Memory, Storage Of Photos

#1 Molly1173

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 05:45 PM

I don't even know where to put this. I have about 4 years worth of photos...17.7 GB...on my computer. I'd love to compress them or save them somewhere else or something. The computer runs slow....Burning them to cd will take for-freakin-ever...any suggestions?

#2 tg1911

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 08:06 PM

Depending on the format of the images, compressing might not help, much.
If they're .jpgs, you would barely notice any compression, since that's already a compressed format.

I suggest you get an external harddrive, and transfer the images, and any other personal files, to that.
Harddrives are fairly cheap, right now.
You could pick up a $40 80GB drive, with a $12+ enclosure, and have enough storage space to last, for several years.

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This post has been edited by tg1911: 29 October 2007 - 08:13 PM

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#3 rowal5555

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 08:19 PM

Hi Molly1173

Welcome to BleepingComputer. :thumbsup:

This post has crossed with that of tg1911, but I will just say that it is a fact of life that every Hard Drive will crash sooner or later so if you have stuff you really do not want to lose, you must take the time and make the effort to back it up regularly.
Personally, I have a 250GB ext USB to image my C: drive, and another 200GB one to keep large files eg. movies on. These cost very little these days and are well worth it for peace of mind.

Good luck.

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#4 acklan

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 09:00 PM

Invest in a dual layer DVD±RW. A single DVD will hold more than 8 gb of data.

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#5 Molly1173

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 09:05 PM

Wow...fast responses...thanks!!

#6 dc3

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 09:07 PM

One more suggestion, store them on DVDs, just make sure that you use good media like Tiayo Yuden or Verbatim.

#7 Molly1173

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 09:33 AM

acklan, on Oct 29 2007, 10:00 PM, said:

Invest in a dual layer DVD±RW. A single DVD will hold more than 8 gb of data.

I like the idea....I'm not all that savvy in the technicalities though... can you suggest a particular one or two to consider buying? I'd be willing to spend up to $50 or so. Just want to make sure I have the right thing. I have an HP computer, kinda older...maybe 4 years old...with Windows XP.

#8 dc3

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 10:39 AM

This LiteOn is $29.99 with free three day shipping, not a bad unit and not a bad price. The sticker shock will come when you purchase dual layer media, even in bulk a fifty pack will cost you $69.99, a ten pack will cost $35.99. The good news is that you can still use single layer media which you can purchase a 100 pack for about $30.00 for good media, you're still looking a 4.75GB of storage at about thirty cents per disc.

#9 Molly1173

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 02:36 PM

dc3, on Oct 30 2007, 11:39 AM, said:

Reading the cons on that one, the software issue concerns me.

#10 dc3

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 11:49 PM

LiteOn actually has some of the better firmware out there today, I wouldn't base my decision on the reviews that you read there. Google the drive and see if you can find reviews by an independent source.

#11 Molly1173

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Posted 03 November 2007 - 08:13 PM

Soooo, I talked to a guy at Circuit City...he suggested an external hard drive and/or more memory for my pc. I saw one on Newegg Western Digital External Hard Drive - 250GB for $74.49. Now, getting an external hard drive...would additional memory for my computer really be necessary?

#12 acklan

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Posted 03 November 2007 - 08:32 PM

Western Digital is and excellent choice. I would still invest in a DVD±RW when you have an extra $30. If you have less than 1 gb of RAM I would think you would be well served to increase your RAM.

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#13 dc3

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Posted 03 November 2007 - 08:37 PM

More memory is the quickest way to update a computer, up to a limit. For most application 2GB is more than adequate, most operating systems will not recognize amounts exceeding 3GB.

A second hdd is nice to have and can increase you storage capacity, but at this time they are still mechanical devices and will eventually fail, this is why I suggest storing important files on CDs or DVDs.