive and has been told that he does not take it off of my desk, he can download to the DVD's with out leaving the room that my desk is in. LOL Anyway I want to be sure I don't lose everything so I have a few places that things are backed up to.

[anitastreet]

anything valuable i back up twice.. (pictures, my layouts, etc)..

I back my photos to DVD, often to 2 dvd's...and then onto an external hard drive. I check all backups before I remove anything from my hard drive (new laptop has 400 Gb of drive space ..but the old one filled up too fast...a drawback to a 10Megapixel slr...but I'm not complaining!)

my scrapbook kits are backed up as zip files onto my external hard drive and to dvd....and the unzipped kits are on my main hard drive.

I've had backups fail in the past... years ago my Iomega zip drive failed and in the process corrupted the disks...ugh! what a nightmare that was. I've had dvd's become unreadable with age (or in one case, it was just dirty..I eventually could get the photos off it)...
and I had an external hard drive fail earlier this year. It fell over on the table..not a drop ... and that was it...hubby was able to retrieve some info but it was a LOT of work and a royal pain in the neck that the average user probably wouldn't be able to deal with.