[ebony]

My computer is stating to fill up with photos so I would like to store them onto another media. What would be the best recommended media? CDs DVDs or memory chip?

[etaf]

if they are important, then I would make more than one copy to DVD / CD
But also I print out any really good images I want to keep.

[slipe]

If you make two copies to CD or DVD from the same batch and find later that one has gone bad there is a good chance the other will be bad also. I’ve saved things to multiple CDs and DVDs without other backup but I’m fussy when I do it. I use two different brands and run Nero CD-DVD Speed on the higher quality disc to make sure the error rate is low. There are CDs I burned eleven years ago that have been in my truck changer all that time that still play. So they can be reliable.

I’ve learned from running CD Speed over the years that a medium burning speed (maybe 24X for CD) usually has fewer errors than full speed. Most burning programs let you set the speed. Some people feel that 2X or 4X (extremely slow) is more reliable, but I haven’t found that to be the case with any of my CD burners. I’ve had only a couple DVD burners and that isn’t enough to make a good judgment, but medium speed seems to have lower error rates. The X speed equivalent is a lot higher with DVD.

It is best to use two different forms of storage if you are going to erase the source from the hard drive. I use an external hard drive and either CD or DVD. Memory sticks are reliable if you store them in a safe place, but you should also copy to CD or DVD as well.

Whatever you elect to store your photos on be sure to thoroughly check your storage copies before deleting them from the computer HD. Just because one photo looks fine doesn’t necessarily mean they all are. And don’t trust just the thumbnails – it is possible to have good thumbs and bad full sized photos.

[lveith]

One option is to store your images on an online storage such as Picasso through google or I personally use Costco network

[Knotbored]

Almost any storage method we use today will likely become obsolete if you want grandkids to view them 50 years from now. If these are "absoluetly/positively" necessary to store for extended periods then choose several methods (CD/DVD/Memory stick/Hard copy (each now costs only a few cents) then store copies in different places so fire or flooding (or memory loss) ruins one or more.
I am sure there are many important historical documents stored on wax cylenders that look like TP centers but can't be retrieved, and most civil war photos stored on glass panels ruined by sunlight.

[Hughv]

Picasa web gallery:
http://picasa.google.com/
MS Sky Drive:
http://skydrive.live.com/

[ebony]

Thanks for the info.

[Noyb]

How about a USB external Hard Drive ???

[ebony]

I have an external HD which I use but my photos are starting to take up an awful lot of room. Maybe I'll buy another one?

[Hughv]

External drives are good, but all drives will fail sooner or later and shouldn't be trusted with important data.
Optical and online backups are essential if your data is important to you.

[Happy00000]

External Hard Drive is a good way. I just bought this My Book Essential 1 TB External Hard Drive.
I have now moved all of my video, photos, and music to these drives.