Save, Backup, Format... Repeat

It is almost the end of January, so I am past due for my end of the year backup... something good to do on a cold winter day, like today. Backing up your digital files is something you should be doing all the time, but I like to do a double backup after each year and also get some old stuff off my computer.

Let me start at the begging of what you should be doing to help to not lose those favorite memories... No matter what you use to take pictures; DSLR Camera, point and shoot camera or just your phone you should regularly be saving and backing up those files, because things can happen and you will lose them forever. Phones and memory cards can easily be broken, get lost, stolen or just go bad and quite working. Even if your phone or memory card can hold 2,000 photos that doesn't mean you should leave 2,000 on them.

When should I save them to the computer? Often! For me I save the pics form my camera, off the memory card, after every event or thing I photographed. For my phone I try to do it at least once a month.

How do I save them? Every computer, camera and phone is different, but for me I use the copy and paste method (on Windows). I put my card in the SD reader or plug my phone or camera in with the USB cord. When I do that  a window will pop up asking what you want to do, click "open folder to view files".

 If it doesn't pop up, go to your "computer" and double click on the icon for what you want to open. Once you have opened all the folders and can view your files and select all (ctrl-a) or select what you want to copy (click 1st image hold shift key, click last image you want). Once they are selected (in blue) right click once and click "copy" on the menu (ctrl-c). When I am saving pictures I make a folder in "My Pictures" named the date or what the pictures are of. Open the folder, then right click in it, click paste (ctrl-v) and your files will show up there. Now your photos are saved on your computer.

Now it is time to back them up, save them some place off the computer. This is also very important, because computers can crash, die or be stolen and if that happens and they are not saved off the computer they can be gone for good. I had this happen and lost a few months of photos I didn't have backed up yet, so now I try to do it right after saving them on my computer. Once again I use the copy and paste method, but instead of selecting files I select the folder or folders I want and then same thing to copy and paste them.

What do I save them to off of my computer? I use a portable hard drive, right now I am using a 500GB drive and it has almost every photo and file on it from 2005  (since I went digital with my photography) to today. This is my third portable hard drive, yes they also can go bad, after a few years of using them they might start to not open up all the time or just acting up, at that point I go get a new one. Of course each time I have gotten a new one I have gotten a larger one (more storage, smaller in physical size) for less. You can also use a USB Flash Drive (memory stick) like a 16GB or 32GB (or bigger) or an SD Card, just depends on how many photos you take. I find the portable hard drive handy, it is small and everything is on it, so I can easily find files when I need them and take them all with me on the go.

Now it is a new year and time for me to do a double back up. What do I mean by that? At the first of the each year I make sure I have everything backed up again, some where else and then for me I put that backup in my fire proof safe. I use to do this by burning files to DVDs, but this year I bought USB Flash Drives from Sam's Club to save files to and then put away for safe keeping. After I do this I then delete things off my computer. For me I only keep pictures from the past year on my computer, so I move all folders of picture to a folder with the year on it. Right now on my computer there is a folder that says 2013 with all of the photos from 2013 in it and I have deleted the folder from 2012. That means for right now I have 2013's photos saved in 3 places, 2012 and everything past in two places and all new photos for 2014 will be saved in two places as I take them. I also backup any document files I have made over the year the same way and then delete any I don't think I will need, but know they are saved if I do need them.

The files are all saved now what? Format! This is for memory cards in cameras only, I don't know of a way or need to do this with a phone. After you have saved all your images and put your card back into your camera you need to format it. Why and what is formatting? Formatting your card is like cleaning it. Keeping it working good and "talking" to your camera correctly. Cards can go bad, but this is one way to try to prevent that. Formatting your card WILL delete everything off of it, both what you can see and what you can't. A "memory" can build up on the card and over time not hold as much if you just delete them, formatting will clean it all off.  Also, you need format if you get a new card or the card was used in a different camera or device, it helps it "talk" to the camera and work better.

Remember to always Save, Backup, Format and Repeat often to help keep you memories forever.