SOLVED: How ot back up data of varying sizes to multipe non-linked DVDs with efficiency

SOLVED:
Back up data by efficiently filling multiple DVDs as individual disks
http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

Strategy:
a. Back up large data to multiple individual non-sequential DVDs
b. As efficiently as possible (i.e., by filling up each of the DVDs)
c. Without needing proprietary stitching software for use in a decade

Tactic:
A. Create one 4,482,269KB encrypted container file (password = spacekey)
B. Copy that DVD-sized container file as many times as you like
C. Mount those container files as Removable Disk Drives using Veracrypt

Steps:
1. Run Veracrypt (or Truecrypt) & create a 4,482,269KB container file
2. The password (unfortunately) must exist, but it will take 1 character
3. Choose "Large File" if you wish NTFS instead of FAT32 format containers
4. Once you have one empty 4,482,269KB container file, copy it as needed
5. Mount as many of the DVD-sized container files as you think you need
6. Copy as many files as will fit in the container & burn to DVD

http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

NOTE: If you wish to keep the encryption on the resulting DVD, you can
simply unmount the removable disk & burn the filled container file;
otherwise burn the contents of the removable disk to DVD media.

What we don't want, for this method, is any forced connection between the
DVDs, as that makes recovery in a decade problematic. The inherent beauty
of this method is that you never have to /calculate/ or back out data, as
you only put into the container as much as will fit on a single-sided DVD.

ultred ragnusen wrote:

SOLVED:

You know, putting "SOLVED" in the subject like that suggests that you're
solving someone's problem. Stop doing that, and instead just say what you've
done.

--
- The enemy of my enemy is my ally.
- They aren't enemies.
- The friend of my enemy is an unwitting dupe.

Auric__ wrote:

You know, putting "SOLVED" in the subject like that suggests that you're
solving someone's problem. Stop doing that, and instead just say what you've
done.

Hmmm.... I'm on a lot of Linux forums, where you change the title to
"SOLVED" when the original problem is solved, which is it, in this case.

But I can remove that the next time I post a tribal-knowledge solution if
it bothers you. I have no problem with that.

The main point is that this method works under the specific circumstances
of making it easier to back up to multiple DVDs without ever having to
calculate the file and folder sizes, and where the end result isn't
beholden to any archival method, particularly one that cares about the
sequence order of the DVDs themselves.

What I found by help from others is the container size (of 4,482,269KB)
and the fact that you can create just one container, as a template, and
copy it as many times as you like.

In practice, you'll likely copy it only a few times because once you burn
the data to a DVD, you can clean out the container file and re-use it.

In my case, I didn't want the inherent encryption that comes with the
process, but others might want their DVDs to be encrypted, in which case
they can skip a step and just burn the container file to the DVD.

Of course, burning the encrypted container file (instead of burning the
cleartext mounted removable drive) brings the risk that the encryption tool
has to be available ten or twenty years from now when you want to access
the data, so I prefer to burn the data in cleartext.

Of course, there are other ways to create DVD-size-limited folders on
Windows, but I've tried a few of them, and they're a pain compared to this
method, which is almost trivial to implement.

The reason for posting the solution is to add to the tribal knowledge of
the group, and for the group to add additional value, if possible.

ultred ragnusen wrote:

SOLVED:
Back up data by efficiently filling multiple DVDs as individual disks
http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

Strategy:
a. Back up large data to multiple individual non-sequential DVDs
b. As efficiently as possible (i.e., by filling up each of the DVDs)
c. Without needing proprietary stitching software for use in a decade

Tactic:
A. Create one 4,482,269KB encrypted container file (password = spacekey)
B. Copy that DVD-sized container file as many times as you like
C. Mount those container files as Removable Disk Drives using Veracrypt

Steps:
1. Run Veracrypt (or Truecrypt) & create a 4,482,269KB container file
2. The password (unfortunately) must exist, but it will take 1 character
3. Choose "Large File" if you wish NTFS instead of FAT32 format containers
4. Once you have one empty 4,482,269KB container file, copy it as needed
5. Mount as many of the DVD-sized container files as you think you need
6. Copy as many files as will fit in the container & burn to DVD

http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

NOTE: If you wish to keep the encryption on the resulting DVD, you can
simply unmount the removable disk & burn the filled container file;
otherwise burn the contents of the removable disk to DVD media.

What we don't want, for this method, is any forced connection between the
DVDs, as that makes recovery in a decade problematic. The inherent beauty
of this method is that you never have to /calculate/ or back out data, as
you only put into the container as much as will fit on a single-sided DVD.

"Solved:" is the wrong prefix. Use "Announce:" or "Ann:" to declare an
announcement!

Since you did not attribute someone's original thread (by replying to
it), you did not solve anyone's problem. You made an announcement.

On Sun, 4 Mar 2018 03:52:13 -0600, VanguardLH wrote:

"Solved:" is the wrong prefix. Use "Announce:" or "Ann:" to
declare an announcement!

Since you did not attribute someone's original thread (by
replying to it), you did not solve anyone's problem. You made an
announcement.

Yes, "Hey look at me, I'm a clever boy" might be more appropriate!

On Sat, 03 Mar 2018 19:03:46 -0800, ultred ragnusen wrote:

SOLVED:
Back up data by efficiently filling multiple DVDs as individual disks
http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

Strategy:
a. Back up large data to multiple individual non-sequential DVDs b. As
efficiently as possible (i.e., by filling up each of the DVDs)
c. Without needing proprietary stitching software for use in a decade

Tactic:
A. Create one 4,482,269KB encrypted container file (password = spacekey)
B. Copy that DVD-sized container file as many times as you like C. Mount
those container files as Removable Disk Drives using Veracrypt

Steps:
1. Run Veracrypt (or Truecrypt) & create a 4,482,269KB container file 2.
The password (unfortunately) must exist, but it will take 1 character 3.
Choose "Large File" if you wish NTFS instead of FAT32 format containers
4. Once you have one empty 4,482,269KB container file, copy it as needed
5. Mount as many of the DVD-sized container files as you think you need
6. Copy as many files as will fit in the container & burn to DVD

http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

NOTE: If you wish to keep the encryption on the resulting DVD, you can
simply unmount the removable disk & burn the filled container file;
otherwise burn the contents of the removable disk to DVD media.

What we don't want, for this method, is any forced connection between
the DVDs, as that makes recovery in a decade problematic. The inherent
beauty of this method is that you never have to /calculate/ or back out
data, as you only put into the container as much as will fit on a
single-sided DVD.

That sounds like a wonderful suggestion. So for all you people using
multiple DVD's to back up your data, you have something you can use.
Personally, I plug my not too expensive external usb drive into a usb
port, and run the backup without interruption.

mechanic wrote:

Yes, "Hey look at me, I'm a clever boy" might be more appropriate!

WTF?

Think about that statement, and then think about your own motives for
making that statement, in the context of the fact that I'm completely
anonymous (in that /all/ my headers are fabricated).

Think about that.

Think about /your/ motive (aka, your own internal emotions), for saying
what you just said, in light of the fact that I have, anonymously,
contributed to the ADDED VALUE of the tribal knowledge of Usenet for
DECADES, all anonymously.

Whom do you think /created/ the tinyurl archives of this ng in the first
place, for example? Did you? (HINT: I know the answer to that question.)

Despite /your/ emotional problems, my motives are pure.
A. The question is extremely common of how to limit folder size on Windows
B. Almost all the answers on the net are far more complex than this one
C. You'd be hard pressed to find /this answer/ on the net.

Hence, I posit, despite /your/ emotional problems, that the archives will
show a future user how better to limit folder size on Windows (with the
addition of symlinks, which I didn't put in the answer because it was
specific to DVD but symlinks make it general to Windows).

You can continue to needlessly pollute this thread with /your/ emotional
hangups, but I'm going to stick to the facts, and add to the overall tribal
knowledge of this newgroup, as I have done for decades, anonymously.

VanguardLH wrote:

Since you did not attribute someone's original thread (by replying to
it), you did not solve anyone's problem. You made an announcement.

Maybe I should have called it a PSA?

I think the solution is akin to (but different from) for example, this one:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2435/...es_fit_cd_dvd/

Given it's a common question that has no good answers (IMHO) until now, I'm
surprised about the objection to the title, but your objection is fair
enough that there was no attribute to a specifically stated problem in the
OP, where we all know the question is extremely common of how best to limit
the size of a folder on Windows.

Unfortunately, I don't know of Windows 10 or Windows 7 archives on Google
Groups for which to belatedly point to those references for you, where I
can easily find a related question on alt.backup-software
https://tinyurl.com/alt-backup-software

For example.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.backup-software/RxOFnzuhuCo/HaNEhULnDH4J;context-place=searchin/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/windows$20virtual$20disk|sort:date

Or in alt.comp.freeware
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!fo....comp.freeware

For example:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...re/aGNMMOe_ycg[26-50]
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!ms....comp.freeware
etc

Googling outside of Usenet for the common question of limiting the size of
a Windows folder, the most common answers are legendary, but the search
results come with what I consdier the wrong answer, given that they never
include the far easier method shown in this thread as a PSA.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=limit+size...ders+dvd+sized

For example:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...er-500221.html

Bearing in mind that it's trivial to symlink the removable drive to a
Winodws folder, you'll note that /all/ the answers for how to limit the
size of a Windows folder are /far/ more complex than this method I hit upon
independently.

For example:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...a-78c137775bf0
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/26...le-size-folder
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/...ws-environment
https://social.technet.microsoft.com...winserverfiles

Given that the question of limiting Windows folder sizes is a common
question that has horridly complex answers all over the net, I thought it
would be useful to put into the tribal knowledge archives this simple
solution.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+lim...ws+folder+size

Notice how horridly complex and hard-to-change /all/ those answers are,
compared to the trivially simple method shown in this now-archived PSA.

This method:
a. Works == that's most important!
b. Is the easiest method ever proposed === that's very important!
c. Is easy to resize === all the other methods are not easy to resize
d. Is free == to be expected of any tribal solution for general use
e. Has encryption == a bonus or a flaw, depending on your needs
f. Is generally unknown == just look at the horrid answers on the net!
g. Requires either Truecrypt or Veracrypt == that's a flaw
h. Limited to a maximum of 26 - default (alphabetical) size-limited folders

The suggested methods for size-limited folders on Windows include
- NTFS disk quotas (try it if you love complexity that doesn't work)
- File Server Resource Manager Quotas (similar if not exactly the above)
- Partitions (just try to resize them if you want to see the difference)
- Virtual Hard Disks (compare the ease of .vhd method to this one!)
- Other tools (e.g., Truecrypt, WinRar, VirtualBox, VMToolKit, etc.)
- (what else?)

Here are some links to proposed solutions to this common problem:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/que...-a-folder.html

Virtual Hard Disk:
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/5291...-in-windows-7/
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!ms...0/8G1DYaM2l5QJ

WinRar:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2435/...es_fit_cd_dvd/

Hence, I posit, with the addition of a symlink (mklink, ntfs junctions),
there is no easier method of limiting folder size on Windows that /anyone/
has ever come up with other than this simple method.

--
See also mklink & junctions
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/pre...4%28v=ws.10%29
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sys...loads/junction

ultred ragnusen wrote:

Limited to a maximum of 26

If you mount them to a folder, rather than assigning a drive letter, you
can have more than 26 volumes.

Andy Burns wrote:

Limited to a maximum of 26

If you mount them to a folder, rather than assigning a drive letter, you
can have more than 26 volumes.

I think your helpful suggestion is great as it allows anyone to have any
number of size-limited folders in Windows, but I don't understand your
suggestion (yet) in that I don't know how to "mount" the encrypted
container to a folder.

That same question, for example, was asked he
https://community.spiceworks.com/top...er-as-a-folder

But Truecrypt (BoxCrypt, Veracrypt, VHD, etc.) all mount to a /drive/
first, and only after that, can we link to a folder (AFAIK).

I'd be happy to be wrong, where we all know is how to mount one of the 26
possible existing removable disks to a folder:
a. At an elevated command prompt, given removable disk Z:, run this:
b. mklink /d folder01 Z:
x, That will report: "symbolic link created for folder01 === Z:"
But that method still is limited to 26 concurrent drive letters, is it not?

Likewise, we all know how to mount a partition to a folder:
1. Run the Windows 10 Disk Management Tool:
Start Run diskmgmt.msc
2. Create a 4.3GB disk partition (also known as a volume it seems):
Right click in unallocated space & select "Create Simple Volume"
Follow the wizard to completion (assume you created drive Z
3. Symlink that new desktop folder to that newly created partition Z:
mklink /d C:\ForBurning\Disc01 Z:
But that method also is limited to 26 concurrent drive letters, I think.

There are some people who size-limit a single special folder, which is easy
to do if that single folder is the Recycle Bin, but that limits us to 1
size-limited folder.
http://i.imgur.com/iwJTfh7.png

This suggests other tricks to size limit any number of folders on Windows,
one of which is to 3rd-party software named "Veritas Storage Exec"
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/.../cc938945.aspx

But I don't yet know what you're suggesting, such that we can overcome the
26-drive limit when limiting the size of Windows folders.
https://www.howtogeek.com/98195/how-...ur-windows-pc/

It would be great to mount an encrypted file container (bitlocker,
truecrypt, veracrypt, etc.) as a folder if that overcomes the 26-drive
limit of Windows. But I don't see how, yet, to mount them as a folder.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...=vs.85%29.aspx

Can you kindly expound on how we can do what you suggest, which would be
useful to overcome the 26 numerical limit when creating size-limited
folders on Windows?

In article ,
says...

SOLVED:
Back up data by efficiently filling multiple DVDs as individual disks
http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

Strategy:
a. Back up large data to multiple individual non-sequential DVDs
b. As efficiently as possible (i.e., by filling up each of the DVDs)
c. Without needing proprietary stitching software for use in a decade

Tactic:
A. Create one 4,482,269KB encrypted container file (password = spacekey)
B. Copy that DVD-sized container file as many times as you like
C. Mount those container files as Removable Disk Drives using Veracrypt

Steps:
1. Run Veracrypt (or Truecrypt) & create a 4,482,269KB container file
2. The password (unfortunately) must exist, but it will take 1 character
3. Choose "Large File" if you wish NTFS instead of FAT32 format containers
4. Once you have one empty 4,482,269KB container file, copy it as needed
5. Mount as many of the DVD-sized container files as you think you need
6. Copy as many files as will fit in the container & burn to DVD

http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

NOTE: If you wish to keep the encryption on the resulting DVD, you can
simply unmount the removable disk & burn the filled container file;
otherwise burn the contents of the removable disk to DVD media.

What we don't want, for this method, is any forced connection between the
DVDs, as that makes recovery in a decade problematic. The inherent beauty
of this method is that you never have to /calculate/ or back out data, as
you only put into the container as much as will fit on a single-sided DVD.

I simply have a folder and copy what I intend to burn into that folder.
When the folder reaches over 4Gb I burn the max amount I can fit onto a
dvd using Nero. I select the inidividual files to max out disk as best
as possible but what's left over just gets burned onto next dvd etc.
I'll often have 3-4 dvds of stuff I burn one after the other using this
method. DVD's then get stored in cases someplace safe.

The little bit of wasted space doesn't amount to enough for me to bother
trying to use a disk to it's maximum. I don't mind a couple 100 Mbs
unused with the cost of disks so cheap, e.g. $0.30. I see it same as
burning a movie dvd. Most movies are approx 2hrs max yet disk holds 3
hrs so always wasted space on movie disks. I do try to put two 1 1/2 hr
movies onto one disk but even then there's always some wasted space.

Yes - same as you. I dislike needing 3rd party software to break apart
larger then 4.5Gb files so you can burn them. I try and keep some dual-
layer disks just for these and have seldom had to resort to any file
splitting software.

On Sat, 3 Mar 2018 19:03:46 -0800, ultred ragnusen
wrote:

SOLVED:
Back up data by efficiently filling multiple DVDs as individual disks
http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

Strategy:
a. Back up large data to multiple individual non-sequential DVDs
b. As efficiently as possible (i.e., by filling up each of the DVDs)
c. Without needing proprietary stitching software for use in a decade

Tactic:
A. Create one 4,482,269KB encrypted container file (password = spacekey)
B. Copy that DVD-sized container file as many times as you like
C. Mount those container files as Removable Disk Drives using Veracrypt

Steps:
1. Run Veracrypt (or Truecrypt) & create a 4,482,269KB container file
2. The password (unfortunately) must exist, but it will take 1 character
3. Choose "Large File" if you wish NTFS instead of FAT32 format containers
4. Once you have one empty 4,482,269KB container file, copy it as needed
5. Mount as many of the DVD-sized container files as you think you need
6. Copy as many files as will fit in the container & burn to DVD

http://wetakepic.com/images/2018/03/...sized_dirs.jpg

NOTE: If you wish to keep the encryption on the resulting DVD, you can
simply unmount the removable disk & burn the filled container file;
otherwise burn the contents of the removable disk to DVD media.

What we don't want, for this method, is any forced connection between the
DVDs, as that makes recovery in a decade problematic. The inherent beauty
of this method is that you never have to /calculate/ or back out data, as
you only put into the container as much as will fit on a single-sided DVD.

Pardon me for quoting 30+ lines of text to ask this question, but I need
it in order to make a point. You stated that one of your objectives was
KISS. When did that objective fly out the window?

On Sun, 4 Mar 2018 10:10:38 -0800, ultred ragnusen
wrote:

Message-ID:
The question is extremely common of how to limit folder size on Windows

Given it's a common question [snip]

we all know the question is extremely common of how best to limit
the size of a folder on Windows. [snip]

Googling outside of Usenet for the common question of limiting the size of
a Windows folder [snip]

Given that the question of limiting Windows folder sizes is a common
question [snip]


I'm starting to get the feeling that limiting folder size on Windows is
a common question. At least that's what I'm hearing.

Can't see original post so no attribution.

There are a number of freeware file sizing programmes to fit various media
types, eg

CD/DVD/BR Compiler - http://www.kifoth.de/jane/misc/
Disc Archiver - http://www.broadexsystems.com/
Ignition - http://www.kcsoftwares.com/index.php?ignition
SizeMe (floppy,zip,cd/dvd) - http://lars.werner.no/?page_id=2
The New Fileorder (tnfo4en) - http://www.wild-zone.de/service-downloads.php

--
Regards
wasbit

Char Jackson wrote:

I'm starting to get the feeling that limiting folder size on Windows is
a common question. At least that's what I'm hearing.

Yup. It's a common a question, as witnessed by these results (none of which
portray the simple solution proposed in this thread).

https://epicsearch.in/search?pno=1&q...ize+on+windows
https://bing.com/search?q=how+to+lim...ize+on+windows
https://google.com/search?q=how+to+l...ize+on+Windows
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+lim...ize+on+windows

The only unknown at the moment is how to implement Andy Burns' suggestion
of mounting the container file to a folder instead of mounting the
container file to an alphabetical drive letter (and then symlinking to a
folder).