CD-ROM Writers Make Data Backup Less of a Chore and More Affordable

If you’ve been reading this column for a while, then you’ve encountered my sermons about the importance of backing up your data files. However, just because backing up is the right thing to do doesn’t mean that people do it.

I’ve never actually done a survey as to why people don’t back up, but my guess is that it’s just one of those things that doesn’t get high priority because it’s not fun, it doesn’t add to the bottom line and most people don’t think it will happen to them.

Well, I hope it doesn’t happen to you, but it can. You never know when you might lose the data on your computer because of human error, software error, hardware failure, theft or natural disaster. And, as far as making it fun and productive, well, backing up may not be all that exciting, but if you buy a CD-ROM writer, you’ll at least have some hardware that can be used for other tasks more to your liking.

In addition to backing up your data, these drives can be used to back up CD-ROM software and music discs. Copyright laws limit what you legally can do with copies of software and music. You can’t legally give them to others, but you can certainly make them for your own archival purposes. You can also use these drives to create CDs with your own data for employees and customers. You could, for example, use them to distribute large PowerPoint presentations about your business, or you could use them to give someone a copy of your company Web site that they can access from a computer without an Internet connection.

You can also use them to send large files to employees that won’t fit on a 1.44-megabyte floppy disk. Unlike the discs you make on a Zip drive or other specialized drives, the discs you create with a CD-ROM writer can be played on virtually any PC or Mac because just about all machines have CD-ROM players.

There are two basic types of CD-ROM writers on the market. There is CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-ReWritable (CD-RW). The former can record only once to a CD. You can append data to an existing CD but you can’t erase what’s on it and rewrite it. With a CD-RW drive you can read, write and rewrite the same disc but only if you buy CD-RW discs which, at about $3 apiece, are more expensive than CD-R discs, which are generally available for about $1.50.

CD-RW drives start at less than $200.

The good news is that most drives on the market today are CD-RW, which gives you the best of both worlds. Even though I like the idea of being able to use a rewritable disc, I generally back up to CD-R discs because they are cheaper, and because the whole purpose of a backup is to keep an archival copy of my data. Frankly, I like the idea that it can’t be erased.

Typically, drives are rated by their reading, writing and rewriting speed. The measurements will be in “x” as in the number of times the speed of the very first CD-ROM drives that hit the market more than a decade ago. Expect to see numbers such as “4x write,” “4x rewrite” and “8x read.” The higher the number, the better. In most cases the read speed isn’t all that important because the CD-RW drive you buy will be your second CD drive--the computer you attach it to will probably already have a CD-ROM drive. Still, in a pinch you can also use the CD-RW drive to read a CD as well.

Many of the drives on the market are internal, meaning you’ll have to take apart your PC to install it. You’ll also need an extra “drive bay” to accommodate it. In addition, you’ll need the proper cable and, in some cases, a special interface card. In other words, it’s a hassle.

But there is an easy solution. A number of companies, including Addonics and Yorba Linda-based QPS (https://www.qps-inc.com) make external drives that connect directly to the USB port that’s found on most late-model PCs and Macs. Plug the drive into the USB port and the electrical outlet, install the software and you’re ready to go.

I tested the $299 QUE USB drive from QPS, which comes with software that allows you to copy data files, entire CD-ROM discs or audio discs. The drive, which came with the required USB cable, works on both Windows PCs and Macs. The drive also has a headphone jack on the front to listen to audio CDs, (even when the computer is off), plus audio jacks on the back that allow you to connect it to a stereo system.

Installation took about 15 minutes plus an additional half-hour for me to master the software. Once it was installed, I was able to back up a directory with about 1,900 files (32 megabytes) in about six minutes. I then took that CD to another machine, which was able to access the files from the drive. I later added a 20-megabyte directory of files to the disc. After all that, there are still more than 600 megabytes of blank space on that CD-R disc, which cost me all of about $1.25.

Because the drive is transportable and plugs into the USB port, I was also able to connect it to my notebook PC (which, of course, can’t be taken apart) and all the other PCs and Macs in my office.

Backing up isn’t fun, but at least it’s affordable and relatively easy.

Technology reports by Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 1:48 p.m. weekdays on KNX (1070). He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web site is at https://www.larrysworld

.com.