I have always left my stick in my laptop, never had a problem. When picking up the laptop I accidently bumpted the stick. Apparently the wires broke inside the plastic protective part. It is fried, can't be fixed. I about had an anxiety attack! But, but, but, I had backed it up about a week ago! So I have spent all day yesterday online re-downloading my purchased designs and as many of the free ones as I could still find...Thank goodness for backups! I don't know what I would have done, I have almost 200,000 designs! Back 'em up, ladies, back 'em up!

Well, this little net book has been doing so well, that I decided to let my daily backup slide until the end of the week. I put my daily downloads in a folder dated the day they're downloaded, then drop them on a memory stick. When I have put them into my final control folder, usually once a month, then I back up that folder (CD and the stick)and delete all the dated folders. For some reason I decided Thursday that it was time to put the designs on the stick. THANK GOD. So I'm back to doing the stick every day, as soon as I finish here in the morning. I don't think that you can ever back up too much!

The absolute BEST way to store your designs would be a solid state hard drive. They are more expensive than a regular hard drive, but have NO MOVING PARTS. You do not have to pay a subscription, they are not so sensitive to the sun or UV, and they are like the Energizer Bunny...they keep going and going. If your designs are very valuable to you, you might consider that. Then store it somewhere safe, like a safety deposit box at your local bank. And just to be sure, get some ARCHIVE QUALITY DVDs (important little tidbit there) and burn a copy or three. Give one to your friend or family member to put in their safety deposit box or safe place in case of fire or other disaster. Or if you are having a storm or major event that you are worried about it surviving, mail it to yourself....the slow way :)

Yup, Cd's, DVD's, hard drive, MacAfee whatever it's called backup system thru MacAfee Super Wonderful Virus and Protection Plan (I forgot it's name, jeez). DVD's are cheap, and you don't really need re-writables. You can sort your designs into categories, like redwork, fsl, animals, flowers, etc. and keep a DVD for each type. Add them as you get them, till the DVD is full, should take a long time. And don't forget to label them, then remember which "safe place" you put the darn things. Sigh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose... Hugs, Marji

2 comments

by snowbird42 19 Aug 2011

just a caution we have had ( where i work computer business) people bring in a dvd that they have added and added called a multisession and they dont always work ( it is called a bad burn)

by meganne 21 Aug 2011

That only applies to 'WRITEABLE' DVD's, that you have to tell your program to leave each session open, then when the disc is full you close the session.
I have never had much success using CD's or DVD's this way, though I had done it when I worked in IT.

RE-writeable DVD's/CD's, do not have multi-sessions but look and act exactly the same as a pc drive, you never actually have to 'close' the DVD, it remains open to add to, or remove from, or even re-format and start again, for the life of the DVD/CD.

I have learned to back up two or three disks, for my family photos, I have had disks go bad too, which I learned the hard way. Family photos are dear to me and have the scrapbooks to prove it! I will do the extra backups for designs too.

meganne is right the cost of a dvd is about 50cents sometimes less it is important to back up and burn a data dvd it holds so much info all you need is a burning programme such as nero it is really the best way to protect yor designs

Meganne, I posted a question to your answer but it didn't bring it to the top! So please look further down. Thanks, Linda

1 comment

by meganne 19 Aug 2011

I posted a detailed answer with photo's, no where in blazes is it???

Hard copies-cd or dvd. Make more than one, test first before you delete your originals to make sure they work, and don't keep all the copies in the same place.
I have copies cds of dl stuff, and copies of cds after I have sorted and catalogued. May seem like a lot of work, but I have copies of things all over.

I do not trust memory sticks. I put the files on my stick, but also on my computer, on an external hard drive, AND back them up on DVD. There is a much smaller chance of ALL of them going out. And if that does happen, I'll probably have much bigger problems than a technology snafu. Good luck getting your files back!!!

hubby had a back up external drive. everything stored on it backed up from the computer guess what. somehow it died. i have ALL my designs on an external drive guess what i will be doing today. yep copying everything to discs. but i must admit to useing "yahoo save" feature and forwarding all the new designs to my yahoo account and storeing them that way, then, even if my computer crashes i can at least get them back simply by logging into my yahoo acc, and downloading them again from there
annie in the uk

1 comment

by justonlyme 19 Aug 2011

Was the drive, by any chance, a LaCie?? If so, you can get a new power supply from them and it will work just fine. We went through about four of those before deciding that they weren't worth the effort. Just wondering. Good luck.

I have some on my laptop and a bunch on my desktop and I have an ext. hard drive always connected to the desktop except when I take it to the sewing room to back up from the laptop. I also have a bunch of them on sticks and have to finish that too!
Glad you had most of them backed up.

Linda, I use sticks BUT have an extension hub so the sticks are not connected into the port. That way if I bump the computer the sticks are safe. Have had 2 sticks that were damaged before but managed to get the designs from them. All my designs once sorted are on my portable hard drive and another computer, so mine are backed up 3 times. TOOOOO much to lose..

I don't have 200,000 designs, maybe 2,000, however I just got carbonite. $60 for the year and I have no worries, it does it at night when I'm not on.

1 comment

by marjialexa 18 Aug 2011

Just a heads up--make sure your designs are really going up to Carbonite. Someone posted having trouble with Carbonite, for some reason the design files were not being backed up. Don't remember why. Any way you can check to make sure they're there? Wish I remembered more about this problem....oh, well, old age...hugs, Marji

OH, how many times have I tried to tell Cuties of just this problem?????

They will also FAIL for no apparent reason, so PLEASE take notice, it doesn't take much to damage them.

Thank you Linda for reinforcing all my warnings.

The best and cheapest way to store designs is to buy re-writable DVD's, you can use them just like your pc folders and they are so cheap nowadays you can afford to have multiple copies.

Hugs n roses, Meganne

2 comments

by linda8450 18 Aug 2011

Meganne, When I first started I did use rewritable cds, but with 200,000 designs there is no way to fit them all on just a few, so how do you do that. I have all the designs in folders with main subjects and subfolders in each one for rw, applique, mylar, etc. No way I can find a design I want on 100 cds or more!! How do you handle a search? Thanks, Linda

by jussyc 18 Aug 2011

Use DVDs instead, you can save so much more on them. :)

I don't trust those sticks too much to go wrong, so I have gone back to DVD's.

I put my backup in the cloud!

YES, backup now and often.

Thank you for the good advice,we need reminding every now and then. I'm glad you have not lost so much. G

Thank you for the good advice,we need reminding every now and then. I'm glad you have not lost so much. G