NEW BACK-UP DRIVES FOR ME
Here I am - just a few days before departing for a 45-day trip to Africa. One thing that is always on my mind when I start one of these extended trips is my media storage and backup supplies. Are they reliable? Will I have enough storage room? Will I have a failure? Then there is the equipment issue.
For this topic, let’s look at the drives that I am using for this tip and most likely my future trips. With the news of the massive failure of Sandisk drives that I used without hesitation, I had to quickly turn to other solutions that were far more reliable. Having used this new media for about a year now, I am very happy and convinced that I have a reliable solution.
As always, I practice 3 three levels of backups. I consider my CF card, my source file, with each card being assigned to a specific camera. These cards will never be erased or reformatted while traveling. From this source file, I will make a direct copy onto my first external SSD. For this SSD, I turn to a Crucial T10 4TB drive. This direct copy will serve as my Level 1 backup. Each camera will have their own back-up folder on this drive.
Returning to my source card, I will make another direct copy of the CF card onto a different drive, This is my level 2 back-up. Not wanting to put all of my eggs in one basket (using the same manufacturer), I turn to the LiCie Rugged Mini, 4TB. While not a SSD, LiCie has served me well for a number of years.
Lastly, returning to my source files, I will make a final copy onto a 4.0TB OWC Envoy Pro FX. During this last copy, I will perform a name change using my downloading software following a naming scheme that means something to me. Following this final copy, I am now ready to import into Lightroom.
This downloading procedure takes place after EVERY game drive EVERY DAY, with no exceptions. Do not get behind with your back-ups or you will find yourself missing files and making mistakes.
At the end of the day, I have my source files on the cards, one source copy on the Crucial, one source copy on the LiCie and a renamed copy on the OWC. This may seem like overkill however, it only takes losing images once to learn a horrible and valuable lesson. Don’t be the one that has to learn this lesson the hard way.
Develop a routine and stick to it. When in doubt - write it down, just like a checklist.
Wash - Rinse - Repeat
#OWC #LiCie #Crucial #Backupsoultions #