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Archiver > TMG > 2000-02 > 0949628035


From: Robin Lamacraft <>
Subject: RE: TMG-L: Data Storage for the Future
Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2000 12:03:55 +1030


At 18:47 3/02/00 -0500, John Cardinal wrote:
>A few people have suggested that paper and ink are the only way to go. Why
>not go both ways? Store your data in one or two electronic forms as well as
>paper and ink.
>
>Regarding the loss of support for older media, it's definitely true. But
>things change; there is much more concern now for the archival of computer
>data then there was 30 years ago. Literally millions more people have data
>they want to retain, and that creates a market opportunity. So--put it on
>CD-ROM, or zip tapes, or whatever. As new media are introduced, copy it
>over.
>
>Someday you will not be here to move the data from medium to medium. But
>someone else may be. Your data does not have to last forever, just until the
>next interested person makes a copy.

I don't usually give a commercial plug - and I sure that there are other
services like but have a look at http://www.pdrs.com.au (precise data
recovery service) here in Australia. They can do remarkable things. A young
child dislodged a laptop from a table, rendering the hard drive cactus (and
no backup!). PDRS purchased another drive of the same type dis-assembled it
and installed the new heads in the old drive to recover the data onto CDs.
Mind you this kind of service costs!! However the transcription from one
medium to another is possible. Have a look at their "bone-yard" to see the
range of media catered for..

Robin
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