[Leica] Simplified Backup for the average Digital Photographer....

[Frank Filippone]

This is written to help those who are not computer savvy, and have a few years of digital photos they wish to preserve, and especially want to 
backup.  I will try to be as easy on the techie talk as possible.

Follow the advice, don't follow the advice, your choice.... but this is MY OPINION.

You  have had a digital camera for several years, and maybe you have downloaded your images to the HDD in your computer.  Maybe you never did that, 
but keep  all your SD cards with the images on them.

You have a few thousand images... maybe more.

You want to preserve them... for "posterity".  Or your Kids.  Or because you are a hoarder.

You have no reason to spend more than a couple hundred $$$. ( Keep the cost low.)

You have a PC.  You have a MAC.  Does not matter. Ditto shooting in RAW or JPEGs.

You want to rationalize your current photo image backup system, with something that works "better".

Go get an USB 3.0,  EXTERNAL, HDD.   There are two brands, Seagate or Western Digital.  Makes no difference which you choose.

It will come in a capacity of 4TB to 20TB.  Figure a cost of about $15 per TB.

Do not buy a portable HDD. get the _desktop version_.

What size for ME?  big enough.... use this as a guideline....

If you produce RAW 60MP images, each 1TB of HDD space will hold roughly 16,000 images.

Do the math.... or just use this advice, buy the 8TB model. That is a lifetime of images for Mr. Joe Average, amateur photographer.

Dedicate this HDD to your images only.  Or not.

How easy is this to install?  Plug it in to power and use the enclosed USB cable to your computer.  Done. Installed.

Figure out HOW you wish to establish the hierarchy of folders... by Year?  Camera?  Country/Topic?  Set up those folders.

Copy all your image files to the external HDD. ( this may take a while ... do it the first time at night.... )

Done.

Yes, it really is that easy.

Do not pay attention to the recent nonsense on RAID Arrays, JBOD, NAS, DAS, LAN, or other words that you really have no interest in.  Just go get the 
8TB USB 3.0,  EXTERNAL, HDD, and start using it.

Happy backup heaven.


Frank Filippone

BMWRed735i at Gmail.com