Is there a site where I can back up my pictures?

[iluvmickeytown]

I'm trying to download or upload some pictures and its telling me there is no room. Yikes my DH is going to kill me. Last time I checked I had 6000 pictures on the computer. Is there a sight where I can store them? Does that make sense. Any recomendations?

 

[rtphokie]

I'm trying to download or upload some pictures and its telling me there is no room. Yikes my DH is going to kill me. Last time I checked I had 6000 pictures on the computer. Is there a sight where I can store them? Does that make sense. Any recomendations?

6,000? Relax. My "My Pictures" folder on my PC is showing 31,290.

Online photo storage is nice for sharing but really isn't practical as a backup method. Save them to CDs or DVDs. Much faster and much less expensive. Store those CDs or DVDs in your safe deposit box or give them to a family member to store so that they are somewhere other than in your home (aka offsite storage).

 

[Master Mason]

I do as Kevin suggests, but also have all my pictures on smugmug as well. Smugmug is a for fee site, I think the cheapest is about 30 bucks a year or so...

There are free sites such as photobucket, but they limit picture size and you get the advertisements as well.

 

[handicap18]

I have my pics on 2 different external HD's as well as backed up on DVD's. I got my 500GB external HD for $109 at Best Buy a few weeks ago. Recently picked up a portable 160 external HD for $90 at Microcenter. Don't use it as much for storage since I also have a 200GB external HD which I've had for almost a year and got for about $100.

Backing up to DVD's is one of the best ways to keep your pics for safety sake. 2 copies, 1 at home and 1 someplace else is very highly recommended.

For $25 a year, flickr.com will allow you to download full sized images. But I don't use that as a backup. It is nice to have some of my better pics there though.

 

[DueyDooDah]

...or, you could go crazy (like some of us) and configure 3x500GB hard drives into a RAID 5 disk-array and have a terabyte storage system AND backup everything to multiple copies on DVD/CD. Then, take one copy to another location (like work) for an off-site, disaster recovery copy.

 

[iluvmickeytown]

I can't download them to cd or dvd. My DH says it's because I have to much stuff on the computer and it's confused. When I try to download it tells me my cd doesn't have enough space even if it's just 75 pictures.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I'm trying to download or upload some pictures and its telling me there is no room. Yikes my DH is going to kill me. Last time I checked I had 6000 pictures on the computer. Is there a sight where I can store them? Does that make sense. Any recomendations?

So your computer is full? How big is the hard drive how many gigs do you want to backup?

I use www.smugmug.com and it has unlimited storage of pictures. If you would like a $5 discount use my code EDfLfDAAygNVM

I also use www.carbonite.com for realtime online backup. It is not instant, but as soon as I add files to my hard drive it starts backing the up to their servers.

But if your computer is not responding because it is so full then try moving single files to a usb drive. then move more and more.

The computer needs some room free to save temporary info while writing cds or dvds.

Mikeeee

 

[mabas9395]

It sounds to me like you need a second hard drive. You can get internal or external ones. They are easy to plug in and you can use it to hold all of you media files, photos, music, video, etc.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I can't download them to cd or dvd. My DH says it's because I have to much stuff on the computer and it's confused. When I try to download it tells me my cd doesn't have enough space even if it's just 75 pictures.

OK, there is a cheap way out of this dilema, at least for the immediate future. If you pick up 1 2GB or larger memory stick, move a few pics from you HD to the stick. This should free up enough space to allow you to start burning photos the the CD/DVD. As you finish copying them (I'd make 2 disc copies in your case), delete them from your HD, thereby freeing up more HD space. Once you have a few CD/DVDs burnt, you should be able to download the rest of the files on your camera to your PC.

In any case, you really need to get more HD space. It's the cost of the digital age. If you think it's too much money, just remember how much more it would have been to process the film if we were still living in that era.

 

[alan]

(deleted by author)

 

[SplshMtn99]

I would never trust someone elses website as my ONLY source of backup. Especially if you were around when Photopoint.com disappeared one night and you saw all the people posting & crying in a panic. That's when I learned people actually put their photos on a website & didn't keep a copy for themselves. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!

We back-up weekly to DVDs. Computer is automatically scheduled to do it at 2am each Monday.

 

[Khokhonutt]

I'll give another vote for Smugmug. I understand there's always the chance they'll go away, but for now, they tout themselves as a backup solution. All of your photos are replicated across their servers in three different locations.

Never underestimate the need for an offsite backup. You can spend all you want on local backups at your house (I backup between three different machines in my house), but in the event of a major catastophe, they could all be gone. Having our pictures somewhere safe is worth the money I pay to Smugmug. I'm not saying they are the end all be all, but they're what I'm familiar with.

The other suggestions here are good as well, but keep in mind the limitations of each. CDs and DVDs are nowhere near a solid backup platform. Yes they work, but they can be damaged or have other issues over time. They also become a hassle when your collection exceeds the disk size. I like the idea of using a couple of USB drives, with at least one being kept at work (again, for an offsite backup). Of course all of these are only as good as you are about actually doing the copies and backups.