lex1 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>I am hoping for some advice from photo.net users regarding storing my digital photographs. I currently have an external drive which I use to back up my PC but would like to back this up in case of any unforseen disasters such as theft/fire. I cannot decide whether to buy another external drive which I could leave with a friend or whether to store the files through a 3rd party provider such as Jungle Disk. I would need to initially store 400GB and would probably add a further 50GB per year max. I would not need access to download the files except in a fire/theft situation. I am not a professional so would like to keep costs to a minimum. I would appreciate any thoughts on this or if anyone knows of a very cheap way of storing images online, bearing in mind that many of my PS files are 20-80GB.<br> Many thanks<br> Alex</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former P.N Member Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>Your best bet would probably be (multiple) external drives. <br> Online storage is limited by your internet upload speed. Calculate how much time it will take to upload your data based on your internet speed to see if it can even be done.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>The problem with multiple external drives is that they are all stored in one location. That doesn't help in the event of certain situations. It's far better to at least also back up to DVDs that are stored at some other location, or an online location. I maintain four copies, two each of hard drive and two each of DVD, with one set of each stored 3000 miles away with a relative.</p> Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert lee Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>I tend to view software as a service only as a last resort. With 1TB drives now at below $100, just archive your own data.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard-just-Leonard Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>online archival storage services can come and go with no notice. this would seem to be far less secure and accessable than buying another drive and renting a safe deposit box in a bank if necessary.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex1 Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>External drives and DVDs (dotted around London) it is then. Thanks.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>It isn't just photographers that need to keep a copy of their data off-site. You probably know somebody else that could use a spot on a shelf somewhere else for an external drive. Just swap 'em out once a month or so. Great reason to get together for a cup of coffee. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosvanEekelen Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>Let me first state that I have no special knowledge on the subject but external storage can offer a much more stringent back-up system than most of us apply. Does anybody know whether such a system exists? Personally I'd be interested in it. Although I intend to store my backups in two locations at this time all originals and backups are in the same place.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richterjw Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <p>Small water/fire proof safes can be purchased at many Wal-Mart type stores for less than $50. Even small ones are guranteed up to 90 minutes at 400 degrees. This may be a viable solution, but obviously wouldn't protect you against theft, unless it were in a larger more secure safe.</p> <p>You may also consider a safe deposit box at the bank. JR</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert lee Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 <blockquote> <p>Does anybody know whether such a system exists?</p> </blockquote> <p>Off-site archiving? Many firms provide this service. Start by googling "iron mountain" then go down the list to shop for price and service.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_newton Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 <p>I store any really important images on DVD in my safe deposit box. I have a DVD of my wedding photos in there. I am also slipping a DVD of all of the images my wife have taken and scans of my important images over the last year or so in to the safe deposit box soon (so from a few months before my son was born to about his first birthday). On site stuff is stored on my wife's laptop (her pictures) and my computer (my scans) and are backed up to a 640gb external harddrive. Of course I also have the negatives archived (in a nice cool neutral humidity closet in the basement).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjoseph7 Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 <p>There was an article recently in a photography magazine, I think it was Professional Photographer, about a major external third party storage systems going out of business. the people that used this system had all types of problems trying to get their data back. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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