Advice for the technically challenged

[The Monaghans]

Somebody told me last week that saving your precious photos on to a CD or DVD isn't all that safe as they eventually corrupt. So I've gone out and bought myself a memory stick to put all our new pictures onto (some of you may remember that we lost most of our old pictures when our hard drive crashed and we hadn't backed up:sad:). Which is great. But how do I get all my pictures on please? I've plugged it in thinking it will give me a little wave and a message saying "Click me here Liz, and all your piccies will be safe forever with me". But no, it tells me nothing and neither does the so called "manual" that came with it.

 

In words of one syllable or less please, how do I put my photos onto this stick thingy?

[Guest SA Great]

Best way I have found is to put your "stick thingy!!" in one of the USB sockets on the front of your computer. Double click on "My Computer" and double click on "removable disk E drive" and this will show you whats on the stick. Do the same thing again with the photos and you should now have two windows. Simply drag the photo files from one window and drop them into the E drive window and hey presto!!!

[Guest deanrm]

Hiya

 

I am sure someone more qualified will cringe when they read my advice, its probable not the easiest way but should work.

 

First stick the stick into a spare usb point, then go to 'My Computer', it should list the stick. Open the stick up, by double clicking. It should now be a empty window. Now, you should be able to 'drag and drop' the photos into the 'empty window' and that should do it.

 

Am sure that will be as clear as mud - sorry if you can't make any sense of what I just said.

 

Good luck

 

trisha

[Guest deanrm]

Must of been repliying at same time.

 

Anyway thats what I was trying to say, lol.

[The Monaghans]

Thanks guys, I will try it now and see what happens. Watch this space!

[Guest SA Great]

Must of been repliying at same time.

 

Anyway thats what I was trying to say, lol.

 

Yes I thought it sounded a bit like my answer!!!!! Lol

[Guest cazzie]

Somebody told me last week that saving your precious photos on to a CD or DVD isn't all that safe as they eventually corrupt. So I've gone out and bought myself a memory stick to put all our new pictures onto (some of you may remember that we lost most of our old pictures when our hard drive crashed and we hadn't backed up:sad:). Which is great. But how do I get all my pictures on please? I've plugged it in thinking it will give me a little wave and a message saying "Click me here Liz, and all your piccies will be safe forever with me". But no, it tells me nothing and neither does the so called "manual" that came with it.

 

In words of one syllable or less please, how do I put my photos onto this stick thingy?

 

Bill here, on Cazzie's login. Sorry in advance for all the syllables!

When you plug in your memory stick, it should appear under "My Computer" as a new drive letter - probably called e:, as your hard drive is c: and your cd is probably called d:.

Click on "Start->My Computer" to get two "My Computer" screens, one showing your photos, the other showing this new drive. Then select all your photos and drag them to the new drive.

 

Having said this, I think that DVD/CD backups are a lot more secure than you have been told, and I would trust them more than a memory stick, which are definitely not recommended for long-term storage. Just redo them once a year, or whenever you want to backup your photos, do a new DVD and throw the old one away. I archive all my old users and projects at work onto CD/DVD, and have never failed to restore that data when needed, some of it 5 years old. Of course, you have to store them properly - i.e in scratch-proof conditions, and never handle the surface. Oh, and make a 2nd copy and give it to a friend in case your house burns down!

Cheers,

Bill

[Guest dale_jo@]

Somebody told me last week that saving your precious photos on to a CD or DVD isn't all that safe as they eventually corrupt. So I've gone out and bought myself a memory stick to put all our new pictures onto (some of you may remember that we lost most of our old pictures when our hard drive crashed and we hadn't backed up:sad:). Which is great. But how do I get all my pictures on please? I've plugged it in thinking it will give me a little wave and a message saying "Click me here Liz, and all your piccies will be safe forever with me". But no, it tells me nothing and neither does the so called "manual" that came with it.

 

In words of one syllable or less please, how do I put my photos onto this stick thingy?

 

 

I`m so Glad it`s not just me thats Technologically challenged!!!!

 

I`m hopeless!!!

[The Monaghans]

Yay! All my pictures are now on my lil friend Sticky! Thanks everyone for the tips, Bill I'm playing it safe and putting everything onto disc and Sticky as well! Jo, I really do think it's time you came into the 21st century with the rest of us, what are you - some kind of technophobe?!:biglaugh:

[Guest dale_jo@]

Yay! All my pictures are now on my lil friend Sticky! Thanks everyone for the tips, Bill I'm playing it safe and putting everything onto disc and Sticky as well! Jo, I really do think it's time you came into the 21st century with the rest of us, what are you - some kind of technophobe?!:biglaugh:

LOL<LOL:biglaugh:

[Guest Trakki]

Somebody told me last week that saving your precious photos on to a CD or DVD isn't all that safe as they eventually corrupt. So I've gone out and bought myself a memory stick to put all our new pictures onto (some of you may remember that we lost most of our old pictures when our hard drive crashed and we hadn't backed up:sad:). Which is great. But how do I get all my pictures on please? I've plugged it in thinking it will give me a little wave and a message saying "Click me here Liz, and all your piccies will be safe forever with me". But no, it tells me nothing and neither does the so called "manual" that came with it.

 

In words of one syllable or less please, how do I put my photos onto this stick thingy?

 

Hiya, my brother who does something hi tech with computers as a job in Uk told me the opposite, before we came here I asked him what 'stick thing' to get to transfer the photos onto and he said not to bother as putting them on disc is much safer. I suppose having them on both is a good idea as it then doesn't matter which is better!! Glad you got it sorted. Speak soon

[Scousemouse]

Not that i am a geek or anything; but i have an OH and 4 techno babies so;

 

another easy way when you have uploaded your photos, put the usb key in the port and transfere the lots by saving onto the key. you just make sure when you save, that the "drop down" is on "removable device"; apparently.

made no rhyme or reason to me.

 

well done on saving those presh mems

[suziewozie]

Hiya, my brother who does something hi tech with computers as a job in Uk told me the opposite, before we came here I asked him what 'stick thing' to get to transfer the photos onto and he said not to bother as putting them on disc is much safer. I suppose having them on both is a good idea as it then doesn't matter which is better!! Glad you got it sorted. Speak soon

 

Hi Liz

 

My Hubby has had his own Computer Business for 20 years and he said it would be better to store them on a DVD as he agrees it is safer and longer lasting. By all means use a USB memory stick too as another means but it is not as good. Good luck.

[Guest HelenAndSiggi]

Hi Liz,

 

We personally use a MAC and the iPhoto application. All data (photos) are stored on an external hard disk in RAID configuration. That means that you have (in this case) two hard disks mirrored and redundancy if one hard disk fails. Your advantage is that you have all photo albums immediately and you don't bother about backing up. You can also use a Windows machine and the external hard disks are quite cheap now.

 

Siggi

[bill]

Hi Liz,

 

We personally use a MAC and the iPhoto application. All data (photos) are stored on an external hard disk in RAID configuration. That means that you have (in this case) two hard disks mirrored and redundancy if one hard disk fails. Your advantage is that you have all photo albums immediately and you don't bother about backing up. You can also use a Windows machine and the external hard disks are quite cheap now.

 

Siggi

 

But those photos are still really only in ONE place. IS the RAID software or hardware? Software RAID can be very hard to restore. Also, if you have hardware RAID, as disks age, they can fail at the same time. At work, an old server has just failed due to 2 disks failing at the same time. So now it's re-install time. If they had held your photos, it's goodbye photos! SO ALWAYS have those photos in at least 2 places. RAID improves your chances, but it's not guaranteed.

Personally, I have all my photos on the C: drive, on an external backup drive and burned to DVD. Of course, the DVD is in another room. So if the house burns down, they're still all gone. Must take the DVD to work!

[Guest Django]

Whats wrong with buying a book to stick your photos in? Call me old fashioned but I've yet to see a photo album you couldn't open.:biglaugh:

 

Can you tell I leave the techno stuff to Tracey?:jimlad: I can't even move the photos from the camera to the computer. When I tried I kinda lost the lot and Tracey kinda lost the plot.

 

Pete

[Guest www.indmowing.com.au]

It is very simple, You just plug in thememory stick and then choose the folder or drive where you have placed the pictures. Just copy and paste to your memory stick and you are done.

[Guest caoimhe]

Whats wrong with buying a book to stick your photos in? Call me old fashioned but I've yet to see a photo album you couldn't open.

 

Can you tell I leave the techno stuff to Tracey?:jimlad: I can't even move the photos from the camera to the computer. When I tried I kinda lost the lot and Tracey kinda lost the plot.

 

Pete

 

Some ones showing his age:wideeyed:

[Guest Django]

Some ones showing his age:wideeyed:

 

 

Someone should be in bed asleep:p:biglaugh:

[The Monaghans]

Hi Liz,

 

We personally use a MAC and the iPhoto application. All data (photos) are stored on an external hard disk in RAID configuration. That means that you have (in this case) two hard disks mirrored and redundancy if one hard disk fails. Your advantage is that you have all photo albums immediately and you don't bother about backing up. You can also use a Windows machine and the external hard disks are quite cheap now.

 

Siggi

 

Hi Siggi,

 

Well I got as far as "personally use a" and then you kind of lost me! I have an iPod (but I can't put anything else on it because I can't get into my "library"), but I've never used a Mac and I thought Raid was a fly spray. It's sad but true, you can't teach this old dog new tricks I'm afraid! By the way, if anyone can tell me how to find my iTunes library I'd be most grateful!!!

[Guest HelenAndSiggi]

Hi Liz,

 

sorry for the confusion. :-) If we ever get to Adelaide I promise that I will explain it to you.

You will find your iTunes music file location somewhere in [edit][preferences].

(Haven't got a windows PC here at moment to check)

[orrelljet]

I'm with Bill on the CD/DVD option - WAY safer to use than a memory stick, albeit not as convenient. Use the memory stick to keep another copy of your photos on you, so you can use them at work as a wallpaper etc...

 

A USB/firewire/eSata connected external drive (using RAID or not) is a (relatively) cheap and more reliable way to store a BACKUP of your precious data but, again, should never be used as the sole medium for data storage. Even if the disk(s) don't fail, the proprietary software/hardware solution will be difficult to recover if the box itself dies.

 

Most versions of Windows/MAC have some form of inbuilt software that will let you schedule regular backups and many external Desktop drive vendors (Western Digital, Seagate etc) bundle backup solutions with their products.

 

Another solution (for photos at least) is to use Flickr...

[orrelljet]

By the way, if anyone can tell me how to find my iTunes library I'd be most grateful!!!

 

PM sent.

 

J.