Programs that I know of that are specific to backing up photos to CD/DVD:
Archive Creator
Backup And Burn
There are probably others as well.
One of the best solutions if you shoot a lot of files though is a mirrored external array, with a drive rotation policy. Something like the Miglia MediaBank HS-R (also available as an internal version that you insert in empty 5.25" drive bays.)
The HS-R transparently reads/writes all your data to two independent hard drives. Before you go to bed each night, you pop out one of the drives (you now have an "instant" backup of everything in a nice, small, portable package) and insert the third drive into the now-empty slot. The HS-R begins copying everything to the newly-inserted drive, all transparently (even if you are still using the computer), without any special software being required. You can now take the drive you just removed and put it in a "safe place" as your backup... until the next time you need to swap drives and (instantly) create your next backup via the newly-ejected drive.
And with an additional (inexpensive) drive tray, you can create an even more extensive backup procedure. With a 4th drive, you could periodically take one of the drives to an off-site location for extra security. For example, every Monday, you could bring it to work and lock it in your desk. You just bring home the "old" one that was previously at your work when you leave Monday evening and put it in the swap-rotation for the "nightly backups".
With the cost of ultra-high capacity drives gettting cheaper and cheaper, this seems to me, at least, the best compromise between convenience, reliability, efficiency, etc. You never have to worry about "doing backups", you just swap drives, which takes seconds.
Message edited by author 2005-09-17 10:10:17. |
