The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/Celcius_87 on 2025-02-21 16:20:49.

I’ve only been hoarding data for a few years and so far I have about 675GB which is over 100k files. I know many here have MUCH more data though, and as my data grows I’m thinking about protecting the data. I have multiple offline backups but next I want to learn more about preventing corruption.

I use windows 11 24H2 and currently just copy my data to external WD hdd’s using windows file explorer, no 3rd party apps. I have DDR5 non-ECC memory. So far I’ve never had one of my files later become corrupted in my entire life (at least, that I’m aware of).

How can I verify the integrity of all my files after every time I do a copy to backups? How long does verification normally take? Also, is there anything I can do to further prevent corruption in the first place in case restoring the original file may not be possible?

Is is possible to do this while staying on Windows or would you eventually have to switch to a different OS like ZFS? Is MacOS any better than Windows in this regard?

Any resources for learning more about file verification and preventing corruption? Thanks