DVD for backup?

cabinboy · 13 Aug 2015

Can multiple DVD's be used to create a full system back up image or does it have to be all in one lump as it were, like an external drive etc.

mjf · 13 Aug 2015

Yes multiple DVDs can been used in principle. It is very slow and very risky since one faulty DVD burn and your image is gone. DVD readers can vary a little in alignment and with one DVD read error you have problems. Stick to HDD system image backups.

Lady Fitzgerald · 13 Aug 2015

I also recommend not using DVDs for backups for the same reasons. HDDs are faster and safer. Even better would be to have multiple, identical backups because, even though HDDs are more reliable that DVDs, even a backup HDD can fail.

cabinboy · 14 Aug 2015

Thanks for the tip ill go for external HD backup

Alejandro85 · 14 Aug 2015

Another point against DVDs for backups are that they are write-once. To make a second backup you must throw away the first disc's set. DVD-RW can mitigate that, but will exacerbate the slowness problem since you must erase it beforehand.
Specially with full-disk images that tend to become obsolete very quickly, they're a poor option.

When they shine is when used for data that rarely changes. Personal photos, music, maybe program installers, that sort of things. And they're ideal for holding your copy of the Windows installation media.

Lady Fitzgerald · 14 Aug 2015

Alejandro85 said:

...When they shine is when used for data that rarely changes. Personal photos, music, maybe program installers, that sort of things. And they're ideal for holding your copy of the Windows installation media.

They don't even shine for that. Unless one uses really expensive archival grade DVDs, they will deteriorate over time.

The original DVDs that Windows comes on are a different breed of cat. Those were factory stamped and are far more stable than consumer DVDs that use a dye layer that a laser burns the data into. That dye will deteriorate over time.

Alejandro85 · 22 Aug 2015

Lady Fitzgerald said:

They don't even shine for that. Unless one uses really expensive archival grade DVDs, they will deteriorate over time.

The original DVDs that Windows comes on are a different breed of cat. Those were factory stamped and are far more stable than consumer DVDs that use a dye layer that a laser burns the data into. That dye will deteriorate over time.

Everything deteriorates over time. If you're carefull handling the disks they can last a long time (unless you're speaking about the most cheaper and crappy disks you can get). No need for special-purpose ones.
Specially for backups that don't change over time. The most common use case is to record the disks then store them and leave there for a long time. It's unlikely that you'll be using them regularly (only when disaster strikes or some rare occurrence), so they won't get too much wear anyway.

Diosoth · 27 Aug 2015

Your average DVD is also going to be the 4.7GB size. Trying to back up a 500+ GB HDD worth of content is going to get slow and tedious, and trying to backup from that is going to become a pain- imagine trying to install Skyrim from floppy disks.

I myself use DVDs for backup, but only files I regard as worth keeping. I don't save everything. From a fresh install I can stick on that important data, install the programs I need, and whatever I lose is junk I can forget. Even at that, from constant backups of that plus some extraneous stuff I have a drawer full of 300+ DVDs. These things are borderline obsolete for data backup.