Can anyone recommend a durable flash drive (medium to long-term storage)

Lhuit on 29/11/2016 - 11:02

Hi all

I'm looking to backup my family photos and videos in a reasonably affordable storage medium that is also reasonably durable (say 5-10 years but obviously will switch to a more suitable new format when it comes along). Keeping them in my 4yo hard drive is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm aware of M-disc and the promise of a 1000 year lifespan, but the DVDs with a capacity of only 4.7Gb aren't going to be practical and I don't want to invest in a Blu-ray burner (BR M-discs are also expensive).

From my googling so far a good quality 64gb USB flash drive might do the trick - not quite large capacity enough to justify an SSD, and its lifespan is dependent on number of write/read cycles, which will be minimal as i only intend to backup my photos a few times a year.

What would you guys recommend? I'm also open to other storage formats.

Thanks in advance!

Computing

Comments

  • Sex on 29/11/2016 - 11:09

    A 64gb USB flash drive seems like it'll fit what you're looking for. As you won't particularly need super fast write speed since you're using it for long term storage, you might want to go with this Toshiba one.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/278737

  • klaw81 on 29/11/2016 - 11:15

    The Kingston Digital Data Traveller SE9 G2 seems to be a very popular choice as something that's affordable, robust (alloy casing) and well made.

    I suggest getting 2 of them and making a duplicate copy of the files you're saving, and storing them 2 different locations, in sealed boxes away from heat. You might also consider a cloud backup solution as well, if you're worried about losing it.

  • Scab on 29/11/2016 - 11:19

    It must just be me but I find flash drives to be unreliable and wouldn't trust them for anything crucial.

    Even when set to Safely Remove Hardware and only removing the drive when there's no activity, 80% of them have failed within a number of years of little use.

    And these are brand name drives, I'd rather just use a portable hard/SSD drive.

  • pernunz on 29/11/2016 - 11:50
    +1

    Keeping them in a single place is not a guarantee of their safety.

    You could also store them in the cloud (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.) as a further backup. I recommend Google Photos to everyone though, because it's searching capability is great.

  • havebeerbelywillsumo on 29/11/2016 - 12:40

    If this is crucial data I wouldn't trust it to any USB stick….if you must, at least 3 copies in 2 different locations.

    For my choice it would be 2 hard drives, "enterprise" type (google the term, in short, supposedly better built than consumer)) at 2 addresses AND a cloud based storage from a reputable provider……this offer is unbeatable at the moment

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/278069

    All this will cost (even the freebie expires BUT retains your info ASFAIK) but if this is a serious question that should not be a sticking factor.

    Note if not on the NBN upload speeds will make this a long job for any substantial amount of data.

  • huit on 29/11/2016 - 15:52

    Thanks guys

    We're with TPG ADSL+, probably can't get much slower than that, and won't get NBN where we are for at least another year.

    I'm already using Google Photos for any pictures I take on the phone but it's a pain uploading all that data to the cloud, and that's just the photos.

    Last time I checked solid state memory (flash) isn't magnetic? But yes I've had my share of dodgy USB sticks but these were mostly free stuff. But yes definitely I'll be keeping duplicates.

    • scrimshaw on 29/11/2016 - 21:40

      flash isn't magnetic, flash memory is basically a series of charge traps that stores memory via storing electrons by either capturing / trapping them either in insulator or conductor layer. These tiny electrical traps aren't perfect:

      NAND can’t retain data forever, or even as long as other types of media (hard drives, optical) because it stores data as tiny, trapped electrical charges. The cages that contain these charges aren’t perfect—they leak, or de-trap in industry lingo. True, they leak extremely slowly, but they leak nonetheless.

      Also, as shown in the JEDEC specifications, the warmer they get, the faster they leak, and the faster operations wear them out. Cell degradation occurs whether an SSD is in use (powered/operational) or stored (unpowered/non-operational). That’s a simplified explanation. If you really want to dig into it, there’s plenty of info online.

      http://www.pcworld.com/article/2921590/death-and-the-unplugg…

      If you want to store your archives as flash, it's a good idea to periodically create backup copies (in other formats).

  • huit on 02/12/2016 - 11:09

    Update for anyone who still cares

    Before I went ahead on the Samsung Bar 64gb flash drive I did a final check, and noticed a 5pk of Verbatim 25Gb M-Disc BD-Rs can now be had for $33 these days with free shipping. Per Gb this is a much better deal plus I'd have more certainty on durability, though obviously I'd have to get a blu-ray drive with it, and prices have come down on those too plus I could watch Blu-ray movies on my computer, alert set on OzBargain.

    So I've ordered and received the discs from Forum Direct the next day. There are a few others out there too selling the discs at a similar price.

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