is it possible to magnetically protect HDD?

CyberGhost

well, i decided that instead of buying CDs and DVDs to store my stuff like mp3s, divXs.... it's better to get 250GB WD HD and put it into the case, that connects to the pc through USB2.0, and store my back up files there

but, there is one problem, HDs can get damaged by magnetic field pretty easily, but CDs cannot, is there a way to protect HDD?

Capt'n Midnight

Put it in an Iron/Steel box - the thicker the better

Like eh ? what strong magnetic fields are you likely to experiance - I mean if your monitor isn't displaying funny colours then the HDD should be ok.

HDD's don't like being dropped - so plenaty of packing - bubble wrap / foam - up to two inches all around ...

Also HDD's have an unacceptably high failure rate - maybe 1-3% per year

CyberGhost

unacceptably high failure rate?

oh man! the idea is off

Sir Random

If you're putting a second HD in your case, what magnetic fields are you worried about? I presume you'll be leaving it in there as storage for digital media? I don't really see any problem unless you intend to carry the HD around a lot.

tribble

unacceptably high failure rate?

Yep - they fail quite a bit, though some seem to last forever, I have a 20 MB! still going strong...


Suggest you keep a cd copy for backup and use the external HD (Seagate are good for this, resistant to shock) for day to day.

tribble

CyberGhost

eh cds are the way to go

i want an external hard drive

RicardoSmith

Well newer drives don't seem to last as long as old drives do thats for sure. I was going to use a HD then I'd want to have two drives (not identical) and have a copy of my data on each. That way if one drive died I could get my data off the other one. But you could put all you data on one HD and then use a backup programme to back it up on to another medium like DVD or Tape. Other than my mp3's most of my data fits on a bout 20-30 CD's so thats where I keep them. Some of the stuff I have on CDRW's so I can update them and get rid of the old stuff every so often. I aslo have a lot of stuff on my main drive and you just reminded me I should really back it up. I often thought os using a couple of disks setup as RAID as then I wouldn't have to rely on al the CD's. But the last time I tried it I lost all my data on the RAID.

CyberGhost

But the last time I tried it I lost all my data on the RAID.

oh man! i feel your pain!

so the cds are the most reliable?

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by CyberGhost
oh man! i feel your pain!

so the cds are the most reliable?

I don't think anything is 100% reliable. Just try to have two copies in two different locations and two different types of media.