>A client in the resources industry recently asked for a database system that would need to be still running in 30 years time.
>
>My record is only 16 years - that is to say when an old client handed me some 1990 FoxPlus backup diskettes last year I could say I had the same tables STILL RUNNING ON MY LAPTOP (well the son of the son of the son of the son of the original laptop).
>
>But seriously, what backup strategies might be employed today (if any!) to have a VFP database or its data still running in 2036?
>
>John Burton

John, I think you need to break the problem down into 5 or 10 year steps. What backup strategy will last 5 years. Then in 5 years be prepared to convert to another format and re-convert and re-backup for the next 5.

And it's not just the format of the backup but also the medium. I remember I had saved some DOS apps to 5.25" diskettes. Amazingly one day I needed some math calculation code from one of those apps. No problem as I had the diskettes safely stored. But no 5.25" diskette drive! It took me scavenging around second hand shops to finally locate a 5.25" diskette drive that actually worked and an old PC to run it on.