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There is no reasonable way to keep files safe. This can be compared with information on fysical carriers. A piece of paper can burn in a fire. A picture can be stolen. These possibilitiess apply to a computer too. And an usb stick can get lost easily. And since computers get smaller and lighter, like the iPad, the possibility to loose the computer and with the computer the files in the computer gets bigger.
A way to make the possibility to keep a file safe is to make a lot of copies of the file. These copies can be stored on different media. Possibilities are a cd, a dvd, a hard disk, an external hard disk, a backup computer, a server and a website that offers a file storage service.
These different objects can be placed in different fysical geographical locations. This minimalizes the possibility the information gets lost by a fire, a disaster, a storm, a huricane, a flood, overflowing of water, a loss of electricity, burglary, theft and human mistakes.
A back up in the way of a copy of the original file on the same hard disk is no back up. This applies too when the copy and the original file are located in different parts of the hard disk. If the computer and the hard disk crash the original file might not be accessable anymore. But the same happens to the copy of the original file. So the original file and the back up get both lost.
Another possibilitiy is to store printed versions of the file or the picture. These printed copies should be kept in different places from the digital storage media.
So the possibility to keep information available is the biggest when different copies are kept on different media in different locations.
Edited by inea, 26 September 2010 - 01:23 PM.
