Backing up digital photos

[TKO_PUNCH]

Hi all,

I have a lot of digital pictures on my computer and was wondering how I should store (backup) them somewhere else. I have tried to use NERO but everytime I want to add pictures to the CD there seems to be a lot of errors and then I cannot use that CD again. Is there a way I can keep adding pictures to a cd or should I buy an external hard drive to save my pictures to. I'm afraid of loosing my pictures and want a good way to save them for a lifetime without having to print them all.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[mmeyer]

Hey TKO,

Everyone does this different but here's the way I do it. I store all of my images on an external hard drive then at the end of the month I put them on DVDrom. If I was a pro or have a lot of family photos then I might do it more often, but none of my images are that important at this point that I need to worry about it. Once a month is fine for me.

CDs don't give you much storage compared to DVDs. If you want to keep adding them to a CD/DVD as you go, you CD RW or DVD RW.

Just my way and I'm sure that'll change as I go along.

Good Luck

[DTro]

I would suggest checking out Carbonite.

This in an online storage with unlimited storage (I'm guessing there must be some sort of disclamer there). It's $50 per year.

Basically upon signup it will upload everything on your HardDrive. After that, in the background will upload any new data as it is added. Next to each folder will be a small graphic ensuring you that the file has been backed up.

I've read some real good reviews, and have been planning on trying it out.

[Dbl]

Excellent advice from both dtro and mmeyer. Many people forget about on line or off site backup it is one of the better ways to insure photos will not be lost. I will have to take a look at that service as well dtro I do know there are a few others for photos only.

I have a separate hard drive in my computer that only has photos on it. I also have two external drives for photos only. In addition as soon as I add photos to my computer they are backed up onto a DVD. A DVD holds 4.7gig of data a CD only 750mb of data. You don't have to use DVD-RW/CD-RW disks for that, most any program for DVD/CD writing allows files to be added later. If you are having issues with Nero I would check to make sure the box is checked within the program that "allows files to be added latter", it should not work the way you are describing. You should be able to add until the disk is full.

In addition to that my galleries are also through an on line service which is another backup. Call it overkill? A crash of a computer could be the same as having a fire in your house with photo albums. External hard drives and DVDs are very cheap these days when you think about what could happen with computer failure.

[MN Shutterbug]

One more idea is a flash drive. I just purchased a 4 gig usb flash memory drive that just pops into your usb port. You can then use it like another hard drive. They are incredibly small and quite fast. This 4 gig should hold over 1000 high res jpegs.

[TKO_PUNCH]

Thanks for all the advice. When using dvd's, do I purchase a dvd-r or rw? Should I continue to use NERO? If I do, do I make a data dvd?

I think the problem I was have with cd's is amount of storage.

Is purchasing an external hard drive the way to go if I don't use online storage? If using online storage, can I delete pictures from my hard drive?

Sorry about all the questions, I just want to make my pictures safe.

[Dbl]

Answers,

-Just purchase DVD-R no need for re-writable.

-I would continue to use Nero, it is what you have and it works good, as mentioned before just make sure you check the box that allows you to add files later.

-Yes you are making a data DVD.

-Yes an external hard drive is a perfect way to go! With the price of hard drive storage as cheap as it is you could easily buy around a 320gig hard drive for less than $100. I would get one that uses external power, you have to turn it on with a switch. I only run my external drives when I am backing up to them, otherwise they are just powered off and sitting there.

-With on line storage I believe you are asking if you can delete them from your hard drive? I believe multiple back ups are better but that is up to you. What if you want to print a photo from last month, if it is only on line you now must go on line find the photo, re-download it to your computer and then print. If it is on your drive, just find and print. Up to you.

It is a darn good thing to be thinking about how you want to protect your photos, more people probably should.

[Steve Foss]

I back up the day's files immediately after sorting and labeling, putting the folders on one of two supplemental hard drives, a 280 Gb and 320 Gb. Then I back them up on CD.

DTRO, I've also heard good things about carbonite, and will be checking them out.

[TKO_PUNCH]

Thanks for all the info Dan. I appreciate taking time to educate a novice. This site is the best! I believe I will be purchasing an external hard drive.

[MN Shutterbug]

Even with online storage, I'd definitely keep them on my hard drive, also. What if their system crashes and they lose it all? What if a legal problem arises and they have to shut down their site? What if they decide to increase their rates to $300 per year? In this high tech world we live in, there are a lot of ifs to consider. It's always best to be prepared for the worst. That's why I copy my best photos to CD's and my flash drive and still keep them on my hard drive. If I took the numbers of photos like Steve and a few others do, I'd opt for the external hard drive. For now, my usb flash drive serves me well. It's also very portable for on site backup from my laptop.

[Steve Foss]

Mike, I have a flash drive as well, and my most frequent use is to load images from my computer on it and transfer them to my wife's computer when she's designing promotional materials or re-doing the Web site. They are mighty handy.

[mmeyer]

One thing to think about when getting an external hard drive is speed. I bought one recently and went with a 7200 rpm unit over the 5400 I think. I didn't get as much capacity (250 GB) but my photos load faster and they come off my card faster also. Just a thought.

Dan, I didn't know you could add files later to a DVD-R. Do you have to be using Nero or something similar to do that? I normally just copy and paste them.

Thanks

Mike

[WifeKidsandDog]

I have a couple of external hard drives -- the really important photos I keep on both as well as on my PC just in case. I just keep the RAW files though unless it's a file I did a lot of work on preparing to print.

[Dbl]

 Originally Posted By: mmeyer

Dan, I didn't know you could add files later to a DVD-R. Do you have to be using Nero or something similar to do that? I normally just copy and paste them.

Mike

Yep, just record using multisession mode or whatever your program uses. I've used quite a few programs and they ALL have supported multisession recording.

[Moose]

Mike,

Roxio also lets you continue loading on a disk if there is still room. After the pics are done loading it brings up a box asking if you want to end this disk. Just click no and you can continue using the same disk at a later time.

[JohnK]

I don't trust online storage as the only backup, to many of them have gone under with little or no notice over the years - I wouldn't want to wake up one day and find out my backup was gone.

I download the photos from the camera to my laptop for organizing and culling the ones to delete. Then backup to a desktop, and my wifes desktop. About once a month I backup to an external hard drive that is almost never on or even plugged in except when backing up the photos, and once a year burn a couple copies to DVD one to keep and one for my parents to keep (offsite backup).

Even with copies on DVD you'll want to re-copy them every couple of years, especially if you use cheap DVDs. The cheapest DVDs can start to have read errors in just a couple of years, just the thing you don't want in your backup.

Overkill but this gives me multiple redundant backups so I never lose an image, and gives my wife a local archive she can use for scrapbooking or whatever.

Drive space is cheap and getting cheaper by the day, you can get an 80gig external drive for $70 and 500gig for $150 or less from Frys, redundant backups are cheap insurance for photos that can't be replaced.