removable memory toughness

[Rÿcher]

as a gift for my wife for christmas, I'm giving her a strongbox with all of our precious digital pictures and movies backed up on some sort of removable storage medium.

Problem is, I understand that it can get kinda hot within the strongbox if it's in a fire so I doubt putting the files on a number of DVDs will survive unscathed. I don't know about a USB jump drive or a CF card. What about a pocket drive (I have an HP)?

Maybe multiple formats would work. DVDs, a CF card, jump drive and the pocket drive! One of them has to survive.

...not that I'm expecting a fire.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Flash drives, SD cards and the like are pretty small compared to the total volume of many strong boxes.

I'd use fiberglass or some other good insulation in 2 layers as batting/dunnage/filler to keep things from rattling around and to allow the devices to have a bit better of a chance at making it through high temperatures.

AG

 

[JNG]

They make some thumb drives that are super-tough...I have one made of a silicon rubber sort of substance, and they have some that are armored with even tougher stuff. With a couple of those in there wrapped in insulation and a box that advertises itself as fireproof, I bet your stuff would be fine.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

They also make fire boxes, lockable boxes that will withstand great temps.

This one specifies "Fire protection for digital media, tested for 1/2-hour up to 1550ºF ".

I have been thinking of something like this for our house.

Keep in mind that nothing will protect from everything. If you want total protection, keep a backup out of the the house, like mail disks of photos regularly to your mum, or in a safe deposit box, or with an online service.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Agreed, the BEST backup is one that's off premesis. That covers the event of a major site disaster.

 

[JustAFriend]

My old computer prof: "You never have a backup until it's on 3 different forms of media stored in 3 different places, perferrably one of those being in a different state."

(Living in Florida as I do, where hurricanes are a threat every year, you tend to take off-site backup a bit more seriously....)

Rycher: FIRESAFE, not a strongbox.

 

[Rÿcher]

They also make fire boxes, lockable boxes that will withstand great temps.

This one specifies "Fire protection for digital media, tested for 1/2-hour up to 1550ºF ".

I have been thinking of something like this for our house.

Keep in mind that nothing will protect from everything. If you want total protection, keep a backup out of the the house, like mail disks of photos regularly to your mum, or in a safe deposit box, or with an online service.

"enter Canadian ZIP Code"

good thinking on the rest though!

and the rest of you "" ""

 

[Jadzia]

I wouldn't rely on a fire safe for safeguarding digital media.

It would be cheaper and safer to purchase two (or three) zip-up dvd carry cases, and duplicate all of the data into two (or three) complete distinct dvd archives.

Keep one in the bedroom under the bed, so if there is ever a fire, it's effortless to grab it on your way out.

Keep another somewhere off premises, like in a relatives house, or even in your shed at the opposite end of the garden, if you have one, or in your locked desk draw at work.

Another safe place is "safe storage" at your local bank. I don't think they charge very much for a small package (around $10 per year?). They do generally charge a fee if you go in to inspect it, but you should only need to withdraw it if your "at home" copy is damaged, if you have new discs to add to the collection, or if you change bank.

I hope that helps.

 

[SeerSGB]

They make some thumb drives that are super-tough...I have one made of a silicon rubber sort of substance, and they have some that are armored with even tougher stuff. With a couple of those in there wrapped in insulation and a box that advertises itself as fireproof, I bet your stuff would be fine.

I know my little $15 1G Lexar drive is tough.

I forgot it in my pocket this week; it's laid on in gravel, kicked, slug across the room, coke spilled on it, out in teh pouring rain, and been through 2 loads of wash and 3 trips through the dryer in my coat pocket. I found it this morning, said a few choice curses, slip it into the USB slot and it's up and running like nothing in the world ever happened to it.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Sorry about the missing link, here are the details...

Sentry Group F2300 Fire-Safe Waterproof Advanced Security Chest $92.11(Canadian)

• Features:
• UL Classified 1-hour proven fire protection
• Fire protection for digital media, tested for 1/2-hour up to 1550ºF
• Tubular key lock
• Carry grips
• Charcoal gray
• 7-1/2"H x 15-1/4"W x 14-7/8"D
• 33lbs.

Meanwhile, the efficacy of a backup also depends on how recent it is and often you will be able to backup. If you're mailing disks to three locations out of state, you're not likely to backup regularly. The best backup is the one you will use.

 

[Rÿcher]

I forgot to mention that by "strongbox", I meant that it's one of those safes that's supposedly fire-proof and pick-proof that you can keep documents and valuables in like the one pictured above but not quite as expensive.

 

[RobertVA]

(snip)
Another safe place is "safe storage" at your local bank. I don't think they charge very much for a small package (around $10 per year?). They do generally charge a fee if you go in to inspect it, but you should only need to withdraw it if your "at home" copy is damaged, if you have new discs to add to the collection, or if you change bank.

I hope that helps.

Here in the US banks have "Safe Deposit" boxes for an annual fee of a few dozen dollars for the smaller sizes. The boxes slide into a cabinet in the vault with double locks on the individual compartments. On each compartment the customer's key and a master key used by the bank staff is required to take the safe deposit box out of the cabinet. Since I'm not sure the smaller boxes would accommodate a full size CD-R or DVD-R, anything stored in them might require a flash drive or compact optical media.

 

[JoeZhang]

I have external here and then two off-site back-ups - plus important stuff is burnt to a DVD back-up.