Originally Posted by rbrown498 (Post 11777096)

Thanks for the support, Ash. I hope that I don't anger others by making another post in this thread, but here goes.



First, CJ, yes, I'm 50, and maybe my age has something to do with my acceptance of the possibility of my collection failing, but there's also my personal philosophy that it's just STUFF. Sure, I love my collection, and I add to it on an almost daily basis, but it's only a chunk of who I am. Some people seem to allow their hobbies and collections of stuff to define them. Yeah, I'm known as a movie nut among my friends and co-workers, but I do have other interests.

Back when VHS was the rage, there was always the thought in the back of my mind that there could be some sort of massive cosmic electromagnetic event that would wipe out all my tapes all at once. Of course it never happened, but it was still a concern of mine. So I get where you're coming from, but I've discovered as I've gotten older that worrying about stuff that I have no control over is a fruitless endeavor. If something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen, and you just pick up and move on as best you can.

As for backing up DVDs to a portable hard drive, when I started buying Warner Archive MOD DVD-Rs, I figured that I DID want to back those up, as I'd heard that they had a much greater probability of failing than regular pressed DVDs. So I bought a 500 GB portable hard drive and backed up all of the MOD discs that I own, and when I buy new ones now I back those DVDs up as soon as I get them. If you tackle the task in a systematic way, it's really not as onerous as it sounds. Most DVDs take, at a maximum, around 15 minutes to rip to the hard drive, but a lot of them rip in under 5 minutes. I'll start a DVD backup on the computer, then watch something on TV or make a phone call and check back on it in a few minutes. Done! So I start the next one. Like I said, if you approach it systematically and back up 5-10 discs a day plus any new ones that you acquire, you can get it done with zero stress in only a few months. I saw a 3TB drive online for around $100--you could buy it, work on filling it up, and buy another when it's full. One of those would probably hold close to half of your collection.

Just remember--you've got your discs now, and no one's gonna take them away tomorrow. Your backup project doesn't have to be accomplished overnight. Start with the discs you're most worried about, then move on to the others. If you keep at it diligently, you could have your collection totally backed up by the end of the year.

Hope some of this helps.

Originally Posted by rw2516 (Post 11777526)

Why do you feel the HD has less chance of failing than the DVD-R disc? Data on an HD is supposed to be backed up also. I guess after backing the Mod discs to the HD you could turn around and back the HD up to DVD-R discs. Or skip the HD and and back the discs up directly to another disc. Where does it end? Do you keep the HD in safe deposit box at bank in case house burns down?

I use to worry about this stuff and finally said fuck it. If it goes it goes. If something becomes unavailable I will back it up because I can't buy a replacement, that's about it.