BACKUP - a resolution

[LindaBelle]

Here's a challenge that fits right in with all those New Year's resolutions.

Backup your digital scrapbook files, photos, layouts, and anything that you don't want to lose!!

Having had a computer crash a few months ago, I'm a little skittish about losing things and don't want that to happen again, or to any one of us.

So....post here that you've accomplished your backups. Let us know what you've done and include any helpful hints or questions.

I'll start by saying that I've backed up all my zipped digital scrapbook files to DVD. For such a newbie, I'd already amassed 204 files! Then I burned all my completed layouts to another DVD (in photoshop layers form). Then I copied all my digital photos onto DVD's. I've only had my digital camera a short while, but I plan to keep doing this. And finally, backed up the whole computer onto an external hard drive using a new software program I'd just bought a couple of days ago called "BackUp MyPC". (that's the one thing I'm not sure about...I just hope I did it correctly)

Now maybe I'm ready to start the new year....
Anyone else...have you done your backups???? How are you protecting your data?

[Amanda]

Great Resolution!

On Monday, Dec 19th my hard drive crashed. Luckily - with much praying I got it back up and running - but crashed again on Wednesday. But do you know what? It wasn't a big deal!!!! Because I back up so frequently I only lost a couple of days worth of emails. Of course it was a big headache - but not as much as it could have been!

I backup to an external with a program called Bounceback Express.

I back up that external to another external :)

[Lauren]

Yes a GREAT resolution - I have backed up all my photos to cd- and do so every week -
Backing up my creations tho is a more difficult proposition - to save to cd would take hundreds - Luckily most of my work is also held by DSP so in effect is backed up but I would like an easier to access solution so I think I need to go and buy myself another hard drive to use just as a back up drive - I already run an external for my scrapbooking work but perhaps a spare one just to be used as back up would be a good option. Either that or buy a dvd writer !!

[Ann Maree]

Having been burnt badly once by a computer failure - cannot stress enough how important this is!!!! How often should you back up? - you should back up as often as what you dont want to loose For some this may be every week or every day!!!!! DONT GET CAUGHT!!!!

[LokiZ]

Before burners I was backing up my files on zip disk, back when everything was done on smaller scales. I still get a kick out of going back through older backups they are like digital time capsules for me and some of the stuff that is less important still gives me a smile when I come across them.

Software, data, address files, favorite links, info needed for setting up your PC after crashes such as internet settings and email settings. Lots of things to rememeber to backup...

Some things you need to back up, you may not be able to come up with on your own so ask a friendly neighborhood geek about what you might be overlooking.

I suggest starting a list of anything you use and asking yourself can I get that back if I wipe my drive or it crashes.

[Amanda]

The software I uses backs up my entire system. When I crashed I reinstalled everything in my documents and settings (kept all my favorites, etc.) and then I keep list of all the programs I use. Very helpful!

[Kristen]

Great challenge! I've got part one finished - multiple backups of all my photos, including one that'll restore all my tags and sorting in Photoshop Album. Now, to get one copy over to Mom's...

I'm fairly caught up with my downloads/kits backup. Now to get my layouts backed up.

I have "external hard drive" on my shopping list, too (right after "chocolate" and just before "more chocolate"<g>)

[valeri]

awesome resolution!! I was a little behind, but now I am good to go! :) Thanks for the reminder! lol

[cropper127]

I am doing this right now as we speak (or as I type). My hubby got me an external HD for christmas. I have been working on cleaning up my computer first and today I finally plugged it in. I has been running for about 5 or more hrs.. is it ever going to stop???

I am only backing up documents, not programs.. so I hope all works.

Great resolution!!

Michele

[Starling]

So far I've backed up all photos and layouts. I've also created 2 Archive copies (separate from the backups) and removed all of the old layouts from my computer making room for new layouts. :) I still need to do a more general backup -- genealogy files and the Christmas database for example.

I try to back up once a month and keep the archives going as well. I have mirrored drives, so if one goes any computer guru can get me into the second one. I've had hard drives fail and I've had a computer stolen. Once burned...

[dkapp12]

I used to be able to back up all my digital photos for the year on one CD - can you imagine!

[Debb Cozzi]

I so want to encourage everyone to do this. I lost my hard drive in November, the data was not recoverable. I had backed up all my photos and most of my financial data, but I had not backed up any of my layouts...a whole year's worth of work gone! (I can't tell you how poignant it is to look at my gallery :( ) Anyway, I now have an external hard drive that automatically backs up everything once a week. I think, like Amanda though, when the budget allows I'm going to get a second external hard drive to back up the first. In the meantime I'm burning cd's whenever I download photos or complete a layout.

[txmusicmom]

I Anyway, I now have an external hard drive that automatically backs up everything once a week. .

How does it do it automatically--Is there something I can do?

Thanks!
Donna

[MandyNI0]

Well my hun bought me a 160gb external hard drive for Christmas .... does he know his lady well or does he know his lady well lol.

So I have backed up all my pictures and scrapbooking stuff on it already but now I basically want to back up my entire system on to it and delete a lot of it from my PC's hard drive in order to keep it running quickly etc.

Haven't looked yet but will XP or McAfee or something that I already have back up one a week or so from the systems task folder?

I'm just pretty happy knowing my pics and digi s/book stuff is safe.

[boobearsmama1]

I backed up all of my scrapbook stuff last night. I am thankful for DVD writers because I was able to save everything to 3 DVD's. That is pretty good. It would have taken way too many cdr's to back up these mega files, lol. I also did all of my photos a few days ago to some dvd cd's. I am going to try this week to do all of my fonts and maybe some graphics I used to make for a message board I was on. This is a great idea.

[Amanda]

With my external (its a Seagate) there is a button i push and it backs the whole thing up. If its been more than a week since a backup i get a pop-up once a day telling me how long its been and asks me if I want to back up now. I think I can set it to automatically do it as often as I want - but I usually just hit the button before i go to bed at night.

[diamondlovr]

When my second daughter was born we took alot of pictures(of course). Other family members didn't take any of her in the hospital. They were all taken by me or my husband. My darling husband decided to do a systems restore when the computer just froze up (which it had done many times before this). Anyway, all the pictures were lost.:( I don't blame him for taking matters into his own hands out of frustration, but even now when I think of the memories lost I cry. The tender moments of her so new and pink:) are now just a memory. Beleive me I backup now all the time!!!!! I cannot stress this enough!!

[Amanda]

Oh dear! I'm so sorry to hear that!

I lost my son's birthday photos when my cd burning went awry - i'm sooooo much more careful now and back up to external.

Even CDs I burned 2 years aga have already gone bad!

[Whisper Pink]

May I ask a stupid question...is there ever a chat on this subject...as to how to do it and all...I have been putting everything to CD...but maybe I could do it easier...any suggestions? I thought I had lost everything yesterday, Jan 1, not to mention my memory is sooooooo low, so I am getting really worried with loosing everything...so Help Please!!!!

[Amanda]

We haven't had any chats on it in a while - but there is a lot of information here in the forums about backing up. I highly suggest external hard drives. They are soooooo easy! I think so much easier than cds. Yes - CDs are cheap - but they go BAD! Externals can have problems too, but it is less likely - especially if you have 2 externals and backup your backup. Externals have really come down in price as well. With my software it backs up everything that is new or changed every time I hit the button - so i never worry about if I forgot to back up something. It does the work for me.
With CDs you have to keep track of everything that is on it - create thumbnail sheets, etc. With an external you just hook it up and view it like you do your regular hard drive.

[Abby]

Just one little tiny word of caution about external hard drives - they can go bad too (rarely, thank goodness) .. they can also be knocked off their perch on table or shelf, have their wires broken, etc. Everyone has a horrid story about their experiences - we can only do the best we can do and pray a lot. I know people who have external hard drives, burn to CDs and also DVDs and keep them in bank vaults, etc. - seems excessive, but if it makes them comfortable at night, so much the better.

[Amanda]

Oh yes! Definitely - and that is why I backup by backup to another external. I've never had my hard drive go bad - but I've broken the casing a couple of times when transporting and had to get new casings. :)

[emdonovan]

Oh boy - you guys are scaring me. I need to get on this! I have my pictures backed up on CDs, but I didn't even know what an external drive was. Now I think I need one! Thanks for lighting a fire under me.

[jfricker]

I have some questions about an External Hardrive:

Is one better than the other. What should we be looking for?
Does it plug in to a USB port. Is it something I can set up myself,
or will I need my computer man to do it. (I do not know much about the
mechanics of a computer)
Approximately how much do they cost. I found some online for $79 after a $50 rebate. Do I need more than 1?

I would appreciate any advice you all can give.

I have another harddrive in computer that was left there after I

TIA

[Amanda]

Seagate and Maxtor and the best brands.
You can get them to plug in by USB or Firewire. Firewire is faster than USB - but not every computer has firewire ports. They are easy to install if you want to do that.
You should be able to set up the hard drive yourself. You just plug it in and if you have XP it will show up as a new drive in your system.
Don't pay more then $1/gig but they have really come down a lot in price lately - so shouldn't even have to pay that much.
I can't tell you if the $79 is a good deal - I need to know how big it is. More than 1 is up to you. Depends on how you want to back up.

[emdonovan]

Amanda - you are obviously an expert on this. After I read this thread last night, I did a little internet searching on external drives. I was under the impression they were used for storage, in order to free up more space on my laptop. But if I understand your posts, you are not using yours simply for more storage of photos, kits and lo's, right? You use yours to back up programs, etc - everything on your C-drive. Do I have that right?

[hummingbird]

You can use an external hard drive just like you would a CD. Only the external is much easier and bigger as far as storage goes. I have an external for all the web pages I have posted to DSP, and that's a lot of lo. And I still have space available on it and it's just a 1 gb. You could get small externals for different subjects if you really have a lot of stuff. I bought mine a year ago and it was only $49.00. But like Amanda said the prices have changed. One thing really nice about an external is that you can disconnect it to your computer and take it with you to someone's house and plug into their computer to share your photos with them.

[Amanda]

You can use your external for whatever you want. Yes, I backup my entire hard drive to, which in turn makes a copy of all my layouts and photos. Then I am free to delete them off my hard drive freeing up space. I also backup this hard drive to another hard drive :)

[lauraloub]

As of Dec 28 all of my layouts, elements, and photos were on DVDs. Now I have them all with me in Florida to use on my laptop. I have the most important on the laptop, and the rest ready to use from the diskdrive.

A portable hard drive would have been easier, but I bought one last year that worked only a few days. No one was ever able to recover the data nor fix it so it would work again. I don't think I want to waste money again.

[Marriedin79]

DH bought an internal hard drive but then got a case for it to transform it into an external. The two parts were quite a bit less expensive than an external of the same size would have been. Here are his comments:

The process is relatively simple. Go out and buy the size hard drive you wish to purchase. The size size can range from 20 GB ($40) to 500 GB ($320) from TigerDirect (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_hdd.asp). The case for it costs between $20 and $50. It can be purchased from an online place like TigerDirect (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1204) or any other computer retailer. We bought ours from BestBuy.

There are two major issues to consider. The external case we purchased has an USB 2.0 connection. I later found out that my computer only had USB 1.0 ports. This cause the transfer of data to be extremely slow (but it still worked!). I ended up buying a PCI card with four USB 2.0 outlets that realy improved the transfer rate. The other issue is the operating system you are running. The latest versions of Windows XP will recognize large-sized disks but earlier versions will not. You can also purchase external cases that have FireWire interfaces (IEEE 1394).

[Amanda]

I have done this as well! Mine are both firewire and USB 2.0 - but i choose to do firewire because its faster.
Also be careful you are buying the right size when you buy your case. Hard drives and cases do come in different sizes (dimensions).

[k-9cachers]

Is there much difference between Seagate and Maxor? I can find Maxor cheaper, but I don't know that cheaper is better. Also, it seems that the Seagates have software (like Bounce Back), but some Maxor's don't have any software. The biggest difference I've found is some have 2MB cache buffer, some 8MB. What does the cache buffer effect?
Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

[yvspeck]

I too am interested to know about that automatic backup program...

[Amanda]

Not sure on the cache. I have one of each and I actually like the Seagate better because of the software and automatic backups :)
But, you can Seagate's software (Bounceback Express) free: http://www.cmsproducts.com/product_bounceback_express.htm

[Kristen]

Seagate just bought Maxtor. I don't know if that should make a difference, since it's not like software that you worry about being able to upgrade, but.. thought I'd pass that along.

I just bought a 100G Seagate. Lovely to backup in one fell swoop what I'd been working on several evenings with CDs! (Although I want the CDs too!)

[hcampagna]

I just read this article I found on MSN.com/PCworld.com
It says that burned CD/DVD's are only good for 2 years. This is how I have been backing all my photos up. Thankfully I have not yet deleted them from my hard drive but that was the plan.

Does anyone here use magnetic media?

Any other thoughts?

[hcampagna]

I forgot to include the link. Here it is

http://msn.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124312,00.asp?GT1=7645

[Just Jan]

I got a 260GB for Christmas and have backed up all my files as well as burned them to DVD. I am going to check out the Bounceback program. It sounds like a great thing!

[Starling]

I just read this article I found on MSN.com/PCworld.com
It says that burned CD/DVD's are only good for 2 years. This is how I have been backing all my photos up. Thankfully I have not yet deleted them from my hard drive but that was the plan.

Does anyone here use magnetic media?

Any other thoughts?

Before you get too upset, go and try to open some of your CDs. Frankly I've gotten data off CDs that are a lot older than 2 years. I've certainly played music CDs that I bought more then 10 years ago recently.

Now it is possible for CDs to go bad much earlier than we would expect, but I think 2 years ias a limit s pushing it. DVDs don't have as long a history but even those should last longer thn 2 years.

Sometimes the best answer is multiple answers, which is why I'm trying to figure out where and how to plug in an external drive. I think my USB ports are maxed out.

[lighthouseseeke]

All of my files are saved on an external hard drive and back-up on a CD. Lots of my CD's are older than 2 years old and I haven't had any problems yet.

[elizabethlmccoy]

it's probably wise just to monitor your cds....every so often open a file on them. make sure you are storing them in a good environment and not on the window ledge or in a damp basement. and then if you notice things are moving fast enough or files are working just right then make a new cd.

I've also had music on a cd that I had saved off of my computer onto a cd over 5 years ago from when i was in highschool I've just put this onto my new computer and the all are there and work fine

[~sarah~]

i backed up all my layouts, saved freebies and kits then i ran out of cds lol
so i have to get some more to save other files.

[yvspeck]

I never knew CD's didn't last until I read a recent article on it all....I also recently had a CD go wacko on my... Fortunately it was stuff I still had on my computer... Now I am really careful to print out all my photos, burn and save to an external drive... That way I have 3 ways to retrieve my photos. I have only a handful of layouts but have been doing the same thing with them.... Someday I'll bet someone will come out with a lasting CD.... Can someone tell me what a backup "program" actually does?

[Amanda]

My backup program remembers what files its transferred and searches my hard drive for any new files or files that have been altered since my last backup and then only transfers those files - so I don't have to backup 80 gigs every time :)

[MaureenH]

A couple reminders...keep one backup copy off site (safe deposit box, friend's house, whatever) in case of fire, theft, etc.

External hard drives are attached to your computer and so can be subject to computer viruses and other failures.

I have backup CDs from 5 years ago that are still good.

I have external hard drive backups, but periodically backup to DVDs for off site storage in case of problems with the external drives.

[Starling]

One of the things you are hearing is multiple solutions AND multiple backups.

I back things up. I also archive. Sometimes those happen at the same time and I'm just making 3 copies of a CD. Sometimes they happen at different times and the archives aren't a copy of the CD, but the same files in a different order burned at a different time.

I've also done multiple back ups. If I'm not sure I've backed it up, I back it up again.