Happy Happy New Year " remember to back up" Protect your precious memories

I have heard them say " When all else fails, PRAY " My faith in GOD has been renewed and I feel as if I have been re-born again. ON Xmas eve my external hard drive crashed and I had about 60 000 pictures on there. I was so afraid to leave my pictures on my laptop that I purchased a 500 GB external hard drive and then removed my pictures from the laptop. I should never have done that. Back up means you have copies of your work in more than one place. It is recommended that you save your work on your computer and back up to an external hard drive and then you back up the hard drive to another hard drive. You can never have it in too many places. It is also recommended that you copy all your pics to DVDs. I am going to organize my pic in a better way. Here is what I suggest you do to protect your memories: *Make one folder on PC called photos *make one folder for each year that you have pics * organize pics by month Some people have other ways that work like themes, holidays, people etc. Find a method that works for you. Just remember you need to pick one and stick with it. For me it works better to organize according to the calendar. If I need Easter pics I go to the March or April folder and if it is Xmas I know to look in December folder. Then you drag each month to the year it belongs to. * You then back up to the external hard drive and back up once more. Yes this is a very long process but if you stay organized it will be easier to locate what you need when you need it. I try to edit my pics as soon I download the camera. If you are like me then you may need to download everyday or at least once a week. That way you have fewer pics to edit. Do not be afraid to invest in software to help. There are many out there. I like to use Photoshop Lightroom. It is a high end product and it is not for everyone. ACDSEE is another good one. You can also use Kodak software. You can download for free :http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/software/easyshare/en/dln_ekn026079.jhtml?pq-path=4509 This is a very user friendly software and you can edit with one click. A lot of woman I know use photoshop. There are many versions of this and you need to find what fits your pocketbook and your needs. If you have any questions or need any help at all please drop me a line. I cannot tell you how happy I am that Geek Squad was able to save my pics considering my drive was smoking.I prayed and prayed and GOD heard my pitiful cries. I believe , do you ? I have been so torn about religion for so long as I grew up Hindu and married a Catholic yet we do not follow any one way. My poor kids are lacking in this road. I have talked about it to a few friends that are from South Africa in hopes they will be able to guide me and understand. They all recommended praying. You do not need to go to church or fast like most Hindu's believe. All you need to do is close my eyes and pray because he can hear you no matter where you are. That makes sense now. I may not get dressed up and go to church on a Sunday morning or meditate in a temple but I will pray now and I know that is all it takes and he will never forsake any one. Thank you so much for your patience and support. Thanks for your kind words Melissa and to you Shirley. I truly feel so much better and alive. MY sinus infection is not completely cleared but happy a re-charge to my soul and mind emotionally and mentally will help me recover to 150% again physically in no time. I sure do miss being int 10Th gear. This time I will promise not to over do it and if I cut some corners it will be okay. Now I know that. Free Spirit !