Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have two external hard drives, and I back up everything on those. I also store on compact discs (CDs) but wonder how long those will be able to be read. I used to use zip drives (those plastic square discs) and they can no longer be read by my Mac operating system.
I"ll look into the SD cards. Whatever I use now, after organizing all the photos, I want to work for at least a half-century (for my grandkids).
I'm mostly concerned with the JPG format, will that become obsolete??
So you're looking at 50 years.
I would not burn to a CD/DVD as they would probably get warped over time..think stuck in an attic or garage. I'd go USB with a $300 laptop where they can at least view the pictures.
At one time floppy disk drives were common on all computers.
Cloud is the mantra of today though...will most definitely be something different tomorrow as technology evolves especially if you are talking 50 years from now.
JPG is pretty popular and even if it fell out of style there would probably be converters available to download.
I"ll look into the SD cards. Whatever I use now, after organizing all the photos, I want to work for at least a half-century (for my grandkids).
I'm mostly concerned with the JPG format, will that become obsolete??
Speaking of viewing something over half-century old, we just uploaded to youtube an old family movie clip which was recorded about 50 years ago so that my husband's aunt (who is 89 years old) could view it online. It was recorded on 8mm film. We played it on my FIL's old movie projector and re-recorded it with Hi8 camcorder something like 25 years ago. We later hooked the Hi8 player to the PC to convert the film to digital format (mpg) then burned it to a DVD.
We stopped at my husband's aunt apartment in London Ontario on the way to my nephew's wedding last weekend. In talking about the good old days, we remember this footage and told her that we would 'convert' the DVD to youtube format so that she can view it online and share it with others.
Bottom line is that I don't think that you have to worry about jpg format become obsolete. If it does, one can always convert the files to the new format.
Regarding data storage lifespan, here is a good reference article
I have recorded CD/DVDs at least 15 years old and they still works. I did have the data re-recorded in bluray format (to have copies and to reduce storage space) and expect them to last at least 20 years. It is very likely that I will re-record the files to another format in the future.
BTW, we have been putting pictures in slideshow format or incorporate them in video clips and make DVDs which can be played either on the PC/laptop or DVD player. There are free or very inexpensive programs to make DVDs. The nice thing is that you can add music or narration to the slideslow/video thus making the viewing even more enjoyable.
Speaking of viewing something over half-century old, we just uploaded to youtube an old family movie clip which was recorded about 50 years ago so that my husband's aunt (who is 89 years old) could view it online. It was recorded on 8mm film. We played it on my FIL's old movie projector and re-recorded it with Hi8 camcorder something like 25 years ago. We later hooked the Hi8 player to the PC to convert the film to digital format (mpg) then burned it to a DVD.
We stopped at my husband's aunt apartment in London Ontario on the way to my nephew's wedding last weekend. In talking about the good old days, we remember this footage and told her that we would 'convert' the DVD to youtube format so that she can view it online and share it with others.
Bottom line is that I don't think that you have to worry about jpg format become obsolete. If it does, one can always convert the files to the new format.
Regarding data storage lifespan, here is a good reference article
I have recorded CD/DVDs at least 15 years old and they still works. I did have the data re-recorded in bluray format (to have copies and to reduce storage space) and expect them to last at least 20 years. It is very likely that I will re-record the files to another format in the future.
BTW, we have been putting pictures in slideshow format or incorporate them in video clips and make DVDs which can be played either on the PC/laptop or DVD player. There are free or very inexpensive programs to make DVDs. The nice thing is that you can add music or narration to the slideslow/video thus making the viewing even more enjoyable.
Decided today not to oppose selling a rental building... bought it with my two brothers who have sinced moved so I'm 100% responsible for management...
Got to thinking about downsizing and came to the conclusion 30 years tenant issues, repairs and turnovers is something I won't miss one bit.
Who knows... may just keep right on downsizing to the next is this turns out well...
Last night at 9:30 pm tenant calls frantic said toilet is "Broken" and can't get the water shut off... sure enough her 7 and 9 year old grandsons were rough housing and cracked the tank... off to the plumbing supply to pick up a new toilet when they open... not at all how I had planned to spend my Saturday.
Downsizing that can simplify and de-stress could turn out to be a win/win and great after all.
Letting go of the past, in small pieces. We are moving the end of this month--panic time! Seems we have been pruning and sorting since Christmas, but still, a ton of stuff to do. How on Earth did we accumulate so much stuff
Ok, today I went through some old papers. I finally disposed of some old cards, letters, etc. No, they don't take up that much room, so, they always got packed up in previous moves to be sorted out later. Well, its now "later". As I went through old sympathy cards, letters from deceased relatives, etc, I realized its time to let go. Seems every time I move I go through them, get teary-eyed, feel sad and depressed, then, pack them up to move again. Ok, today, I shredded them, so there's no going back. They simply cause me pain. Now, they can't hurt me anymore! Funny, how we hang onto stuff, even though it is painful looking back.
It was only one box of stuff, but I let go of the past in that....one can't grieve forever!
The problem with *all* digital forms of backup is that they rely on multiple technologies. You have your file itself, the format your file is in, and the device(s) you need to view it, at a minimum.
Despite being a tech geek (and proud of it!) if I had digital files that I wanted saved for longer than a few decades, I would go old-tech. I would get the best, longest-lasting prints for my images. Ironically, that's most likely to be high-quality photographs of the images. Some of the first photographs ever made are still viewable!
Videos? I don't know how well I could ensure they'd last. Hollywood has that problem, too, and has had for decades. Notice how delighted they are when some "lost" old cherished video comes to light?
I took an old printer to be recycled today to the Office Supply Shop and dropped of 6 empty ink cartridges to be recycled.
I also put 4 more items into the donate to charity box in the dining room.
That box goes in my vehicle tomorrow and will be taken and donated, then I can start filling the next box.
Letting go of the past, in small pieces. We are moving the end of this month--panic time! Seems we have been pruning and sorting since Christmas, but still, a ton of stuff to do. How on Earth did we accumulate so much stuff
Ok, today I went through some old papers. I finally disposed of some old cards, letters, etc. No, they don't take up that much room, so, they always got packed up in previous moves to be sorted out later. Well, its now "later". As I went through old sympathy cards, letters from deceased relatives, etc, I realized its time to let go. Seems every time I move I go through them, get teary-eyed, feel sad and depressed, then, pack them up to move again. Ok, today, I shredded them, so there's no going back. They simply cause me pain. Now, they can't hurt me anymore! Funny, how we hang onto stuff, even though it is painful looking back.
It was only one box of stuff, but I let go of the past in that....one can't grieve forever!
Also got rid of about 50 old tablecloths!
LOL..I only have 1 tablecloth..my red one for Christmas
I opened a box from the garage and came across half a dozen paper "Special Sections" of "rag mags" such as The Globe that I had saved, all dated 2000. So I finally read them and just tonight passed them on to a friend that enjoys the same topics. The topics all had to do with crimes or the Mob.
I pulled a bunch of boxes of Cub parts down from the attic, Dh decided to sell most of it so worked on that yesterday and today.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
