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First published in the September/October 2009 issue of Victoria Boulevard Magazine:  http://www.victoriaboulevard.com

 

The voice on the phone is shaking:

"My computer won't start. The error message said'Please back up your data, hard disk failure is imminent.'Now there'sa clicking sound."

"OK,” I say, “When was the last time you backed up your files?"

"About three years ago, before the baby was born."

 

Uh-oh. Bye-bye baby pictures. That clicking sound was the "click of death," a termgeeks use to describe a catastrophic hard disk failure.Now, the only hope to recover the baby photos is an expensive lab that specializes in data recovery. Sometimes files can be retrieved and sometimes they can’t.

 

Digital photography is a wonderful thing, but its Achilles heel is the backup problem. Too many people have years of precious memories stored on their computer hard disks. All hard disks eventually fail. In the industry we say there are two types of people: those who’ve had a hard disk failure, and those who will have a hard disk failure.

 

So before we talk about some of the ways to access, share, and display your digital memories, we have to first talk about backing up those memories. The good news is that the technology today makes it easier than ever.

 

Here are the basic options. Use two of the three, and your photos and any other valuable files will be safe:

•          Connect a removable media device such as an external hard disk ($50 to $100) or a flash drive or memory stick($10 to $50). Then, drag your photos onto the device using My Computer.

•          Occasionally burn photos to a CD or DVD. That lets you store copies at another location, such as at a friend's house or at your office.Storing multiple copies in multiple locations is a good backup strategy. If you use Windows XP, you need to install DVD software to burn DVDs. You can get free burning software at http://infrarecorder.org.

•          Use an online backup or cloud service. This saves the cost of the backup device and also moves your files off-site. A simple method is to emailthem to a free Gmail or Hotmail account you set up in your name. Or use Windows Live SkyDrive, which gives you 25 GB of free online storage. Get it here: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-skydrive

 

How many GBs?

 People underestimate that amount of space they need. They start copying files to a DVD or to aflash drive only to get the “device full”message.Here is how to determine howbig your backup device should be:

• Click Start, right-click My Documents, and then click Properties. Click Find Target. In the window that opens, right-click the My Documentsfolder or the individual folder (such as My Pictures) that you want to copy. Then click Properties. Note the number to the right of Size, and buy a backup device whose capacity is 50 percentlarger than that number. Note that if you have lots of music files in the My Music folder, theMy Documentsfolder may be quite large. Copy separately to keep the size manageable.
• On a Mac, click the Pictures folder, and then click Get Info on the File menuto see the size of the folder.

 

Backup software

Along with all that, Ikeep a program running to automatically copy files on a schedule. I think the best automated backup programis Second Copy. It's not free, but it's worth the $29.95 price. A free trial’s at http://www.centered.com. ChronoSync is a good option for the Mac. Get it athttp://www.econtechnologies.com.

 

 

Now for the fun

With the backup boogyman tamed, now let’s talk about how to share, show,and edit photos and videos.

 

Sharing

Photos are big files, so emailing them can clogrecipients’ mailboxes. A number of options are available to help share photo files. All of them store photos on a server. Your friends get a message and go to the server to view or download the images. These include:

• Windows Live Mail and Photo Gallery, which, along with sharing functionality, has a great library manager and photo-editing tools:http://download.live.com/wlmail
• Flickr Photo Sharing, also with library and photo editing:www.flickr.com
• YouSendit.Primarily a hub to send very large files like photos and even video:www.yousendit.com
• Social network sites like Facebook or Myspace are a great way to share shots.

 

Showing

Digital photo frames aren’t just a gimmick – the backlighting brings the details to life. Depending on the model, they can hold a few dozen or even thousands of images.They range from $50 to $500 at any photo or computer store. Kim Komando, the Martha Stewart of computing, has a terrific guide athttp://snipurl.com/gglia.

 

But it's also nice to print hard copies. Nix the color printer –it’s too much trouble and expense. Copy the pictures to a flash drive or CD and bring them to a retail printing service.Or, use an online printer such as http://www.kodakgallery.ca. 4×6 prints are frequently on sale for $0.15 each.

 

Converting snaps

Scan your old photos to make digital copies, but if you don't have a scanner, use your digital camera and take a picture of the picture! In the right light,you’ll get good results. Use the camera's movie function to record the kids’ voices laughing or singing. It's pure magic to hear those sounds years later.

 

Converting home movies

VHS, Betamax, or Hi8 magnetic tapes will not last. I've seen the magnetic material actually falling off tapes that are only a couple of years old. (But quality tape stored in a cool dry place, rewound and standing on end, can last decades.) If you want to make sure you can watch those tapes 20 years from now,transfer the footage to DVDs. Not because DVDs last longer – they also have a limited lifespan–but because DVDs are cheap and easy to copy.

 

Video transfer and editing is fun, but it requires patience and a fairly new computer.If you're not up for a steep learning curve, take the tapes to a professional service that will transfer them for you at about $20 a tape. For example, see http://www.homemoviedepot.com.

 

If you're feeling intrepid, here are some DIY methods:

 

·         Some high-end computers have aTV tuner. Look for a cablevision connector at the back of the computer. If it’s got one, it's a snap to connect it to a VCR (or Betamax) tape player. Connect the "TV" connection on the VCR to the "Antenna" connection of the computer's TV tuner. Tune the computer to channel 3, and then press PLAY on the VCR. Then, depending on your TV tuner software, click Record. Windows Media Center or SnapStream'sBeyond TVwill do this nicely.

 

·         Another option is a TV capture device, such as Honestech’s VHS to DVD,which costs about $70. Here's a review: http://snipurl.com/gce48. These gizmos connect the tape player to a USB port on the computer, and they come with software that will do the recording.

 

·         If you have a camcorder,you can connect the VCR's Video Out jackto the Video In jackon the camcorder, and then record the movie to the camcorder. Then, use the camcorder's software to transfer the movie to the computer. Check the camcorder's manual for the best way to do this.

 

How do you get the recorded movie onto a DVD?

More free software! After you get the movie onto the computer, it's a snap to burn the movie to DVD. Get DVD Flick from http://www.dvdflick.net. Drag the video file into the DVD Flick window, and then click Create DVD. That's it! You're done! Now you can preserve and share digital memories for years.

 

Next issue I’ll talk about all the great free software in cyberspace. If there's anything you'd like to see in a future tech column, ping me at Darryl-Gittins@hotmail.com.