just thinking I need a couple of usb drives anyone seen any good deals?
Any good deals on USB drives to save all my Christmas photos
hsk on 21/12/2013 - 10:46
Comments
Really? Solid state storage is actually very good for long term infrequent use. CDs and DVDs are much, much worse.
Do you have a source for this information?
Yes, I have quite a few failed USB drives. Also saw one whole SSD fail where I work. All by itself. It's not just the semiconductor technology, the controller chip can also fail and few people have the ability to do or can afford recovery.
On the other hand, the only CD/DVD I've lost data from was a cheapo brand. I have CDs going back to the mid-90s. Naturally I store them well. And have more than one copy.
One thing to note is that failure of flash media is usually catastrophic whereas optical media is degradation and there is a chance of recovering part of the data. (That failed CD I mentioned only lost the catalog area, and I could recover the data area with a program.)
Edit: This is a controversial area and a search of the Internet shows a diversity of opinions. The only thing people seem to agree on is to use diversity: external HDs, media, cloud.
NSA recommends uploading to the internet
I would not recommend USB flash drives for saving anything long term, unless you have multiple copies and check them regularly. They do die or lose their data.