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Software for backing-up files onto DVDs

Qin Zhi

Qin Zhi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 21, 2009
25
0
中国北京
Hi guys! I'm already using a 500GB external hard disc for my Time Machine backup, and I regularly backup at least twice a week.

But I wouldn't want to rely solely on Time Machine considering that I've read in several posts in this forum that some had encountered problems restoring from Time Machine backups; and likewise, hard discs, by their very nature are more prone to damage and are not as suitable for really long-term storage unlike DVDs. I plan to perform DVD backups at least once a month; anyway, DVDs are very cheap, but reliable.

Thus, I'm looking for a software that allows me to do a full backup of my system (or at least those folders and files that I specify) onto several DVDs.

Of course, in case my system crashes, I will use Time Machine to restore it--for it is the simplest solution. But just the same I hope there is a good mac-using soul out there who can recommend a good software for backing up to DVDs which will serve as my fallback in case my Time Machine backup fails me.

Thank you so much! :)
 
DoFoT9 said:
i believe toast titanium would be the perfect application for you here. it is capable of burning files across multiple optical discs :)
Click to expand...

Oh, thanks for your recommendation! It's a bit pricey though, but I'll download the demo and check it out. :)
 
The problem with both TM and CCC (or SuperDuper!, which is what I use) along with DVD backup, is that they are typically all local, as in the same physical location as the computer.

My suggestion for the greatest peace of mind (or most OC, depending ;)) is a multiple-layer approach:

Time Machine: Provides substantial look-back capability, perfect when needing to restore a portion of lost, inadvertently trashed, or corrupted files, like iPhoto or iTunes libraries (both have happened to me). It's not bootable, though, so a major casualty may require a new computer/HDD/Restore DVD or what have you.

SuperDuper! (or CarbonCopyCloner): Provides a bootable snapshot of the entire system, but is only accurate as of the last cloning, and has no ability to "correct" to a point prior to that last cloning.

Offsite: Lots of choices here. I use Mozy, $4.99 a month for unlimited backup. Right now, I have 123GB securely stored with incremental updates on a selectable schedule, recoverable anytime, anywhere. I hope I never have to test that. Not bootable (obviously), and the initial backup can take days (or weeks) depending on the available bandwidth, amount stored, etc.
 
I use Toast and an external drive for backups, occasionally I'll keep some backups on my webhosting account too but not for long-term items.
 
@JNB - nah, OCD is a must for any security minded geek. I too do back-ups to the cloud with Carbonite.com and Amazon EC2 aws.amazon.com/ec2/
 
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