Free-Backup.info

Choice of storage medium for backup

Decisions regarding the specific nature of storage media to be employed in backup should be made strictly on the basis of backup volume and the nature of backup (read short term backup or long term backup). If a few configuration files or registry exports are the only files that are to be stored in backup, then a removable storage media of limited space (read floppy disk! ) would fit the bill. If you are planning a temporary backup of such above mentioned 'slim' files, then maybe floppy disk could be considered an acceptable storage media for your backup.

However, be forewarned, data stored on floppy should be considered to be at as much or even higher risk of loss than your computer's hard disk.

Why not floppy, the oldest and loyal storage buddy, for backup

Oldest, yes, and by the same token, obsolete too! As far as loyal is concerned, reservations about the dependability factor of floppy disks have been expressed in thinking computing circles for a very long time now.

For majority of backup purposes, floppy can be safely kept out of the available basket of options, simply because floppy is ridiculously miniscule in terms of byte holding capacity. Consider it, a floppy disk can hold only 1475 bytes or 1.44 mega bytes of data. How can such a storage media be considered for backup at an age where even configuration files can run into several hundreds of kilo bytes of data and a whole registry back up might itself run into several mega bytes of data.

Coming back to the 'loyal storage buddy' aspect of floppy disks, it is common knowledge that data stored on floppy disks are very vulnerable to corruption.

Backup on floppy can be easily corrupted

Even if slightly bent, exposed to minor temperature changes or exposed to dust, the data stored on floppy disks can be damaged. That being the case, if we opt for floppy as our backup option, then would we not be subjecting the backup data to the same threats which we are supposed to protect it against? !

Anybody who have been using computers for four or five years would speak volumes about frustrating situations when floppy disks pulled the carpet from right under their feet! In terms of data security, maximum extent to which floppy disks can be allowed in a backup media discussion is under the head, "for temporary purposes".

For all practical purposes, floppy disks can be considered as a dead option, to be considered only if nothing else is viable! Well if you have run out of your writeable CDs and you need to add a couple of registry exports or a few .ini files to your backup database, then you might want to consider using a floppy disk as a storage medium. But, at any cost, only as a temporary measure or a stop gap arrangement until you come up with a more reliable storage media where the backup data is considerably safe from common threats.

Lison Joseph is a contributor at Free-backup.info -- the home of the popular Amazon S3 based tool for online remote backup -- Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/backup-on-a-floppy-banish-the-thought.html