[Computer.Geek]

How do you guys back up your ibook? i don't want 2 use cd-r's b/c i have lots of info. i'm looking @ possibly the external hd but i would like the convenience of a dvd writer. any advice? secondly, are most dvd external writers compatible with macs?

[Aptmunich]

Well I back up with an external harddrive, but will be getting an external DVD burner this christmas...

I think that backing up to a DVD will take longer and might not be as simple, but that it might also be more reliable...

Well, if you want to carry loads of data to a friend's and you cannot be bothered to carry the hard drive, then DVD's would obviously be easier. Also, despite both options carrying the risk of data being corrupted, if your whole hard drive gets corrupted, then you've lost all your data, while with DVD-Rs, you can spread it across so you lose less. I would still get a hard-drive though because it's easier to use and faster. Plus, optical rewritable drives are always improving (and faster than hard drives) so you may find in a few years time that your DVD-RW drive is slow and incompatible by then.

[rman]

I use both of them. My external hard drive is for temporary back ups. I use CDs and DVDs for more permanent back ups of important data.

As soon as the price for dual layer media comes down, I will most likely be looking in to getting a dual layer DVD burner.