another backup question regarding games

[Jules]

Would it be better to install all of my games, burn the installed files of all games, and burn them to a DVD? Or would it be better to simply copy each disk? What about floppy games?

How do you back up your games?

[Tawmis]

For myself, I have a 500GB External Drive (a second one, Maxtor this time, rather than Western Digital) that I installed all my games to.

I then BURNED those files onto a DVD - mostly so that I can then take these games on me when I go on trips, without hauling the entire external drive, which is considerably heavier than a few DVDs.

If you have CD versions of the game - I'd just make copies of the CDs themselves. Or at least RIP the games into .ISO files and burn those .ISO files onto DVDs (for back up purposes). I would recommend, regardless of what you do, make MULTIPLE copies - with CDs, DVDs, and EXTERNAL DRIVES. A hard lesson to learn. But one I can't emphasize enough.

As for copying floppies - I have no floppy drive on my desktop or laptop. However, if they're 3.5" Disks - you can look into the 3.5 USB Drives we mentioned in another thread. If they're 5.25" disks - I have no idea how you'd back them up on a modern machine (since most do not have 5.25" drives).

[Collector]

For archival reasons I backup the files on floppy disks and an installed, configured version of each game. I have these on DVD and a harddrive.

[Jules]

I already have everything backed up on CD and my hard drive and I want to burn them to DVD's as well. I didn't know if burning the game files would be better or burning the installed files. I think I'll just burn the uninstalled game files because I don't feel like installing every Sierra game I own on my computer right now.. and getting them to actually work.

I have a 3.5 floppy drive but no 5.25 drive. The only game I have on 5.25 is KQ5, which I have about five or six copies of.

Thanks for the insight, O Genius Ones.

[misslilo]

...burn the installed files of all games, and burn them to a DVD? ....?

Umm, how can you backup/burn an installed game??
Well, of course I know how to - but wouldn't the registry thingamabob be missing then?

[Collector]

Jules, one reason to archive installed games is that some of the games insist on being installed from the original disks. Some of the detection routines of these disks only work with real DOS. I've had Dynamix games choke on install from mounted folders and real floppies in DOSBox and through the NTVDM (XP's horrible DOS emulator). No problem in real DOS. I don't know if you are still capable of booting to pure DOS, but if you are, install the games and archive them while you still can.

how can you backup/burn an installed game??
Well, of course I know how to - but wouldn't the registry thingamabob be missing then?

We are talking about mostly DOS games here. No registry entries. Games recent enough to require system integration are most likely CD or DVD games, hence no need to back up. Floppies are fragile, transient entities that become unreadable with time, regardless of care. These are the ones that need to be archived to save them from oblivion.

On a side note, even newer games tend to have very few registry entries. Uninstall information and possibly copy protection driver info. The later is moot if you use a NO CD version of the main executable, which I always do. I have no moral qualms about it with a game that I legally purchased and when some of these schemes may damage my hardware. We are not talking about piracy, here. We are talking about protecting my property.