Using read-only attribute to safeguard music

CastleJohn · 3rd November 2011, 11:20 AM

I've just started ripping my CD collection to disc as FLAC. I'm wondering how best to safeguard the data. Is it worthwhile setting the "read-only" attribute for each individual music file? Or is there a less tedious way of achieving the same. Is it possible to make a whole disk drive read-only? I've got a whole new disk drive just for my music.

phofman · 5th November 2011, 08:50 AM

After you finish ripping your collection, get another harddrive, make a copy and put the drive into a safe dry place. That means do a safe backup. All other methods are fragile.

dangus · 5th November 2011, 07:56 PM

I like to burn backups to DVD-R as well; more expensive and bulkier, but probably more robust. It may be time to consider Blu-ray, instead: writers are under $100 and media is no longer $30 a disc.

boris81 · 5th November 2011, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CastleJohn

Is it worthwhile setting the "read-only" attribute for each individual music file? Or is there a less tedious way of achieving the same. Is it possible to make a whole disk drive read-only? I've got a whole new disk drive just for my music.

You can make folders read only. You will be asked if you want to assign the same permissions to all files and subfolders. The hard drive root is treated as a folder so you can set a whole drive as read only.

You can still delete read-only files but you will be alerted.

Flash memory cards have a hardware read-only switch and so do some USB sticks.

sofaspud · 5th November 2011, 09:02 PM

Remember that if you make FLACs read-only you won't be able to edit tags.

DrDyna · 7th November 2011, 11:29 AM

I've been using XBMC and it has a toggle for allowing you to delete files, but otherwise, changing the root directory to read only would mean that it can't hunt for missing album art and such, as it wouldn't be able to write anything in the folders.

Are you worried about accidental deletion? With delete confirmation left on, you should be reasonably safe.

ozzyscl · 8th November 2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sofaspud

Remember that if you make FLACs read-only you won't be able to edit tags.

+1 and you won't be able to modify the art work, should you end up with the wrong cover for a disc. I happen to me a while ago, I had to go through a process after I ended up with a cover by a guy called "David Gilmore" instead of "David Gilmour" hehe

DrDyna · 8th November 2011, 05:11 PM

Perhaps you could create a user that only has read/write (but not modify) access to the drive with your music on it and then run your music apps as that user so that you can still edit your files manually if you need to.

JRace · 8th November 2011, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dangus

I like to burn backups to DVD-R as well; more expensive and bulkier, but probably more robust. It may be time to consider Blu-ray, instead: writers are under $100 and media is no longer $30 a disc.

Make sure you check your backups often. I have lost many a DVD-r disc over time. They just fail even after being stored and never spun.

I no longer archive anything to optical media. I use dual backups to hard discs. Still not secure though.

raverx3m · 20th November 2011, 01:12 AM

best to have it hooked up to a pc once in a while and run an error check or a program that compares bit by bit to the copy of that drive to make sure theres no lost data or corrupted data on either disk. mine been loosing chunks of data out of a song randomly.

and sometimes albums disappeareing completely leaving only empty folders.

3rd November 2011, 11:20 AM	#1
CastleJohn diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011	Using read-only attribute to safeguard music I've just started ripping my CD collection to disc as FLAC. I'm wondering how best to safeguard the data. Is it worthwhile setting the "read-only" attribute for each individual music file? Or is there a less tedious way of achieving the same. Is it possible to make a whole disk drive read-only? I've got a whole new disk drive just for my music.

5th November 2011, 09:02 PM	#5
sofaspud diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Antonio	Remember that if you make FLACs read-only you won't be able to edit tags. __________________ It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from enquiry. - Thomas Paine

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5th November 2011, 08:50 AM	#2
phofman diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pilsen	After you finish ripping your collection, get another harddrive, make a copy and put the drive into a safe dry place. That means do a safe backup. All other methods are fragile.

5th November 2011, 07:56 PM	#3
dangus diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Vancouver Island	I like to burn backups to DVD-R as well; more expensive and bulkier, but probably more robust. It may be time to consider Blu-ray, instead: writers are under $100 and media is no longer $30 a disc.

7th November 2011, 11:29 AM	#6
DrDyna diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2007 Blog Entries: 3	I've been using XBMC and it has a toggle for allowing you to delete files, but otherwise, changing the root directory to read only would mean that it can't hunt for missing album art and such, as it wouldn't be able to write anything in the folders. Are you worried about accidental deletion? With delete confirmation left on, you should be reasonably safe.

8th November 2011, 05:11 PM	#8
DrDyna diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2007 Blog Entries: 3	Perhaps you could create a user that only has read/write (but not modify) access to the drive with your music on it and then run your music apps as that user so that you can still edit your files manually if you need to.

20th November 2011, 01:12 AM	#10
raverx3m diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2007	best to have it hooked up to a pc once in a while and run an error check or a program that compares bit by bit to the copy of that drive to make sure theres no lost data or corrupted data on either disk. mine been loosing chunks of data out of a song randomly. and sometimes albums disappeareing completely leaving only empty folders.