On-line file storage

[stu]

Got too much on the 'puter and wanna store someof my files online. Any tech-heads recommend some reputable sites which offer free storage?
Ta

[Guinness]

how much space you talking abouT?

get 2gigs free email at http://www.gmail.com

[tdm850rider]

And what sort of things do you need to store?
Photos? Burn em to CDR and then delete them from the HDD.

After you burn or store all these files make sure you defragment... your HDD will have <b>BIG</b> holes in it!

[nitram]

<!--quoteo(post=10644:date=Tue 11th Jul 2006, 01:50 AM:name=tdm850rider)-->QUOTE(tdm850rider @ Tue 11th Jul 2006, 01:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->And what sort of things do you need to store?
Photos? Burn em to CDR and then delete them from the HDD.

After you burn or store all these files make sure you defragment... your HDD will have <b>BIG</b> holes in it! <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I would say get a DVD burner and burn the files to DVD. A blank DVD is almost the same price as a CD these days but stores 6 times the data.

[biped]

I have not used these people but it looks ok http://www.ourmedia.org/

[tdm850rider]

<!--quoteo(post=10666:date=Tue 11th Jul 2006, 07:00 AM:name=nitram)-->QUOTE(nitram @ Tue 11th Jul 2006, 07:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I would say get a DVD burner and burn the files to DVD. A blank DVD is almost the same price as a CD these days but stores 6 times the data.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Wot he said. (What does that sign say? 'I'm with' what?)

You prob have a CD burner, but a DVD burner is... as Wickster says.... The dogs danglies.

This post was last modified: 11-07-2006, 09:08 PM by tdm850rider.

[TonyDevil]

<!--quoteo(post=10743:date=Tue 11th Jul 2006, 09:52 PM:name=tdm850rider)-->QUOTE(tdm850rider @ Tue 11th Jul 2006, 09:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wot he said. (What does that sign say? 'I'm with' what?)

You prob have a CD burner, but a DVD burner is... as Wickster says.... The dogs danglies.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
or just get an external USB/firewire hard drive.
200gb will cost about £75 on ebay.

[tdm850rider]

<!--quoteo(post=10748:date=Tue 11th Jul 2006, 05:05 PM:name=Toneski)-->QUOTE(Toneski @ Tue 11th Jul 2006, 05:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->or just get an external USB/firewire hard drive.
200gb will cost about £75 on ebay.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Which raises a point... How large is your Hard Drive (Easy there Wicky!! )

Put in a second HDD, run it as a slave. (I <b>said</b> easy there!)

This post was last modified: 11-07-2006, 09:40 PM by tdm850rider.

[stu]

Ahh lads, this is getting confusng and expensive.
It's a laptop.
Is a memory stick worth considering?

I think CD's may be the way to go...

[deeplydippy]

<!--quoteo(post=10812:date=Wed 12th Jul 2006, 06:11 PM:name=stu)-->QUOTE(stu @ Wed 12th Jul 2006, 06:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Ahh lads, this is getting confusng and expensive.
It's a laptop.
Is a memory stick worth considering?

I think CD's may be the way to go...<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I got 60 gig usb mini drive for 60 quid from amazon.

The other outfit - digital wotsits or whatever they're called were cheaper but t'package was dearer ..

[darcym]

If you're going to store anything with archival value, meaning you want it to still be there two or three years time, then burn to a DVD. Computer CD's can and do fail. If you really want to be certain, make a second back-up on an external hard drive.

Stu -

a memory stick or other device is ok, but their primary intended use is not so much long term storage, but for transferring files from one computer to another. Some memory stick devices may fail due to shock (ie, dropping it), proximity to magnets, etc. They really should be considered only temporary storage.

With a laptop, if it's USB compatible I'd go with an external DVD burner (SONY makes a very reliable model). You could also use an external Hard Drive, but these can be bothersome -- usually they're good for storage, not as good for accessing files and using files from the hard drive. Meaning, if there's a file on the external you want to use - modify, edit, etc -- it's usually better to copy it onto your computer's hard drive and store it only on the external.

The number biggest drawback of a laptop - limited storage space. With a desktop computer, you can add or expand existing hard drives relatively easily. And the prices keep going down on hard drives as the volume of storage is going up! I've got a 70 gb and a 30 gb, and I'm thinking of dumping the 30 to get 100 gb!

crazy!

[Guest]

What you need to do is make a backup of your backup because NO computer media is safe. CDs/DVD are unproven in relation to exactly how long they will last - I heard reports that after 10 years they will become 'unreadable'. Added to the fact that Microsoft are about to implement new file systems to replace .xls, .doc and even .jpg and we are all in for a shock when we are sitting in our retirement homes trying to access our last centuries memories!

Open a googlemail acount and an online storage facility....... and an online picture hosting service. Then back it all up onto a data stick, an external hard drive and CDs. Then to make sure keep a printed copy of everything in a vacuum packed plastic bag.

Hope this helps.

[duibhceK]

<!--quoteo(post=14057:date=Wed 16th Aug 2006, 01:39 PM:name=Neil)-->QUOTE(Neil @ Wed 16th Aug 2006, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Added to the fact that Microsoft are about to implement new file systems to replace .xls, .doc and even .jpg and we are all in for a shock when we are sitting in our retirement homes trying to access our last centuries memories!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

which is why you should stay clear of proprietary file formats. If you want to be sure your data will still be readable in 10 or 20 years, use open formats like html, pdf, odf (open document format) or plain text.

personally I don't recommend online file storage for backups, as I value my privacy.
I make automatic weekly incremental backups on a seperate hard drive in my PC. Monthly backups on external HD and DVD. I don't really care about how long the DVD's will last since I won't really need anything that's on them in 10 years.

For the things I really need to keep longer I make a hard copy.