Zen wrote:
Ara? a ZIP drive? Sure, they're convenient, but they are NOT good back-up
devices.
Well, any magnetic contact media device is susceptible to failure. That's a
given. But CD-R/W and Optical drives are still on the expensive side for
some people, so if you're on a budget then you have to look at the
alternatives.
I've used a SCSI Zip drive with my Mac for 4 months now and it's worked
perfectly. No lost files, no weird errors. That's not to say that problems
won't occur in the future, but the bottom line is that it is an inexpensive
and *better* alternative to floppy disks or nothing at all ;)
Heh. No argument there... except with the issue of price.
In the short term, you're quite right. ZIP drives are much cheaper.
In the long term, though... granted both MO and CDRW drives are more
expensive, but the MEDIA cost is orders of magnitude less in terms of
cost per megabyte.
Average street for a ZIP disk is 15 bux, though Zen has seen them for as
low as 10. Still, though, that's 10 cents a megabyte compared to 4.2 for
MO, 3 for CDRW, and 0.3 for CDR.
That's assuming 10 bux each for Olympus 230 Mb cartridges, 20 bux for a
CDRW disk, and 2 bux for a CDR. On the latter two, Zen can actually get
both of them cheaper even, than that.
So. For immediate need, low cost, go ZIP. (Additionally, ZIPs are very
popular, making them very good for file exchange)
But the alternatives are not that much more expensive over the long haul.
And Zen, in his business, HAS to have reliability. ^_^
(Of course, Zen is just a paranoid bastard, too. ^_-)
Hmmm. As to the CDR or CDRW drive, Zen agrees completely. The media is
DIRT cheap now, and for permanent backup, cannot be beat. Best drives
running for this are the HP CDR/W drives... reliable and fast. Ricoh's
are at the bottom of the list.
Up here (Canada) HP 7200 CD-R/W drives are in the $500 range. That's kinda
pricey for the average computer user who just needs something to back up
their data files rather than counting on their HD. A SCSI Zip drive costs
around $200 here and the 100MB disks are under $20. That's not the best
MB/$ value, but I don't *need* the capacity of a CD-R/W or a Jaz drive. I'm
just backing up documents and images which on average are around 300K to
1MB in size. I think your recommendations might be for more serious users
who are working with mission critical apps and files, and where time (to
restore data) is of the essence. But then again, if you have the coin... ;)
Heh. Pay now, or pay later. (See above) Your prices are spot on, though,
based on what Zen has seen too.
As for the Jazz drives, Zen would NEVER recommend one of those - for ANY
reason. Same thing with the Syquest drives. Zen would sooner write
everything out by hand than trust THOSE devices! ^_^;;
MO, and Optical all the way! ^_^
As for Zips or Jazz drives....
Please forgive Zen, Skuse-san... but Zen must respectfully disagree.
As a backup medium, NEITHER ZIP nor Jazz drives are particularly safe.
Both are contact media - highly susceptible to head crashes. And the
ZIP drive has what Zen considers to be a fatal design flaw... to wit,
the 'click of death' that sometimes accompanies the insertion of zip
media into the drive. Both media AND drive are dead if this happens.
Non recoverable.
That's new to me. The LS-120 drives have given us problems, but we've sold
lots of Zip and Jaz drives and no complaints so far <knocks on wood>. But
your point is sound. Those devices use magnetic contact media and *can*
crash or fail, just like a HD or floppy disk. But I believe they are *more*
reliable than floppy disks and *just* a HD. Still, if you want something
that is 99% reliable, and you have the coin, then CD-R/W or MO is the way
to go.
Nod nod. Precisely. On all counts. And Zen would NEVER trust a floppy.
Even ZIP's, as you say, are better than that. ^_^
If you want *reliable* backup, Zen suggests an MO drive. They are a
little pricier - but the cost is WELL worth it. Zen uses an Olympus
model SYS-230 - a 3.5 inch MO dirve, rewriteable, and FAST compared to
Zips. Also, CHEAP. The drive is moderately priced at around 300 bux,
and is availale in SCSI or SCSI/Parallel configurations. The media, if
you buy from Olympus, is five discs for 50 bux, making it quite cost
competitive with Zips. Particularly since the MO are 230 Mb, and the
Zips are 100.
Hmmmm! You make a good case Zen :)
Thanks. The SYS230 is a **sweet** little drive. Lightweight, fast, and
EASY to use, on either Mac or PC platforms. Zen *loves* his. ^_^
Best of all, it's non contact, and non magnetic. VERY safe and reliable
storage. (And the disks fit in carriers for standard 3.5 inch floppies,
too!)
Hm, this bears looking into. Thanks for the tip! :)
http://www.olympusamerica.com/digital/docs/digproduct.html
You CAN find the drives a little cheaper if you really shop. (Like Zen
said, around 300 bux) - the disks have exactly the same footprint as a 3.5
inch floppy - except that they are a little THICKER. Zen uses plastic
boxes designed to hold 10 3.5 inch floppies (a foldout thingie that holds
two stacks of five floppies) and it hold six MO's (2 stacks of 3) just like
it was custom made for them.
BUT, this doesn't let people off the hook! Until you can get something more
reliable, back up your fics to floppies! Data loss is preventable!
Back them up to ANYTHING. And if you MUST use floppies, make TWO backups.
Then, if ONE fails, you still have another chance. ^_^
Andy Skuse
---
Zen no Itan-sha
Apprentice to the Angels of the Apocalypse