C.D/ FLASH DRIVE

[wini]

I have XP Pro.
A family member has sent me some photographs on a CD.
Without putting them on to my hard drive can I copy them to a flash drive?

wini

[AndrewP]

Hi Wini,

If your PC can see both the CD and the Flash Drive, then you should be able to do a direct copy from one to the other using Windows Explorer.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Currie]

Hello Wini,

Just in case you need a step-by-step. There are so many different ways to do this, depending on whether you are a Dragger and Dropper, a Copier and Paster, a Copy To’er or whatever. Here’s a couple of ways. (Can be a good idea to virus scan the CD as well beforehand)

1. Insert the Flash drive.
(Just close any box that appears)
2. Insert CD and go to the window displaying the Photo icons.
3. Select the photos you want to copy.
(If all, see Edit menu top of screen – select all)
4. On Edit menu – click Copy to Folder
5. On the “Copy Items” thing that appears find the Flash Drive.
(Might show as Removable Disk or PKBACK or whatever – the Drive letter will probably be the one after your CD/DVD Drives and will in most cases be E or F – if that looks confusing try the second method.)
6. Click on that drive and on the copy button.

OR

To copy and paste.
1. Insert the Flash drive.
(Select to display contents if a box appears and it hasn’t already done so)
2. Insert CD and go to the window displaying the Photo icons.
3. Select the photos you want to copy.
(If all see Edit menu top of screen – select all)
4. On Edit menu – click Copy
5. Go to the flash drive window.
6. On that Windows Edit menu click Paste.

Before removing the flash Drive close the drives window, left click on the system tray icon (the one with the little green arrow at the very bottom right hand corner of your screen – click the remove USB mass storage device thing and wait for the OK. The idea of that is so you can be certain the computer has finished the job.

Just post back if you have any problems.

Alan

[wini]

Thank you Alan,

I will try when I get off here.

wini

[wini]

I DID IT!!!!!!

Thanks Alan.
Another question.

I was reading an article that said Flash Drives are not a good storage method.
You should only use C.D or DVD for storage.
What do you think?

wini

[q98]

Hi wini

AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, I back-up ALL my genealogy in Word docs, scans, photographs etc. to both a 4Gb USB key (Toshiba at Hardly Normals cost me $49) and CD. My genealogy program (BK6) is backed-up to a removable 80Gb hard-disk drive (cost $109). Having fallen victim to two viruses which crashed my 'pooter, I have learned the hard way.

As USB keys can become "unstable", mine are replaced at the 12 month mark with the old one going to one of my daughters for whatever.

[wini]

Thanks for your advice Jim.
If I buy an external hard drive, how do I connect it to my computer??
By a USB port???
You can tell I know very little about computers, although I am willing to learn.


wini

[q98]

G'day Wini

Let us assume your 'pooter has at least one USB port.

A removable hard-drive simply plugs into the USB port in exactly the same way a USB key does and then registers as another drive: eg. "E".

The removable hard-drive should come packaged with its own lead. One end will fit ONLY the USB port and the other ONLY fit the removable hard-disk so you cannot make a mistake.

If you are fussy about the siting of your removable hard-disk, remember to check the distance between the USB port and where you will site the removable hard-disk as you may require an extension.

If your 'pooter has only ONE USB port, you can purchase a "hub" from "Hardly Normal" or similar.

Remember Murphy's Law! Talk with the sales rep until you are satisfied!

[Currie]

Hello Wini,

You can’t really trust any method of storage as they might last for many years or could fail tomorrow so it’s best to have your bases covered and backup onto several types of media. That way it’s much less likely you’ll lose any data.

Jim’s got the right idea. Each fortnight I Backup my Family History folder onto a USB Flash drive and my complete documents Folder onto a Portable hard drive and part of it onto a second computer. Every couple of months I burn my important stuff onto DVDs and park them at a relative’s house as disaster insurance. If I do any important or time consuming work between fortnights I copy it to the Flash drive.

Flash drives can fail for no apparent reason or they start to imagine they’re something else. The last time I bought one I tried three different brands before I found one that worked in my computer. I kept taking them back to the shop. They’re probably getting more reliable as time goes by and they would want to be because they talking about using flash memory in computers to replace the hard drives they currently have especially in things like notebooks.

Alan

[wini]

Alan & Jim,
You are both incredibly conscientious with your data..
Whereas, I just bowl along thinking I have never had a computer crash, so, why should it happen now.
Wrong attitude I know.
I will buy an external hard drive, so expect more questions

Thanks wini