Backing up on DVDs

[Windows i7 920]

Is it possible to back up 600 GB of data onto a DVD collection? Like splitting an HDD image into multiple disks? I do not have any other means of backing up. I have approximately 100 blank DVDs to work with and 4 dual layer disks.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Personally though this may well be possible I would discourage it. The chances for errors in writing much less the labeling and time required are too high. As cheap as a 3/4 TB or 1 TB drive is I believe that would be the preferred method and definitely the one I use !

 

[rap33042]

Windows i7 920:
I think most imaging software allows you to split backups.
If yours does not, then a very good free utility call GSplit is the answer.
It not only splits the file(s) but will reunite them with a little .exe file it creates during the split process.

You can get it here: GSplit - File Splitter - Split Any File

 

[polarbear]

I have done it to DVDs and tested it last year. It was a good copy as i tried it after a fresh install. Now I use a 2 TB drive. I backup once a week removing the 2nd oldest file at all times. I keep about 20 backups at all times so if I do have to go back 20 weeks it's there. The oldest backup is the one from day one of a fresh install. GL

 

[richnrockville]

I have done it to DVDs and tested it last year. It was a good copy as i tried it after a fresh install. Now I use a 2 TB drive. I backup once a week removing the 2nd oldest file at all times. I keep about 20 backups at all times so if I do have to go back 20 weeks it's there. The oldest backup is the one from day one of a fresh install. GL

I am of the old school where you can never have too many backups

But the gum in the transmission is that I don't recommend the all be on one device.

I have 4 small external Esata/USB 2.5" hard disks and rotate them each week when I make an image backup via acronis. Hard disks have been known to fail and you don't want to be crying when one does. Like I said backups are great as long as
you have redundancy in devices..

Rich

 

[mjf]

Technically I don't see why not. I definitely wouldn't dream of doing it. Did I mean dream or nightmare. I just wouldn't consider the time to do the job and reliability acceptable.

 

[whs]

If you have that data in a seperate partition, you can image the partition e.g. with Macrium. Your data will be compressed by about 50% which is still 300GBs. That is a lot of data for DVDs. The sheer management of that stack (about 70 of them) will be a nightmare. As was already suggested, an external disk is really preferable.

 

[polarbear]

I have done it to DVDs and tested it last year. It was a good copy as i tried it after a fresh install. Now I use a 2 TB drive. I backup once a week removing the 2nd oldest file at all times. I keep about 20 backups at all times so if I do have to go back 20 weeks it's there. The oldest backup is the one from day one of a fresh install. GL

I am of the old school where you can never have too many backups

But the gum in the transmission is that I don't recommend the all be on one device.

I have 4 small external Esata/USB 2.5" hard disks and rotate them each week when I make an image backup via acronis. Hard disks have been known to fail and you don't want to be crying when one does. Like I said backups are great as long as
you have redundancy in devices..

Rich

Correct you are and I still have my 1st copy of the DVDs from my 1st full system backup. GL