Backing up recordings

[CubsWin]

I should probably know this, but is there any reliable method for backing up recordings to keep them in the event of a hard drive failure? I realize we have the ability to transfer recordings to an external drive, but that is still a single point of failure. If the external drive fails, the recordings are gone. Is there anything that can be done to keep a copy of recordings to protect against that? My External HDD is getting old and I have some recordings that are 10+ years old that I don't want to lose.

 

[TheKrell]

I have successfully copied programs from one EHD to another. They are just some number of ext3 partitions. While the programs are encrypted and not playable from a computer, a computer can easily make copies of programs, assuming it can handle the file system.

 

[CubsWin]

Ok, great. I thought maybe the recordings were linked to a specific drive and could only be played on that drive, but if that isn't the case then I should just be able to store copies of the files on another hard drive in case of emergency.

 

[TheKrell]

Ok, great. I thought maybe the recordings were linked to a specific drive and could only be played on that drive, but if that isn't the case then I should just be able to store copies of the files on another hard drive in case of emergency.

You can indeed. To be more clear, I let the 722 format both drives first before moving programs around.

 

[Jim5506]

You'll be using the Linux operating system to do this copying.

Windows will not work,nor will MAC OS

 

[TheKrell]

You'll be using the Linux operating system to do this copying.

Windows will not work,nor will MAC OS

Windows will indeed work if you use something like ext2fsd which I have on my (sitting down?) W2K computer. I am surprised that Macs won't do likewise.

 

[patmurphey]

No matter what you do, electronic failures loom. The simplest solution is a RAID 1 EHD. You can even buy a matching spare drive to replace a single (and transparent) drive failure.

 

[Ilya]

This may not work for sports events and other programs shown only once, but you can record, say, your favorite movie more than once when it airs again and store multiple copies of it on different disks. I've done that.

 

[Bobby]

This may not work for sports events and other programs shown only once, but you can record, say, your favorite movie more than once when it airs again and store multiple copies of it on different disks. I've done that.

That is true but I just buy that favorite movie on DVD or Bluray and then I am not dependent on a HD failure at all...

 

[JSheridan]

That is true but I just buy that favorite movie on DVD or Bluray and then I am not dependent on a HD failure at all...

There you go making sense again!

 

[Bobby]

There you go making sense again!

Why thank you my friend!

 

[Ilya]

Some movies I buy, some I just record. Those things are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Bobby]

Some movies I buy, some I just record. Those things are not mutually exclusive.

I can understand that. My philosophy on buying vs recording is this: If it is a movie that I have to have because I think it is great, I buy it. It it is a good movie that is nice to have but I don't have to have it, I record it...

 

[Ilya]

Personally, I use the following criteria. If I like a movie (or a program) and think I would want to watch it at least one more time, I'll record it. If it's something I really like and want to keep, but don't care about the video and sound quality too much, or if it's not readily available for purchase, I'll record a second copy of it if I can. If I think I'll watch it more than once or twice and/or the video/sound quality is very important, I'll buy it, preferably in 4K.

 

[Ilya]

By the way, it is possible to record 2 copies of any program from local channels, say a football match: record one copy from the sattellite and one OTA.

 

[CubsWin]

That is true but I just buy that favorite movie on DVD or Bluray and then I am not dependent on a HD failure at all...

Yes, that makes sense, but the recordings I really care about are ones that can't be re-recorded or purchased on disc... things like old sporting events, one-time broadcasts, etc.

Someone mentioned a RAID 1 External HDD. Would that work with the Hopper?

 

[Claude Greiner]

I remember someone mounting an external drive on top of a 508 about 12 years ago

 

[TheKrell]

I remember someone mounting an external drive on top of a 508 about 12 years ago

If they used the connector on the back panel, I'd be surprised. I'll bet they just routed an IDE cable outside the case.