Hi all,I am thinking of backing up all my purchases such as the VRS F-18 Hornet,Simworks studios Phantom,ect,ect what would be the best way to do this when using a CD? because,I have read that there are a few ways to do this properly including making an ISO file,but,I need some advice for sure.Thanks
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Backing up purchases on cd.
- Thread starter PhantomP
- Start date
WarHorse47
SOH-CM-2024
I do this continually.
My download purchases and freeware downloads are saved to folders such as FSX Aircraft, FSX Scenery, etc. Each product in zip or exe format is saved to sub folders by name such as 'JF Lancaster'.
I monitor the accumulated size until I've reached around 3.5 Gb. I can then select the individual folders, right click and send to my CD drive. The CD's I use have a 4.3 GB capacity. I don't use any special software but the burn features that came with Win 8.1. The OS has a two step process where by the files are first copied into memory, then I'm prompted to "burn to disc."
As part of my process, I actually create two copies or in other words I burn the files and folders to two disc. The redundancy gives a little more security should one disc go bad. When done each disc is labeled (with a permanent marking pen) simply as 'Downloads", Disk number (sequential) and the date created. Before I remove the original downloads from my HD, I always check to make sure the disc(s) were properly burned.
The advantage of adding the date created is that I can always reference my receipt to the date burned should I have to retrieve the download.
One more pointer. If my purchase requires a registration or serial number, I copy it to a text file and include it in the associated folder should I need to reinstall.
Hope that gives you some ideas.
My download purchases and freeware downloads are saved to folders such as FSX Aircraft, FSX Scenery, etc. Each product in zip or exe format is saved to sub folders by name such as 'JF Lancaster'.
I monitor the accumulated size until I've reached around 3.5 Gb. I can then select the individual folders, right click and send to my CD drive. The CD's I use have a 4.3 GB capacity. I don't use any special software but the burn features that came with Win 8.1. The OS has a two step process where by the files are first copied into memory, then I'm prompted to "burn to disc."
As part of my process, I actually create two copies or in other words I burn the files and folders to two disc. The redundancy gives a little more security should one disc go bad. When done each disc is labeled (with a permanent marking pen) simply as 'Downloads", Disk number (sequential) and the date created. Before I remove the original downloads from my HD, I always check to make sure the disc(s) were properly burned.
The advantage of adding the date created is that I can always reference my receipt to the date burned should I have to retrieve the download.
One more pointer. If my purchase requires a registration or serial number, I copy it to a text file and include it in the associated folder should I need to reinstall.
Hope that gives you some ideas.
odourboy
SOH-CM-2020
CD? Seriously ?
Just teasing you. I just leave install files in a folder tree in my downloads directory and it gets backed up when I do a regular system back up. I also copy them to s second hard drive on my system. ... then there's the cloud (but I've never trusted cloud based archiving)
Just teasing you. I just leave install files in a folder tree in my downloads directory and it gets backed up when I do a regular system back up. I also copy them to s second hard drive on my system. ... then there's the cloud (but I've never trusted cloud based archiving)
tgycgijoes
Members +
All of my purchases
I have numerous (lots) of flash drives for saving all my payware downloads on as well as desireable freeware because even the freeware tends sometimes to disappear never more to return like Ozx which crashed through no fault of theirs. Also have run across even here where places like Mediafire or Dropbox accounts are discontinued and those links are gone too.
Better safe than sorry. I then make a directory of what is on each flash drive and also the license or registration for each payware. Its a good idea for the payware to list what online etailer it was purchased from because they keep downloads in your account to recover it.
I have numerous (lots) of flash drives for saving all my payware downloads on as well as desireable freeware because even the freeware tends sometimes to disappear never more to return like Ozx which crashed through no fault of theirs. Also have run across even here where places like Mediafire or Dropbox accounts are discontinued and those links are gone too.
Better safe than sorry. I then make a directory of what is on each flash drive and also the license or registration for each payware. Its a good idea for the payware to list what online etailer it was purchased from because they keep downloads in your account to recover it.
Jafo
SOH-CM-2024
You chuck it back into the computer and see if the files can be read/accessed.
Better still, invest in an external SSD. It is likely to far outlive the media that 'was' CD/DVD.
Burnable discs can 'delaminate' rendering them as useless as frisbies...
In the past I used CDs to make backups. A few years ago I found out there were several files which were damaged beyond repair. Since than I use an external SSD to make my back-ups. Which is much easier, because instead of going through multiple CDs to find a file, you can now browse and search the whole drive in one go.
Cheers,
Huub
Cheers,
Huub
Be careful that you use a special Disc marker pen because some pens can destroy the reflective layer on the disc (it's happened to me!). By the way, CDs don't have nearly this capacity - you must be using DVDs
Flash drives are not completely permanent. Nor are SSDs, nor are Hard discs or optical discs, even the archival quality ones. If you look at current thinking, NO media is 100% permanent. Advice seems to be to make more than one copy on more than one medium and make sure that the media is still playable on current technology. Transfer your files every few years onto different/up-to-date media. Backing up to the Cloud is a solution but even that has its well-publicised drawbacks.
WarHorse47
SOH-CM-2024
Yep. You're right. Memorex DVD-R's with 4.7 Gb capacity.
I'm nearing 200 storage discs. Half of that are CD-R discs with 700 Mb capacity, with the remaining at 4.7 Gb capacity. The only time I encountered a problem was early on when I attempted to burn files that exceeded the disc capacity.
Sometimes I wonder if its really worth the effort. Most developers and distributors retain your download (and updates) at no charge. Most freeware can be found with a simple internet search, but there are some exceptions.
Jafo
SOH-CM-2024
Correct, but by far the [current] best is an SSD, and by far the worst is whatever is outside your actual control...the cloud.
Second worst is optical disc burning.
Reality is...burners are a dying technology...fewer and fewer new computers even have them.
Oh, forgot....the actual worst of the worst is cellulose film...
I have a Blue Ray burner, nice capacity, but as Jafo points out, they are becoming a thing of the past. Windows 10 won't even recognise the drive anymore since an update a year or so ago. Nothing I have tried has made the drive visible, it works fine in Bios, so i'm stumped. I just keep my stuff on an HDD now.
If you have any CD's burned that are 3 or more years old, you should consider checking they are still okay and transferring them to new media, DVD and Blue-ray discs tend to last longer than the older CD's 5ish years, but not by too much.
If you have any CD's burned that are 3 or more years old, you should consider checking they are still okay and transferring them to new media, DVD and Blue-ray discs tend to last longer than the older CD's 5ish years, but not by too much.
fallenphoenix1986
SOH-CM-2022
Been said a few times already but an external SSD is definitely the way to go, you can pick up fairly high capacity models for pretty reasonable prices now.
Jafo
SOH-CM-2024
Chances are it's still that old issue from pre win7 days ....you really need to force the appropriate driver as 10 is too stupid to be competent as an OS.
The latest update was just re-released after being pulled for deleting a user's data ...and it's now back with 'new and improved bugs' instead.
Horrifyingly, 'Google is your friend', and others will be guaranteed to have suffered your same issue...and likely there's a posted fix.... but always remember....searching is 'GIGO'...
You are right. That's why I have the important files in two places on my internal HDD (second drive 1TB - first is SSD) and on that external I mentioned.
The media doesn't have to last for ever because FSX (or what ever) doesn't.
The essential part of the story is that it is very unreal that two disks brake at the same time.
Daube
SOH-CM-2025
The cloud is the best way to go if you have a fast internet connection.
I have saved several files and pictures on my OneDrive (from Microsoft) and it never ever lost anything in the last ten years or more.
My internet connection is so slow I can't use it to store large archives, though... it would take forever to upload
But I have definitely stopped using CDs or infamous DVDs. These are too slow and unreliable.
I even removed the DVD player from my computer.
As mentioned earlier in this topic by other member, additional external HDDs or SSDs, or flashdrives or whatever, are not lasting forever, and might crash earlier than you thought, or might get damaged by shocks/fire/water/cat/kid etc...
.
I have saved several files and pictures on my OneDrive (from Microsoft) and it never ever lost anything in the last ten years or more.
My internet connection is so slow I can't use it to store large archives, though... it would take forever to upload
But I have definitely stopped using CDs or infamous DVDs. These are too slow and unreliable.
I even removed the DVD player from my computer.
As mentioned earlier in this topic by other member, additional external HDDs or SSDs, or flashdrives or whatever, are not lasting forever, and might crash earlier than you thought, or might get damaged by shocks/fire/water/cat/kid etc...
.
Jafo
SOH-CM-2024
I would strongly advise NOT to rely solely on 'the cloud' or in fact any alternate location which is not under your own full control.
There is nothing to prevent Microsoft or any other provider from withdrawing the service without warning....or shutting it down without notice....going bust....or, as is the current expertise evidenced by the latest Win 10 updates....simply deleting a User's files with the one apology...."Oops".
It is akin to making a careful backup on an SSD but then handing it to the first stranger you see in the street and saying 'look after this for me'.
You wouldn't....and likewise you shouldn't.
Best practice may see 'the cloud' as yet one more option...but NEVER a sole option. Ever.
What I do....
I have 6 physical hard drives totaling 8 partitions. 2 partitions are my M.2 drive, half is the OS and half is FSX [mostly].
Each day the OS part is imaged to a second physical drive. Each week the FSX part is imaged to a third physical drive, and each week the OS image is copied to a fourth.
Each day individual folders [work, fsx aircraft/paints, etc] are incrementally backed to a separate physical, and each week those backups are backed up to yet another drive.
That backup proggy [Syncback] is also used [when I remember....feel the urge] to backup those folders to a [normally] unconnected SSD that resides in a fire safe.
The phrase 'redundancy backup' is the best-case methodology for not ending up crying into your beer when everything goes missing/wrong.
Of course, there are paints of mine on SOH....which means they can be available 'in the cloud', but I've been a member of several sites who have suffered server crashes and lost their databases.... it happens...
Oh come on Jafo. Cloud services are the future. M$ is heavily investing in it, and more than likely, local storage will become a thing of the past.
if you're really distrustful, by all means, backup locally, but the advantages offered by cloud storage are plenty.
M$ will not stop or withdraw the service anytime soon and definitely not without warning.
I always wonder why some people over here are so distrustful of progress... Oh wait, they're still flying FSX...
Priller
if you're really distrustful, by all means, backup locally, but the advantages offered by cloud storage are plenty.
M$ will not stop or withdraw the service anytime soon and definitely not without warning.
I always wonder why some people over here are so distrustful of progress... Oh wait, they're still flying FSX...
Priller