John,

I agree with your approach to backup, and it looks like we'll be exploring your uncharted territory by using a newer DVD writer. I always tuck files away in folders. In addition to that, I'm going to start a code for myself in naming my folders--I'm planning to compile a couple of numbers and letters and then a word description of the file contents. It seems to me that Symantec Ghost shortened the names of the folders in the backup in my last version. I'll be getting that again and they may have solved that problem, but I'm hoping to have a key to things just in case. Meanwhile, if you use Ghost Explorer it can track down and restore anything that you have on that disk.

I say this having done my most recent backups onto an external hard drive, and I plan to use one of those again. But I will not make the mistake again of having most of my backups in a mechanical form, I'll also make some kind of disk backup.

SRS