Adelaide, 4th September 2004 Dear List, I have been a bit off colour so am behind with my emails, but have found all the comments interesting. I do keep written copies of my data, but my real problem is that my Grandmother left quite a few certificates, my Grandfather's paybook from WW1(with a letter from his CO when he was in Hospital), and some other papers. She left them loose in the bottom of her wardrobe and they were in very poor condition indeed. Some years ago I had my Gt. Grandparents Wedding Certificate restored and sealed, the glass photograph with it remounted; the cost even then was $450. I could not afford to have any more treated, and scanned to put on CD with my records the other papers she left, in case of further deterioraton. It is possible that someday someone in the family will show interest, but a method of saving data that does not take up a lot of space is more likely to survive until then. I was disappointed that Alfred considers magnetic tape to be a poor choice. I assumed the National Archives would know what they were about. Regards, Terry