how do you backup your photo digitally

[hanoman]

I have quite a number of photo 1GB plus. I already backup these photos into 2 CD. I am afraid my harddisk will fail someday and I lost all the photo, knock wood.

The way I do the backup: I just open Nero and drag all my photo folder into the CD. I find that this method is not very efficient, because in case if I want to back up again in the future. Should I use new CD or do the incremental backup?

So my question is how do you do your backup, and please share the easiest and the most efficient method.

cheers....

 

[togu]

I have copies of my files in both my desktop and notebk hdd. Maintain 1 set of CDs and do random check almost every month.

 

[ericp]

Hard disks are cheap, blank CD-Rs are even cheaper.

1. Keep a copy on your HDD ... this is the "most accessible" copy. If you file them according to your own filing system (date shot, location, subject, or any other method), then easy to retrieve.

2. Buy 2 different brands of CD-R media. Nowadays there's not much price difference between "branded" (eg. TDK) and generic types. Save an archive copy to each (that means you have 2 copies of the same data on CD-Rs). If one deteriorates, then the other one has a chance of being ok.

You can go further and invest in things like tape backups, etc, but at some point the cost and complexity outweighs the value of the data.

 

[toomz]

well.. my hd not that huge in capacity.
l just burn them into 2 sets CDs for backup..
kiasu? :dunno:

 

[Azure]

I normally have 2 copies on CD-R, 1 more on CD-RW.
Plus the copy on my hard drive. ;p

 

[jesser]

hmmm.....dun mind if i ask....is there a reason why not printed out as hard copy...that is the photo of those images which seems to be that important to you all? put in into a photo album and that it,
safe forever there. no need to back up this, back up that...... tot digital suppose to be 'simple'.

 

[Andy Ho]

Originally posted by jesser
hmmm.....dun mind if i ask....is there a reason why not printed out as hard copy...that is the photo of those images which seems to be that important to you all? put in into a photo album and that it,
safe forever there. no need to back up this, back up that...... tot digital suppose to be 'simple'.

No offence but may I ask what happens to the digital files when you only keep a hard copy? If your negatives or slides gets mouldy what then? No photo or inkjet hardcopy can last you a long time (even those so called archival quality). So what happens if it starts to deteriorates in quality?

Please give that a thought...

Andy Ho
http://andyho.clubsnap.org/gallery/

 

[Azure]

Originally posted by jesser
hmmm.....dun mind if i ask....is there a reason why not printed out as hard copy...that is the photo of those images which seems to be that important to you all? put in into a photo album and that it,
safe forever there. no need to back up this, back up that...... tot digital suppose to be 'simple'.

Yes, it is simple.
It's just kiasu, kiasee, kanchong ain't that simple.....
:dent:

 

[Harlequin]

I dump all my pics on my SAN storage. All 2.5TB of it....Never need to burn them to CDs.

 

[tangoninazero]

I do not delete the files even when i back them up so that i can access them easily and play with them in PS

For Backups, all burn into CD-R (no CD-RW for me) and I check them fortnightly (if i have time) or monthly (if I have no time).
Since I log all my photo shots or trip in a log book, I will check them monthly and burn the new photo together with the old photos (priority of cuz given to the newer un-updated ones).
HEHEHE now currently I have 8 backup discs (call me kiasu but a good reliable CD-R from SONY is only 50cents per piece when u buy in bulk so its worth the extra effort)

 

[Andy Ho]

Wow, only 8? i have easily more than 100 CD-Rs!! How are you to check them fortnightly? :dunno:

I am dying for time man...

Andy Ho
http://andyho.clubsnap.org/gallery/

 

[tangoninazero]

hehehe exam just over that why now got lotz of time
if u want me to help u maintain also can hehehehe
oh ya byw i only check the latest backups dates
(hmmm it will be 92 months from now before i see 100 pile of CD in my drawer, maybe those older backups can use them as coaster or as cheese slicer or play fris-disc with neigbour's dog ............

 

[munfai]

Originally posted by Harlequin
I dump all my pics on my SAN storage. All 2.5TB of it....Never need to burn them to CDs.

your own personal SAN storage?!!! what exactly are you using?

 

[Robert]

Just a quick, curious question:

When you guys backup from CF cards to CDRs, how do you do it?

Do you just create a temporary folder on the harddisk, copy all the images onto this folder and burn it to CDR? By using Windows Explorer to drag-and-drop-copy, will all the necessary EXIF information be preserved?

The reason why I ask is because whenever I edit a photo in PaintShop Pro, I lose the EXIF information.

Thanks

 

[showtime]

cds will spoil someday so remember to back up your cds too...

 

[espn]

Get a good CD-R, burn at the slowest speed, should sustain you well over some years. The dye of the CDs used, I heard, helps too!

 

[jsbn]

I've got 2 DVD-Rs worth of photos.

 

[dkw]

Price of an external HDD --> $300
Price of a CD-R --> $0.20
Price of a DVD+R --> $2.00

Cost of a valuable memory lost forever --> :cry: :cry: :cry:

I back up everything in triplicate, 2x CD-R and 1x DVD+R, quadriplicate if you count the editing copy on my hard drive.

My advice, there is some doubt about the archival quality of CD-Rs, so multiple redundancy is my policy. The cost of the storage media is really trivial compared to everything else you have put into photography, so please don't skimp!

Cheers,

 

[benleez]

super KS for me...

originals on notebook, copy to desktop, copy to external USB HDD.
If nice photos to keep longer, burn to CDs, regularly access them just in case.
(since even CDs got shelf life).
So for good shots, got 4 copies in all

unless house burn down, should be quite safe... which reminds me, better keep a copy of CDs in my parent's house.

 

[fizzymon]

Price of an external HDD --> $300
Price of a CD-R --> $0.20
Price of a DVD+R --> $2.00


Cheers,

Price of a CD-R --> $0.20 ????

So cheap only? :bigeyes: Where you buy yours? The cheapest I can find still cost about 38 cents............ :cry: