House on Fire... Do You Rescue the Computer?

Laptop and backback for laptop are never far from each other. Even have a spare power supply in the backpack. In case of fire into the bag it goes and out the door go I.

D,

I'd more likely save my Commodore Amiga 500 before I'd grab my main PC that I use. Most hardware is cheap and easily replaceable. Heck the insurance money is worth more than the PC.

As far as data goes, I use

and backup everything remotely important there. So all my data is stored there, including most of my pictures. Unlimited backup storage for $5/month. Also works as poor man's revision control too.

I might grab my backup dvd case, too.

I'd probably grab my pool cues too.

(and wife and new baby, I guess) :)

Keith

Just grab your backup and get the hell out!

If you see this as a likely occurance, you need a laptop and a docking bay or a desktop computer with an easy-remove type drive bay where you can just snatch out the HDD.

If you have actually done a recent BACKUP[1] of your data (NOT a mirror), loss of the box will be an annoyance, but not really significant.

The mention of insurance in this thread is noteworthy. Unless you *just* bought the box, the replacement will be better. . . [1] A "backup" is *not* a backup until it is OFF-SITE.

Huh... only 5 bucks a month for unlimited storage. Do you encrypt before upload?

D from BC British Columbia Canada

Cool! 250Gig with a 0.59" x 5.1" x 3.14" size.

Maybe I can make a case for it made from Space Shuttle tiles. It might survive a fire if I can't get it. :)

D from BC British Columbia Canada

I carry an 8GB rugged (300 meters) 36MB/s data rate USB drive in my pocket.

My will, resume, and many other personal documents are always carried on it, and always kept up to date.

I once carried a flat flash "stick", but the little dry rotted piece of shit fell apart in my wallet.

I also have over a TB of portable eSATA / USB storage devices laying about.

I'll make a claim for the PC. The drives and data leave the house with me in case of an emergency scenario where there was a rush to leave.

Oh yeah. My $2000 Predator LE-11 would come along, as would about four other sticks.

Hell... the Predator case is over $350 alone.

I have a museum sized stash of legacy hardwares in storage, so I am OK there. About 6 PC, two Alphas,, and gobs of drives and displays... all over 17" in size. I love my 24" Wide form LCD display, however. I might want to grab that too!

Your PC, or the data on it?

Step one is to take actual steps to reduce the likelihood of fires - reduce clutter, especially clutter that burns. Live the Danish Modern lifestyle, and fire has a hard time getting a hold. Difficult for most real people to manage.

Step two along that line would be to absolutely minimize or eliminate burnables (paper, upholstery, drapes, carpets, wood etc.) in the particular room where the computer is, replace the door with a 2 hour fire rated door, and add an extra layer or two (fully mudded and taped) of 5/8 inch fire code gypsum board to the walls and ceiling. DO the floor in ceramic tile or something like that. Also do the same to any rooms below that room, and install sprinklers in the rooms and hallways outside and below that room. There are comparatively low-cost residential sprinklers on the market, though retrofitting is always going to be spendy, while adding them to new construction is not too bad, cost-wise - especially if you get a break on your insurance because of them.

While you're spending your millions, might as well put a halon system in the room itself, though in point of fact, local authorities might not be happy with that in a residence. As the resident, you should question the advisability of it as well.

So, build a little concrete shack out in the yard and move the computer there. Put nothing that can burn in the shack.

Some people try running an external hard drive inside of a data-rated fire safe. I don't know how much compromise the cable makes on the fire safe's function, and do choose only a data rated one - the paper ones get very hot and humid inside in a fire, as I understand it.

--
Iffen it\'s the data more than the PC itself, and you have something like 
a separate garage (or a concrete shack in the yard...) you could set up 
a server out there. It should be possible to mirror the content of a 
server in the house and a server in the garage, so that both structures 
would have to go to lose your data. Doesn\'t help that much if they are 
the same building. Perhaps a "doghouse" set away from the house, or a 
storm cellar, or that fallout shelter your parents put in in the 1950\'s.

Offsite backup copies are also good if you do them religiously, and 
check that they are readable religiously. If your offsite backups 
consist of 3 weeks of data from 1993 when you got the backup bug, and 
then lost it again, they are not very helpful. Consider all sorts of 
issues in choosing a place for them - flooding, fire, etc. A safety 
deposit box at the bank is one possible place that offers a range of 
security against many disasters, but if the bank floods, it\'s not such a 
great choice.

Keith M wrote in news:K8sQj.264$E77.155@trnddc05:

What do you use that Amiga for?

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

I briefly thought of attaching handles to my monitor and desktop computer so it can be carried like luggage. :)

D from BC British Columbia Canada

But of course. You can either have the software create and manage a key, or you can specify a key of your own ---- either using a bunch of text, or you can even specify a binary file as the key.

They give you multiple warnings if you decide to manage the key yourself including a checkbox that says, "I realize I'm screwed if I loose this key." And I think that's literally the language they use.

I'd never let my data sit on someone else's harddrive without being encrypted.

Keith

My pool cues are actually inexpensive Hueblers. I love the hit and wouldn't trade them for anything. I've had great successes and failures with those cues, the memories are forever singed into my mind.

Keith

Mostly nostalgia purposes, but I've been working on an external amiga floppy drive controller that attaches via USB for a couple years.

It allows a regular PC floppy drive and a windows machine read Amiga-formatted floppies, and allow you to archive them into .ADF's for use in PC emulators, etc.

see

upper right hand corner links has schematics and overview

Keith

Uh, stop smoking in bed? Stop storing the Propane BBQ grille indoors? Use only one candle per decade on the Birthday Cake?

Or failing that... Live in an igloo? :)

Hey Mike, You're giving the Donkey WAAAY too much credit. Do you think he'd even leave the house if it were on fire?

I think a fire resistant computer (or drive) might be an attractive product for the worrysome people. Some industries might be interested where there is a greater chance of disaster. Example: Chemical fire.

Chevron refinery fire McBride factory chemical factory. Aztec chemical fire

Perhaps jet 'black box' technology can be used to protect a drive. If those things can survive a jet fuel fire, it should survive a house fire.

D from BC British Columbia Canada

Oops.. I think I recall seeing that 'black box' recorders record on a spool of wire. That's probably why it's fire resistant. Dunno if there's a flight data recorder ( black box) that uses something like a PC hard drive. The materials in a typical PC drive will just melt or decompose.

D from BC British Columbia Canada

Neato... I guess that's wayyy better than magnetizing a spool of wire.

Do you mean like flash memory?

I did a quick Google and found some results for 16GB flash drives. And there's a 64Gig flash drive the size of a car key, but it's like $5000.00..

I'm guessing digital flight recorders are using similar tech.

D from BC British Columbia Canada

It wasn't wire before. Maybe when it began, but not so for decades now.