PC utilities forum: Backing up Data files to DVD-R?

I don't use Nero back-it-up, but just the Nero program to burn data DVD's. As long as you take care that every (sub)folder on your hard disk is less then 4.7 Gb you can just drag them to the DVD, so to speak, until it's full. And then the next one. And so on.

These DVD's just contain folders with files that can be accessed like any other folder on your PC.

If making a full backup to DVD's becomes unpractical because you have to much data, consider buying an external hard disk. They easily are 320 or 500 Gb at the moment, and that's a lot.

Hope this helps.


Kees

Check out a piece of software called Whereisit

I have used it in the past, and you can search inside compressed files, volume labels, and image files!

If I understand what you want... this software will do it

Hope this helps

Mike

I use the old clunky DOS trick of <PrntScrn> that works for me for a manageable number of folders. Viewing your files by folder in Windows Explorer, click anywhere on the pane; then Ctrl-PrntScrn (a key on the upper right of the keyboard next to the function keys, usually); then Ctrl-C (copy) each clip into a Word document. I use these when transferring a lot of work files to another user on CD. Might be a pain for 10 CDs worth of data, but maybe less than buying and installing new software! And at least you've got an exact picture of how each file is organized.

Start by putting your data in organised folders (eg. put all mp3 files by the same artist in a single folder and do this for every artist on your system. Put all spreadsheets in their own folder, all text documents in their own folder. Organise pictures by subjece eg. "family photos", "scenery" and so on, and put photos of each type in their own seperate folder.) Then make a small list by hand of what type of data is on which disk. For example:

Disk 1: Music by artists with surnames beginning with the letters A-P
Disk 2: Music by artists with surnames Q-Z
Disk 3: Family photos, Scenery photos, Spreadsheets with file name beginning with the letters A-F
Disk 4: Spreadsheets with file name beginning with letters from G-Z
Disk 5: Word documents

and so on.

Needless to say, you don't have to have such long names for the items in the list; it's up to you how you want to abbreviate it. For example, in practice disk 1 above could simply be labeled "Music A-P".
As you can see, it won't take long to sort out the list.

To search files, you can simply use the "search" tool in Windows, or try google desktop if possible (I haven't used Google Desktop for a while, so I forgot if you can ask it to search in CDs only).

Hope this is useful!