[SOLVED] HD accessible in 20 years?

Cheechat · 01-26-2008, 05:22 AM

Hi - I'm a lucky father of two boys aged 4 and 2. I am trying to ensure that my children will be able to access the documents, pictures, and music that I've saved for them. How can I know for sure that my words to them will reach them? I have many questions for my parents, now deceased, and so I asked myself those questions and answered them for my own children. I bought 30 years worth of my website and I put all that information on webpages that can only be accessed if you know the names. But will the internet be the same in 20 years? I'm saved the access info to 5 one-gig flash drives with instructions to give the flash drives to my boys when they're 20 years old (in the event of my death). I'm hoping at least one of my five trustworthy friends will live till my children are 20. But will flash drives work in computers in 20 years? Maybe I should send a 20 g hard drive to my five friends instead of flash drives?

My questions are - what storage type is most likely to survive my children's growing years and still be accessible, and do you have any suggestions on how to get the storage device to my future adult children? Will saving the info to 30 years paid webpages work?

Thank you kindly for your help.

Tumbleweed36 · 01-26-2008, 06:25 AM

From what I have seen, your best bet would be to keep a copy (DVD better than CD), plus a hard drive and update it from time to time as newer media types come out. Otherwise, as you age, just transfer what you have to the newer media that we are certain will be developed. Do I think we will see the same media that can be accessed in 30 years, well, NO and NO! That is why I say update to new media as it comes out.

However, the biggie would be IMHO, to have offsite storage like you mentioned for the 30 year site. That would be most likely to be available through some pretty drastic changes.

Unfortunately, there is no sure fire way to insure that either will work, but you can only hope.

Cheechat · 01-31-2008, 01:06 AM

Thank you kindly for your advice. Your reply gave me another thought. What if my current webhost goes out of business or somehow loses my webpages? Now I'm thinking should buy another domain from a different hosting company. That way I'll have two separate websites with the same information for my children.

Still, I have a nagging feeling that the world's going to be a desolate place in 20 or 30 years. No electricity available. No computers. I'd better start writing things down for my kids. : )

Tumbleweed36 · 01-31-2008, 04:02 AM

Some families keep journals in a safe place. My wife is very good at that one and if/when the need is there, the safe is open and alas, there it is. In fact, might mean more to be from personal handwriting. Just my thought.

01-26-2008, 05:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cheechat Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 112 OS: XP Home	[SOLVED] HD accessible in 20 years? Hi - I'm a lucky father of two boys aged 4 and 2. I am trying to ensure that my children will be able to access the documents, pictures, and music that I've saved for them. How can I know for sure that my words to them will reach them? I have many questions for my parents, now deceased, and so I asked myself those questions and answered them for my own children. I bought 30 years worth of my website and I put all that information on webpages that can only be accessed if you know the names. But will the internet be the same in 20 years? I'm saved the access info to 5 one-gig flash drives with instructions to give the flash drives to my boys when they're 20 years old (in the event of my death). I'm hoping at least one of my five trustworthy friends will live till my children are 20. But will flash drives work in computers in 20 years? Maybe I should send a 20 g hard drive to my five friends instead of flash drives? My questions are - what storage type is most likely to survive my children's growing years and still be accessible, and do you have any suggestions on how to get the storage device to my future adult children? Will saving the info to 30 years paid webpages work? Thank you kindly for your help.

01-26-2008, 06:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 18,026 OS: XP Professional	Re: HD accessible in 20 years? From what I have seen, your best bet would be to keep a copy (DVD better than CD), plus a hard drive and update it from time to time as newer media types come out. Otherwise, as you age, just transfer what you have to the newer media that we are certain will be developed. Do I think we will see the same media that can be accessed in 30 years, well, NO and NO! That is why I say update to new media as it comes out. However, the biggie would be IMHO, to have offsite storage like you mentioned for the 30 year site. That would be most likely to be available through some pretty drastic changes. Unfortunately, there is no sure fire way to insure that either will work, but you can only hope. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

01-31-2008, 01:06 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cheechat Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 112 OS: XP Home	Re: HD accessible in 20 years? Thank you kindly for your advice. Your reply gave me another thought. What if my current webhost goes out of business or somehow loses my webpages? Now I'm thinking should buy another domain from a different hosting company. That way I'll have two separate websites with the same information for my children. Still, I have a nagging feeling that the world's going to be a desolate place in 20 or 30 years. No electricity available. No computers. I'd better start writing things down for my kids. : )

01-31-2008, 04:02 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 18,026 OS: XP Professional	Re: HD accessible in 20 years? Some families keep journals in a safe place. My wife is very good at that one and if/when the need is there, the safe is open and alas, there it is. In fact, might mean more to be from personal handwriting. Just my thought. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.