Archive answers

No. RAID keeps you running when a disk fails, but deletions, corruption and ransomware affect every disk at once. Keep a separate backup on another device and one off-site. More in plan storage that lasts.

No. Consistent folder names and a backup come first. Plex, Jellyfin, Emby or Kodi only make an organised library easier to browse on a television. See order the movie shelf.

The oldest, most fragile and least replaceable items: usually analogue home video tapes such as VHS and Hi8, then unique prints and negatives. See preserve family footage.

Keep three copies of anything important, on at least two different types of storage, with one copy away from your home. It protects against drive failure, mistakes and local disasters.

Not on its own. Sync mirrors changes, including deletions, across every device. Export originals into your archive regularly and protect them with a backup that keeps previous versions.

Both. Use shallow date-based folders for structure, then store people, places and occasions as keywords inside the files (IPTC or XMP) so they survive a change of software. See sort the photo years.

Keep a high-quality master, such as lossless FFV1 in an MKV container or the original DV stream, plus an MP4 H.264 viewing copy for sharing and streaming.

Restore a random file from each backup at least twice a year, review drive health reports each season, and rotate any off-site drive on a regular schedule.

Yes, where space allows. Originals can be re-digitised later with better equipment and act as a final fallback. Store them upright, labelled, somewhere cool and dry.