I have seen a number of people lately who have insisted on backing up on USB flash drives and floppy disks.
Having two backups is always a good idea, but the era of the floppy has come and gone.
What’s wrong with floppies?
1. They scratch
2. They bend
3. Even a small particle of dust can hurt them
4. Almost any magnet can corrupt them – such as setting them too close to a computer speaker
5. Any accidental spill of any liquid will ruin them
None of these things are generally true about USB flash drives or CD-ROMS.
I have one flash drive that I intentionally let go through the wash on a regular basis. I have had it for three years and I still use it often.
So, if you want to make multiple backups of something, use two USB flash drives or two CDs or one CD and one USB flash drive, but trash the floppies.
Any flash drive you buy now likely holds as much as between 200-2000 floppy disks. Flash drives are reusable and just as easy to use as a floppy disk. In fact, you use them exactly like you would a floppy disk. They just hold more, are more durable and can be written to more times.
