Friday, March 5, 2010

Backing Up "Stuff"

The new external hard drive ( Hp SimpleSave)  works just fine..it was a little dicey when I started to delete photo files from my computer..I went back to make sure they were still there several times. Far Guy said "be brave" .. there is no turning back once the recycle bin make that dumping sound.  Several files were to large to send there..so they are just deleted permanently.. "This file is too big for your recycle bin..are you sure you want to delete this folder and all it's contents?"    Big gulp.. but the good news is ..I gained back 50 percent of my available space..from 6 percent to 50 percent..that is a big increase..and I could have sent more files to the bin..but when I reached 50 percent..I called it good.  So that project was a success!!

Now I have a question..I have been backing up my photos to Cd's..how long do they last before they lose their integrity?  And where is the best place to store them? So far I just put mine in a photo storage boxes, that I keep in an armoire.  Technically..I shouldn't have to back up to Cd's anymore ..but I would better be safe than sorry..so I will continue.  More "stuff" for the kids to throw out when we are old and decrepit.

Today is the first day that there is even a hint of Spring in the air.   Snow is melting and we have puddles...by the end of the day we might even have some mud..whoohoo..I am sure it is just a little taste of spring....winter will rear its ugly head in a day or two:)

14 comments:

West Side of Straight said...

Glad your external hard drive works good. THink I should get one. Ain't this weather great!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Do you know you can save all your photos to Photobucket and retrieve them even if your computer crashes? I'm so glad ya got your "memory" back and the computer has some space again.

God bless and have a fantastic weekend, sweetie!!!

Rae said...

There is controversy about about how long CD's last. They are suppose to last 25 - 50 years, but a better guess in five years. By then everything will have changed anyway. The integrity should last as long as the CD's are not subjected to heat and humidity. It is important to store them in cases vertically rather than flat on top of one another. At least you have them double backed up now. You should be A-OK.

Chance looks puzzled sitting there like he is not sure whether to get wet or not. Piper got a bath today and he is feeling very indignant right now.

The Retired One said...

Yes, I have heard only 5 years for the CD's too...most people now are recommending downloading your files to an external site for retrieval in case you lose your computer or external hard drives.
I have some backed up on Picasa but I need to do more too.

Anonymous said...

I'm no help with memory/back-ups or cd's; sorry! I am thrilled that you got a small taste of spring today. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. That's a sweet photo of Chance.

Patsy said...

We have memory/back-up but don't know how it will work if I need it. Everything is just going in this little box they sold us.
Patsy

Gail said...

I tried Picasa and when I decided to delete Picasa, it even took the photos from my blog!

I need to delete many of mine but it so hard!

RURAL said...

The opposite sound of that crunching noise you described in the recycling bin, is just as bad.

As in when you are teaching your husband how to delete a ton of files, and he accidentally hits restore instead of delete.

That takes forever to fix.

So I suppose if I mention to you that they [who are these people anyways?] recommend that you back up a extra set of CD's and store them in your safety deposit box. In case of flood, or fire etc.

Gar is well schooled in the request of mine that if there is a fire, grab the external hard drive before almost anything else.

Keep yourself safe, and grab that external hard drive.

Don't worry about the wires, just grab the body. I even showed him how. LOL.

Jen

Emma Rose said...

I'm glad you got that thing figured out. My son gave me an external hard drive for Christmas 2 years ago. It was right after my internal one failed and I lost most of my stuff. I don't use it on a schedule, but I do use it every few months. When he built my new computer he told me I would never fill it up. I just checked, and he's probably right.

I read somewhere that you should have 3 copies of everything. That way you have a better chance that at least one of them will still work in the future.

We are supposed to get some snow next week. I'll believe it when I see it!!

LadyFi said...

Huray for external hard drives. ANd even more hurraying for some melting snow.

We had melting snow and a teeny tiny bit of warmth from the sun yesterday. This morning it's back down to minus 20 C!! Brrrr....

DJan said...

My Smart Guy is adamant that we have backups upon backups. We have three versions of everything important. My external hard drive backs up everything several times a day. Glad you are finally having a taste of spring!!!

Nancy said...

How sad that all the lovely photos everyone is taking with digital cameras will not be enjoyed by future generations because the technology that created them will have changed too much to view them.

Thus, the only "true" back-up for photos is to actually print them.

Jackie McGuinness said...

I lost a hard drive once and hadn't got backups, will never have that happen again. I back up to an external hard drive, several photo storage sites like snapfish, flickr and photobucket. Also pay to backup to Webshots. Was telling BH that maybe I should get another external hard drive just in case and he said I was being obsessive. AND then he usggested I use one of the other computers in the house as a backup as well.
I'm also a big fan of USB keys as you can always attach them to your key-ring plus they have dropped in price.
I have stopped using CDs.

Jackie

Pamela said...

I've been thinking about paying to have one of those on line back up systems cover me.