Help Needed With Computer Photograhs

Salamisboy


Joined: 20/03/2011
Posts: 54

Message Posted:
24/03/2011 21:40

My PC died losing all of the data.



I had a free prog which allowed me to crop and play around with photos. I didn't use it very often and, as is often the case, need to use it now that I don't have it but I cannot recall what the prog was called.



Can anyone help with a link to this type of prog? TIA



Sb.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
24/03/2011 21:54

Too late for you, Salamisboy, but as a sideline for others who believe that hard drives have an eternal life (or don't think about computer disasters at all):

▶ http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/57317.asp [ second paragraph of message 2 ].



Salamisboy, there are dozens of free (simple) and sophisticated (commercial, expensive) programs to work with graphics on a PC. If you have access to another computer: Google " free software crop graphics ". Good luck. If you can't find what you are looking for, let me know here and I'll help you find it.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
24/03/2011 22:06

Salamisboy, make your choice: ▶ [ http://www.google.com/search?q=free+software+pc+crop+graphics&hl=en&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=images&tbs= ]

Salamisboy


Joined: 20/03/2011
Posts: 54

Message Posted:
24/03/2011 22:58

Many thanks for that info DC.



I copy a lot of files to a dongle but never thought about the progs!



I shall have a play around tomorrow on those links.



All the best.

Sb.

batterboy58



Joined: 20/04/2008
Posts: 442

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 01:24

Hi



I wonder if the prog you are thinking of could be GIMP, very good and available for Linux, Windows or Mac



http://www.gimp.org

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 09:09

A timely reminder that hard drives are not eternal. I bought myself a usb hard drive for 500 GB recently and I set it up last night to keep a backup for my laptop. I set it up so that it will syncronize "my documents" and "outlook express" at the touch of a button. How wonderful. I hope I set it up correctly.



Just a thought. I have a paid up copy of "Babylon" on my computer, the only programme which is not a pirate. Is it possible to back it up as well? I am using windows xp and I think they have some facility called "ghost" which presumably copies everything and restores back the system when something goes wrong. Any advice on that please?

ismet

aussiejock



Joined: 06/10/2010
Posts: 350

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 17:05

use Acronis True Image the best backup software, I used Norton Ghost for years and loved the program but the later releases of Ghost are way over the top, and more complicated, Acronis is just a few mouse clicks and it will back up your system in 6 minutes, even does continuous back ups and it does it while you are still in Windows, so it doesn't reboot your system to make the image, just change the destination drive to your usb drive and Acronis will back up to that drive, when you restore your system again you can use the Acronis boot disk that you made or do the full restore from your Windows XP desktop, to restore your system from the back up you made, it goes into reboot to restore your system, which wipes your hard drive C and restores your backup, takes around 9 minutes to restore Windows 7 and everything you had on that drive say 28gig.





Robert

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 19:33

There are several good back up progs for PC (Ismet mentioned one in message 6) - and they are all based on the original Apple Macintosh invention called TimeMachine: an hourly backup of all changed files on your hard drives (internal and external). They will be stored on your dedicated backup drive. So: per day 24 backups and then comprised in a days backup the next day until the drive is full.

Far more important than the program however is ▶ ▶ ▶ the seize of your your backup drive. Buy one with a storage capacity as large as you can afford ((at the moment I use a TWO Terabyte (2000 Gig), very fast FireWire 800 hard drive)). Why this advise: if you are a heavy user (working on many large graphic files per day) you'll be amazed how many Gigabytes will be backupped daily.

Well, whatever you buy: BACKUP your progs and files. You can read on C44 regularly the mess you're in if you DON'T backup msg 1). EVERY HARD DRIVE WILL DIE ONE DAY - YOURS ALSO!

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 21:37

RE msg 8: I forgot to explain that one day when your backup drive reports to be full - the backup program starts to delete the backup of the oldest day and then starts to fill the drive again. And so on. Till the drive dies. So for most users it's a good strategy to buy a new backup drive after two years. Heavy users may change the backup drive after one year (at least that's what I do). Drives are cheap nowadays - your progs and files are not!

spider


Joined: 03/01/2009
Posts: 5527

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 21:39

Thanks for the reminder folks I now think that I should also download all my beloved photos and keep them on a DVD for future years to come,so the great grandchildren can also have a good laugh





Now how do I do that ? something else to learn !





Spider,X

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 21:52

RE msg 10, spider: backing up photographs on removable media (CD's, DVD's, DVD DL's etc) is old fashioned and time consuming. There are many free possibilities to backup your non-commercial pictures online.

spider


Joined: 03/01/2009
Posts: 5527

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 22:09

Thanks Hans but I just feel that I should have a collection of them like you have a photo album just in case there comes a day when my computer is crashed or something ! its the grandmother in me Old fashioned or not I feel I need the reassurance that they are all safe and on the bookcase as extra



Hans have you any spare time to help me please..I have no idea what discs to even purchase







Spider,X

lovingcyprus


Joined: 02/03/2007
Posts: 1272

Message Posted:
25/03/2011 23:34

message 12 get yourself a USB memory stick this I personnaly think is better than putting photos on disks.