John, Alan, and others, I make a "backup" to my hard disk. It's not my only backup (I use both floppies and USB Drives) but it's my most complete backup. What I did was write a batch file that copies all the data I tell it to into my backup folder. Then, I burn the data to a CD. Having all the data in one folder makes it easier to burn to the CD. I don't limit the data to PAF. I backup (copy) all my data (Publisher files, spredsheets, pictures, MS Word files, letters, etc.). I do this as often as I want but no less than once a week. About once a month I take a copy of this CD and store it in a locked file cabinet at the local FHC. They do this as a service and several patrons take advantage of that service. So, while "backing up" to the hard disk should not be your only backup, it does have it's benefits. > > > In a message dated 7/22/2005 4:29:24 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, > johnburns@telus.net writes: > > I've been looking at this post for a day and still can't make any sense of > it. I just make a backup of my PAF to a floppy disc. > Why would you "set up a specific folder for your back-up files"? > John > > > > I have the same question. I would never make a backup to my hard drive. > The reason you backup your file is in case something happens to your hard > drive. I agree that a sequence of backups is good, but not to > your hard drive. > Since my file started taking more than one floppy, I have used USB memory > sticks for my rotation of backups. They are pretty cheap now, > hold more data and > are as easy to use as floppies (and so far they have not failed as floppies > often do). > Alan B. > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service > http://www.familysearch.org/

lemow@email.com wrote: > Then, I burn the data to a CD. Having all the data > in one folder makes it easier to burn to the CD. ... > About once a month I take a copy of this CD and > store it in a locked file cabinet at the local FHC. An excellent idea. Every backup plan should include offsite storage. If you diligently back up your files, but keep the backups in the same building, then you have a risk due to fire or other disaster. A good way to provide this form of backup is to share your file with a relative who will do their best to keep it safe on their computer. There is a very low probability of the file being lost on your computer at the same time as it is on lost on theirs. A point about floppies - I have seen many floppies that fail after sitting idle for less than a year. Failures are a fact of life for any computer storage medium. If you have something besides a floppy, use it occasionally. There are two main reasons to backup - 1. To protect against hard drive failure. 2. To protect against incorrect changes to the file. I believe most people who backup do so because they are concerned about reason 1, which is an important reason. But the next time your computer dies, even if you have never made a backup, you may still be able to get the data from the hard drive. A computer shop may be able to get the data back for you. I had a laptop with some important data that had not yet been backed up. I took it to a local independent computer shop and asked them to retrieve the data. I bought an extra hard drive for my new desktop computer and had them transfer all of the contents of my laptop hard drive onto the new desktop hard drive. I don't remember how much they charged, but it was a reasonable price. Reason 2 is a concern that many people don't think about. But since we are all human, we can all make mistakes. When we realize the mistake, it may be because of something that happened months ago. The error may have been caused the loss of much data. The best way to fix this error is to go back to an older version of the file. Your backup strategy should include saving some older copies of the backup. For backups, I personally use the hard drive, CD's, and sending copies to a few relatives. Obviously, saving to the hard drive doesn't protect against loss due to the hard drive failing. I use it because its fast, convenient, and it protects against loss due to reason 2. The other methods (CD, Relative) protect against loss due to reason 1. Aloha, John