Dear Tech In-Law,
I use Picasa to manage my pictures on my computer and I have about 15,000 pictures now. I was recently advised to purchase an external hard drive to back them up and need to know how to do so. Do I just drag the pictures folder over to the external drive?
Beth


Dear Beth,
15,000 pictures?! Wow! I thought I had a lot! Anyway, backing up your files is a really important issue and unfortunately one that lots of people neglect. It's easier than ever to get this done, and not just for pictures, but for all your files. Your pictures stored on your computer are certainly invaluable and I am glad you are taking the proper steps to help prevent any data loss. There are several ways to backup your files, and I would suggest an online service such as mozy or carbonite that is located offsite from your house or business as the safest method. Next to an online backup service, using an external drive is an easy way to store a copy of your data in a second location.

You mentioned Picasa which is a great application from Google that is free of charge and can really help you take control of all your digital images. Most applications like this have a backup feature built into the application which makes it very easy to schedule. Here are the steps to follow in Picasa:

• In Picasa, do a Tools -> "Backup Pictures..." menu choice.
• Click the "New Set" button (we want a full backup to your external drive).
• Give it a name... e.g., External Drive Full Backup
• Click the "disk-to-disk" radio button...
• Click the "Choose..." button and navigate to your external drive....
• Click the "Create" button (to create the backup set definition
• Click the "Select All" button (to select all your photos)
• Click the "Backup" button to actually do the backup.

That should take care of it! I suggest you look at doing this not only for your pictures, but for all your other important files on your computer. The online services mentioned above are very affordable, usually about $4 or $5 per month. These services contain automatic backup scheduling so once you set everything up you can forget about it and have peace of mind. If you plan on using your external drive for these backups as well, you will need to setup your own scheduled backup plan. Good luck and keep those memories alive!