Computer back-up

[brifos]

A friend recently lost all her photos because she hadn't backed up her hard disc before it crashed: my photos are all I would want to save - how best to back up, please?

[boxtops]

Get an external hard drive, set it up, and set it to save your files automatically. Ours is going all the time, everything (photos, documents etc) are all backed up every day. We did this for that very reason - our system went down a while back and I lost all my photos.

[squarebear]

Boxtops is correct. The easiest way by far is to buy an external hard drive and copy anything you might need to that. This will also protect you if you accidentally delete any photos or overwrite any documents too.

[hc4361]

As an added backup you can use an online provider such as photobucket or flickr.

I don't know if the photos lose resolution backing them up this way, but at least there will be a copy in cyberspace.
http://www.flickr.com/

http://photobucket.com/

Be sure to set the privacy settings though.

My ISP, Virgin, provides online backup storage too, free of charge. I believe you can get a similar thing with Windows Live.

[brifos]

Thanks, Pussy.

[TTG]

Re: hard drive failure. It might not boot into windows but connect it to another pc using a hdd 'cradle'. You might be able to browse to it and rescue some files.

[scotman]

I agree with TTG. If you remove it from the PC, change the jumpers to set it as a slave drive, and install it in a working PC you may recover some of the files. This worked for me some time ago.

[deggers316]

safest way to back up is by burning to cd or dvd
there never lost then by some electrical fluke
always there to re install

[squarebear]

...Unless the DVD gets sctratched

[deggers316]

square bear
why would it gets scratched unless you leave them lying around on the floor~? besides that you can make two copies 3/4/5 on on on
i backup al my pics music on theses formats as all other type of formats can break down as there are electronic

[stoofur]

CD's and DVD's do degrade over time.

[bibblebub]

depending on how many photos, a memory stick might suffice

[ChuckFickens]

No single backup is fail proof. all media can and does fail.

Ideally take two backups, store them sensibly and separately and test you can restore from both of them on a regular basis, a backup is worth nothing until you have checked you can actually restore from it.

USB memory sticks are not a suitable media for long term backups.

[deggers316]

stoofur
yes after aprox 15 years !
how long a back up are you after,lol anybody with any comp sense will check back ups after there do them chuck to see if they can be restored if not do it again ive had no prob with xp backs or Nero back up of my discs of many years when ive done a reinstall

[stoofur]

You'd be surprised deggers. There is lots of evidence that (especially if you buy cheaper DVD's) they can degrade quicker than that. Admittedly if you mistreat them or store them in direct sunlight this will reduce the length of time that they will last. As chuck suggests you should try and backup on more than one media and also if you can backup off site that would be good too.

I have read that if you backup to DVD you should check that backup every couple of years to make sure that your computer can still replay those disks. I have found after around five years that some of my DVD's no longer play although I also backup using a hard drive and online.

[jacksprat16]

stoofur
yes i agree some cheaper discs don't last as long as others personally i always use traxdata disc's or jvc,and kept in their cases ,and in this country there always in the correct temp: unless someone puts them in direct sunlight,but as i said ive not had one problem with discs either 20 year cds (music reordered ones) or old dvds.
i also have a WD external drive back up with my "things" on but this lost everything a while ago,it just went and to this day i don't know what happened apart from i was having power supplies to the area i live in at the time,that's why i went to disc as well

[jacksprat16]

that was from deggers stoofer lol my sons had logged on and not noticed

[stoofur]

Thanks Jack or Deggers or whoever you are..... :-)

(I admit I used to be in the cheap CD/DVD world..... lesson learned)

[deggers316]

yeh I've done the cheap bit with car spares, as u say lessons learned (at my cost)
cheers fella