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Newbie With A New Ehd Needs To Reorganize - Help, Please?


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Just discovered digiscrapping a few months ago. Love the possibilities. Have picked up lots of digiscrapping files online, and have lots of pictures to be scanned. However, my computer hd is nearly full, so I've left a lot of my downloaded zip files zipped - some moved into the digital scrapbooking folder on my computer, and some still in the "downloaded" section. I've wanted to scan a box of pictures to work with, but haven't had the room on my hd.

 

Enter: my wonderful dh! He just bought me a 2TB EHD! Now - what to do with it?

 

Keeping in mind that I want to be able to use free time to digiscrap when we travel, so leaving some stuff to work with on the computer itself might be beneficial...

 

And keeping in mind that all my photos and digital scrapbooking items that have been opened are neatly filed using Picasa...

 

Can you help me figure out how to manage it all? I know I need to use my new EHD as a backup for ALL my documents, however, I also need to move some stuff over so that I'm not using up all my computer's hard drive space.

 

This is what I'm working with:

-my computer has 222 GB harddrive, with only 7.62 GB free remaining.

-my current pics on the computer are approximately 9.5 GB.

-I have lots of pics I'd love to scan.

-my digiscrap folder has about 18 GB in it - open and usable

-downloaded stuff not yet unzipped is a little over 5 GB - which will expand tremendously once it is unzipped.

-my new EHD is 2TB.

 

Now what?

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I just got a new LT last spring that has 500GB on it...I have 151 still free. I have everything I have on it on a 1TB EHD...Is your EHD a portable? Not sure what that means but mine is a "My Passport" and it was called a portable.If it is you could take it with and use it while treveling. One thing you could store on your EHD only is the PSD files of all your LO's. That freed up ALOT of space when I moved them over. I don't have them on the LT anymore. I have TONS of photos to scan too and may get another EHD just for photos. I like to keep as much as possible on my LT too as I have Carbonite offline back up for that. Could you upgrade your memory on you Lap Top? They say you should have everything in 3 places to be really sure you won't lose anything. I'm sure someone who knows ALOT more than me will come and give you better info.

 

It is mind boggeling isn't it....all the supplies we have. I "copy" all my paper into one folder (still keep all the kits intact) and it has 10,986 sheets of paper in it :o ........Oh what fun to collect!!!!

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Welcome to the world of ever-expanding need for HD space. A great big EHD like your wonderful DH got you is a great start. I keep the majority of my scrapping supplies (about 90 GB worth now) on an EHD, with a second back-up EHD (both 500GB) along with my scrapped LOs, both psd and jpg files. My computer automatically unzips files at download, so every once in awhile I'll zip up a batch from my backup HD. I have two other EHDs (750GB each) for backing up my photos. I also have a 2 TB backup for my whole LT (which had a 500GB HD). I keep current photos, photos that have been scanned and my most recent scrapping supplies on my LT for a few months, then move them to the "storage" drives. Most of my EHDs are portables, so I can take them with me when I travel. Be aware that EHDs do fail, mostly due to the backup software they come with. I lost all my scrapping stuff once. It was recovered, but all the filenames had been corrupted and were just nonsense. What a mess that was to straighten out.

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Welcome to the world of ever-expanding need for HD space. A great big EHD like your wonderful DH got you is a great start. I keep the majority of my scrapping supplies (about 90 GB worth now) on an EHD, with a second back-up EHD (both 500GB) along with my scrapped LOs, both psd and jpg files. My computer automatically unzips files at download, so every once in awhile I'll zip up a batch from my backup HD. I have two other EHDs (750GB each) for backing up my photos. I also have a 2 TB backup for my whole LT (which had a 500GB HD). I keep current photos, photos that have been scanned and my most recent scrapping supplies on my LT for a few months, then move them to the "storage" drives. Most of my EHDs are portables, so I can take them with me when I travel. Be aware that EHDs do fail, mostly due to the backup software they come with. I lost all my scrapping stuff once. It was recovered, but all the filenames had been corrupted and were just nonsense. What a mess that was to straighten out.

 

I was getting a bit paranoid :unsure: and finally decided that with everything on Two EHD's, The LapTop and backed up with Carbonite...If all were to fail...well It's pretty certain we are all doomed anyway :rolleyes: Gosh I have alot of stuff tho!!!

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I'm not sure about what you should move, although digi-scrap files would be at the top of my list since you have only 7.6 GB free. When Windows has less than 10 or 15% free, regardless of drive size, it REALLY struggles. Windows uses spare disk space as memory swap space, so when you're out of space, you also constrain memory.

 

You can back up your scrapping files to another EHD, or to Carbonite, and if the very worst happens, our fabulous customer service person, Angie, has given links for all purchases to folks who've endured a drive disaster. But you really need some free space if you're going to have the computer function well.

 

You might search for WinDirStat on the internet to find out what's using up the most space; it's invaluable to me. This thread, post 7, shows an example of the results: http://scrapgirls.com.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=50133&st=0&p=899234&fromsearch=1entry899234. WinDirStat is free.

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Thanks for the help, ladies!

 

I moved the entire digiscrap file over to the Dhd. I unzipped and filed all my goodies. Wow! It looks great!

 

WinDirStat is great, Barbara! Most of my space looks like ITunes music and movies - about 75 GB worth. Not sure if anything can be done about that. But it's good to know.

 

I didn't know what Carbonite was, but checked into it. I've talked with dh about it, and it looks like he's open to the idea of both of us getting set up with Carbonite this summer. (We'll wait until we are in the U.S. this summer, where our upload speed will be a lot faster, to do the initial setup.)

 

I'm interested in the comment about Ehds failing "mostly due to the backup software that comes with them." Can somebody tell me more about this?

 

I'm still open to more tips, if anyone has any ideas!

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Cindy, I'm so glad you liked WinDirStat. As you said, whether or not you can do much about it, at least you have a much better idea what's consuming the space.

 

As a metallurgist/materials scientist who designed disk drives and worked in that industry for 18 years, I can't really support the comment "EHDs fail mostly due to the backup software that comes with them." Disk drives are built from astonishing technology, and the tolerances for successful operation are staggeringly small. When the disk is rotating at 5400 or 7200 rpm, you're lucky if there's more than one molecule of oxygen or nitrogen between the read/write heads and the disks. The tiniest contaminant will gradually damage the surface more and more until it starts really self-destructing and is unreadable; a hard drop or bounce, or flop onto a table can also begin the death spiral. Condensation from cold can also be a problem.

 

NEVER carry them around with some protective padding (especially the small thin ones,) and ALWAYS set them down gently. If you've had them in a car and they've gotten colder than about 50F or warmer than about 85F, let them equilibrate for a while at room temperature before firing them up.

 

Disk drives are fabulous, and amazing precision instruments, operating in most cases for long times at high speeds and tight tolerances. My detailed work experience in the technology only puts me in further awe that they work so well. Sadly, that means they are at risk, too, even in "normal" operation in a stationary desktop.

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  • 1 year later...

I have 2 EHD's that I use, one 1TB one that is a "desktop" and plugs in and not meant to be portable that backs up my computer constantly. I have a second 500GB "portable" one (small, doesn't plug in) that I use to store my digital scrapbooking supplies and photos only. I also keep all my zip folders and burn them to DVD's for backup

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