How do you back up your photo files?

[bdw9535]

Recently my external hard drive stopped working and took it in to see if it could be repaired. Was informed today that it had been corrupted and that the data could not be retrieved. This contained the last six years of photos that I had taken. I have some that are still on my computer but the majority are lost. Before I got the external hard drive I would back up the files on CD's but was always getting duplication of photos and stopped doing that. My question is what do you do to back up your photo files?

Bruce

[faraway]

My iMac runs an hourly incremental backup to an external hard disk. The backup program is called "Time Machine" and saved the data to a 3 TB drive on a "Apple Time Capsule". That program permits restore by the hour of the current day, by day of the week, by week of the last month and my month of all older versions. I used it already and it worked perfect.

[Sumpter250]

When I upload pictures from my camera, they go to a folder labeled "my pictures". The next step is to use Corel , to size/color correct/crop, and then I send them, one at a time to a CD. When each disk is full, I label it with its contents.
Any time I need to "post" them on a site like Big Blue, I can upload them directly from the CD.
OK yes, I am retired, and do have the time to do all that

[ezdays]

An external drive is the best way, but as you found out, they're not invincible either. I've got two external drives and two internal ones. I use Windows Backup to backup to one of the external drives and just copy/paste my photos and other files to one of the other drives. This way I'm assured that the photos and other files that I've created are in at least three places. All my A/V files are also on DVDs that I created. The thing is that my photos are scattered all over and are filed according to what they are. Family photos are in one place, train layouts in another. Challenge and other builds are still somewhere else as are photos taken on vacations and trips. Like Pete, I am retired and should take the time to organize my photos better, maybe put them all in one place will folders for each group, that way I wouldn't have to spend time searching for a photo I know I took but haven't a clue where I put it.

[Tyson Rayles]

Memory sticks and CD's.

[bdw9535]

Thanks for the comments. I will probably get another external hard drive and also follow up with a backup on CD's.

Bruce

[Charlie B]

I have multiple hard drives and use 2 dvd's as well. It took too long to scan the older pictures to risk losing them. I also replace CDs and DVDs with new copies now and again. Some folks claim they are not stable over time. I tried giving my kids backups of family DVD's but they just don't value them like I do.
I have an IDE/sata adapter <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://3btech.net/prwayusb20to.html">http://3btech.net/prwayusb20to.html</a><!-- m --> that I have been able to glean files from some bad hard drives. You plug it into the drive, then connect it to a computer. If the drive will run you can sometimes recover your documents.

sorry you lost those pictures, I hope you can recover them.
Charlie

[faraway]

I..... I also replace CDs and DVDs with new copies now and again.....

That is very wise. Your collection of photos is to valuable to risk any loss.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I back mine up by uploading them to the internet. I paid for the minumum "Plus" service on photobucket, which gives me 20 GB for $30 a year. I have uploaded almost every picture I've ever taken from 2003 through to today, and I have only barely hit 51% of that 20 GB.

I figure these internet hosting sites are less likely to go down if there is a problem. If you don't want other people looking at your pictures, you can make it all private.

This is Photobucket's pricing, but you might shop around and find a better photo hosting site.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://support.photobucket.com/hc/en-us/articles/200724444-Plus-Subscription-Pricing-Info">http://support.photobucket.com/hc/en-us ... icing-Info</a><!-- m -->

I also think CDs would probably make a good back up storage media, even if they take time and space.

I..... I also replace CDs and DVDs with new copies now and again.....

That is very wise. Your collection of photos is to valuable to risk any loss.

Hopefully he still has the slides/film. Not that those are forever either, but it helps!

[railohio]

On multiple external hard drives. A new primary drive is purchased once a year, and the one-year-old drive is demoted to secondary status. A two-year-old drive is used for off-site backup, which I keep in my office. Upon reaching three years of age, a drive is retired.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

On multiple external hard drives. A new primary drive is purchased once a year, and the one-year-old drive is demoted to secondary status. A two-year-old drive is used for off-site backup, which I keep in my office. Upon reaching three years of age, a drive is retired.

Do the drives go bad, or is this just a failsafe? I assume you resell the old drives?

[railohio]

Drives do go bad, but I've never had one die within three years. And I send the old ones out for recycling. $150 a year for a hard drive and new memory cards is a drop in the bucket compared to what data recovery services cost.

[Genetk44]

I use Photobucket....but am pretty unhappy with the changes they have made over the past 18 months or so......they really screwed up what was a very good photo site IMHO.