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Failed ext hard drives

604 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by FlashG101, May 28, 2022

FlashG101

Discussion Starter · May 24, 2022

Hi there,

I have experienced having two external hard drives fail at the same time and had to get the data retrieved which was a huge expense in the $thousands to retrieve the 1.3T of data. My MAC book pro hasn’t got big memory which is the reason for saving everything on external hard drive.

I am back to 2 x 2TExternal WD hard drives but I would be looking at the next best option for yet another further backup. I have had many tech companies give different and confusing options and would be good to have an unbiased opinion.

Should I stick to a third external hard drive or go to something like a NAS or another suitable option?
The files are documents, photos and video files of 25 years of family history research, plus I have all my music files on there as well. I would be looking at something that would have better in longevity with less chance of failure, easy to use and not so excessive in price.

Would love to hear your views.
Thank you.

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sandemon1989

· #2 · May 24, 2022 (Edited)

FlashG101 said:
Hi there,

I have experienced having two external hard drives fail at the same time and had to get the data retrieved which was a huge expense in the $thousands to retrieve the 1.3T of data. My MAC book pro hasn't got big memory which is the reason for saving everything on external hard drive.

I am back to 2 x 2TExternal WD hard drives but I would be looking at the next best option for yet another further backup. I have had many tech companies give different and confusing options and would be good to have an unbiased opinion.

Should I stick to a third external hard drive or go to something like a NAS or another suitable option?
The files are documents, photos and video files of 25 years of family history research, plus I have all my music files on there as well. I would be looking at something that would have better in longevity with less chance of failure, easy to use and not so excessive in price.

Would love to hear your views.
Thank you.

I use WD externals, 4TB and 2 TBs...have good luck with them. I use a 4 port 3.0 hub with a "c" connection. Fast. I used to use desktop pc 2 TB HDDs in docking stations and that did ok...WD towers are easier and hold a lot of 1 and 2 gig files...

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crjdriver

· #3 · May 24, 2022

There are numerous options however the BIG thing is to have multiple backups. An external is fine for one backup however the second, third, etc should be on a NAS, network share, etc.
FWIW I make four backups of important data; two on internal drives, one on my NAS, and the fourth on an external that sits in my gun safe when not actually making a backup.
Unless you have either an off site backup OR a secure, fireproof method of storing the backups, a fire will wipe out ALL of your backups.
The airline where I used to work was required to make backups of crew records, flight times, mx records, etc every 8hr and stored OFF site in a fireproof facility.

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Digerati

· #4 · May 24, 2022

crjdriver said:
There are numerous options however the BIG thing is to have multiple backups.

^^^This^^^

Pick whatever works for you.

And I always recommend at least one backup be stored "off-site". This can be at a trusted neighbor's, friend's, or relative's house, or in a safe deposit box at your bank.

And then test it so you know it works, and how to restore from it! The best backup and recovery solution is worthless if you don't know how to make it work.

A fire is not the only threat and reason to have an off-site location. There are floods, tornados, hurricanes, or even a thief who breaks in and steals your stuff for drug money.

FlashG101 said:
two external hard drives fail at the same time

Two at once could just be a bad-luck coincidence, but it could also indicate a power problem - another reason to put all your computer gear on a "good" UPS with AVR.

But also, every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

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Gr3iz

· #5 · May 24, 2022

FlashG101 said:
Should I stick to a third external hard drive or go to something like a NAS or another suitable option?
The files are documents, photos and video files of 25 years of family history research, plus I have all my music files on there as well.

I would suggest a NAS. You could have RAID setup and the music and videos could be available for you to view/listen to on your smart TV, other networked devices in the house, Roku-connected TVs, or even share externally with friends/family.

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lynx1021

· #6 · May 24, 2022

I would think using solid state external drives would be a good option also. To me with External mechanical drives you still have to treat them like eggs in a carton where SSD's are less subject to fail from dropping or vibration. As for recovery I have heard of a company that Carey Holzman talked about that only charges $300 for most recovery's!

Also I remember Carey said external drives are not made to stay plugged in all the time.

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sandemon1989

· #7 · May 24, 2022

lynx1021 said:
I would think using solid state external drives would be a good option also. To me with External mechanical drives you still have to treat them like eggs in a carton where SSD's are less subject to fail from dropping or vibration. As for recovery I have heard of a company that Carey Holzman talked about that only charges $300 for most recovery's! Also I remember Carey said external drives are not made to stay plugged in all the time.

I have a WD 4tb and 2 WD 6TB that are almost always connected, at least for the last several months. A few years ago my Dell 16gb RAM lost the processor fan, and it ran super hot for years without actually dying, Then it gave up and quit working,
I put the 3 drives on my Win10 laptop (the HP) and they worked for a while until my HP decided it didn't like me.
Turns out lack of understanding Win10 and being old is worse than a faulty OS. and here I am today with all externals still working better than I am...I really like WD externals...

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FlashG101

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 28, 2022

Thank you everyone for your input and valuable advise. I really appreciate it.
Thank you

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