How to preserve memories forever?

So🙂,
until just a few years ago, I wasn't really into photography, let alone worrying about what would happen to the files.
But then the photos started piling up. Now, I’ve bought two external hard drives to store everything—essentially keeping two separate copies—so I can clear them off my computer entirely.
Yet, looking at those little plastic boxes, I feel... uneasy.
Everything is on there. My family memories, pictures of my son... if I were to lose all of that, I honestly don't know how I'd cope.😢.

I do print out an occasional photo album, but that's a tiny fraction of what I have, and every single shot means something to me.

Does anyone have advice on what else I should be doing, or should I just stop stressing and relax?😁?

Burn to DVD? Use a DVD-RAM? Or should I just invest in a dedicated storage server?

Laura Evans3 said:Burn it to a DVD? DVD-RAM? Buy a dedicated storage server?

She could just burn it to a standard DVD for all I care.
I'll look into what a storage server actually entails.
Thanks.🙂.

Laura Evans3 said:Like, what are we talking about here? Burn some DVDs? DVD-RAM? Is it worth dropping cash on a massive storage server?

Just how "permanent" are we actually talking about here?

It would be best to print them so you actually have physical copies.
I used to keep everything on my computer and just kept putting off burning them to discs or getting them printed, then one day my hard drive crashed or Microsoft Windows failed and everything was gone. It felt like I had lost five years of my life...

Now I have accumulated a lot more, and I am procrastinating again. 🙄 I mean, I would make them all if I could, but everything is so expensive these days. For instance, printing is the cheapest option; a single 6x5 inch photo is only about ten cents if I recall correctly, but when you buy a thousand or more, it adds up to a massive amount. They even have deals where every third photo is free now, but still.
I once did a trial run of 50 photos with them and they turned out great, but since uploading those 50 took over an hour, I don't even want to imagine how long it would take for 1,000. 😲

Amy Rivera66 said:You’d be better off printing them so you actually have physical copies.
I used to keep everything on my computer and constantly put off burning them to a DVD or getting them printed, and then one day my drive died or Microsoft Windows crashed and everything was gone. It felt like I had lost five years of my life...

Now I have another huge backlog and I’m procrastinating again. 🙄 I mean, I’d make them all if it weren't so expensive these days. For instance, printing is the cheapest option—a 6x5 inch photo is maybe 10 cents if I remember correctly—but when you're looking at 1,000 photos, that adds up fast. They even have deals where every third print is free now, but still.
Once, I did a test run of 50 photos and they turned out great, but since uploading those 50 took over an hour, I don't even want to imagine how long it would take for 1,000. 😲

True, it's expensive, and besides, where do you even store it all?🤷.
I make one large photo book a year, though I hesitate because $333 larger formats are quite pricey. But even then, it doesn't account for even 10 percent of what I have.
Just recently, my friends and I were talking about this because we swap photos at the end of summer, and everyone just keeps them on their computers, constantly putting off deciding what to do with them, just like you said.
I bought two external hard drives, but I bought them on the same day, same brand (I think that was a mistake), and I keep them under the exact same conditions.
It isn't actually that illogical for them to fail at the same time. You go to look at your pictures after a few months and—poof...
I'll also make a backup on a DVD.

Question: If anyone's external hard drive has failed, how long did it last before it died? 😁 Thanks.

@Laura Evans3/">@@Laura Evans3 I looked into storage servers, but I'm not entirely clear on the concept. Could you give me a sentence or two?
It would be ideal if information could be recovered even if a drive fails. 🙂.

Perhaps the most prudent course of action would be to select a handful of photographs for professional printing. As for the remaining digital files, you might as well keep them on your hard drive and simply hope they remain intact for as long as possible... though, let’s be honest, even if a drive eventually fails, you will still possess those few "most precious" physical copies you had made
.
Besides, this could serve as a welcome opportunity to declutter your collection of memories. Realistically, what purpose does having 5,000 snapshots sitting on a hard drive actually serve? You aren't going to sit there and review every single one; you'll likely find a few meaningful shots and leave the rest as mere filler ... So, I suggest you prune the collection without a hint of guilt 😁

casualwolf12 said:Maybe the best move is to pick a handful of photos to actually print, while keeping the rest on your drive as you have been, hoping they last as long as possible... then again, even if the drive eventually fails, you’ll still have those "most precious" ones you actually made physical...

It might actually do you some good to prune that collection. Realistically, what are you going to do with 5,000 memories sitting on a hard drive? You aren't going to look at all of them; you'll have a few important ones and the rest will just be taking up space... cut the clutter without feeling guilty about it. 😁

Fine, I have the most precious ones, that much is true.
But I still believe that with a strategic approach to technology, it's possible to preserve them over the long haul🙂.
So, I'm working on a plan😬

Besides, I look at these photos, I really do, but it's only once I've aged🧐...

hope is a bitch😛

wiredpilot2 said:How long does "permanent" actually last?

We aren't talking about longevity here; we’re talking about security. I still have an old hard drive from back in 2000 that’s running perfectly fine. But if you head over to any tech forum to discuss HDDs, you'll see horror stories everywhere—people losing everything because their drive died after only a month of use. It's a total disaster when that happens.

It's a simple reality of modern tech: you're much more likely to see an HDD give up the ghost before a DVD ever fails.

Megan Chase55 said:She could even burn it to a DVD if she wanted to.

You can actually find some high-quality DVD-Rs online starting today. $0.50 It’s actually not a bad price at all. For 4.7 GB, you can fit quite a massive collection of photos on there.

Megan Chase55 said:Question: If someone's external hard drive just bit the dust, how long did it actually last before giving up?😁Thanks.

There’s no such thing as a guaranteed answer here. I've seen hard drives last well over a decade, while others just give up the ghost after a single month. It's completely unpredictable.

Megan Chase55 said:@Laura Evans3/">@@Laura Evans3 I was looking into storage servers earlier, but I’m feeling a bit lost. Could someone break it down for me in just a sentence or two?
It would be a game changer if we had a way to recover all that data if the system suddenly crashes. Having that kind of safety net would definitely take a lot of the stress out of the equation.🙂.

For example I’ve been spending some time lately looking over the details on this site, and I wanted to share my thoughts with the group. It’s one of those things where you realize how much small details actually matter when you're trying to get a project off the ground. I remember back when I was first starting out in Chicago, I used to overlook the "lite" versions of software or services because I thought more features always meant better value. I was wrong. Sometimes, having a streamlined, focused tool is exactly what keeps you from getting overwhelmed. It’s about efficiency rather than just sheer volume. Looking at the structure here, there is a certain logic to it that feels very grounded. It doesn't try too hard to sell you on bells and whistles you don't need. It just lays out the essentials. For anyone else who prefers a clean, no-nonsense approach to their digital workflow, this might be worth a closer look. It reminds me of the old-school reliability we used to see in early desktop applications before everything became bloated with unnecessary cloud syncing and constant pop-ups. Let me know if any of you have tried using this specific setup. I'm curious if others find the simplicity just as useful as I do.
It’s not just this one option, either. There are plenty of others out there. Some require a subscription, while others offer more breathing room if you're willing to pay for the extra space. It really just comes down to what you need.

You could also look into using some of those free file hosting sites like MediaFire or Dropbox. Just keep in mind that they tend to purge inactive files after a certain period. If you go that route, you’ll need to make sure people are actually downloading them regularly, otherwise, the links will just die on you.

True, you can just stash your photos on memory cards and simply pick up a new one once you've maxed out the capacity of the current one 🤔 To my mind, that seems like the most reliable method, plus it takes up next to no space, all while keeping your files readily accessible... though I suppose I can't say for certain how the technicalities actually shake out regarding how dependable and long-lasting flash memory truly is 🤷

Honestly, if you take good care of them—meaning you aren't just leaving them out in the sun or tossing them around—DVDs and CDs are still the most reliable way to go. If you invest in high-quality discs rather than the cheap stuff, they can easily last upwards of 20 years...

Laura Evans3 said:for example https://www.elephantdrive.com/welcome/lite.aspx
this isn't the only option; there are several others. Some require a subscription, some offer more storage space, and so on.

I considered uploading everything to web photo albums like Picasso. This seems to be the same concept, just with faster upload speeds. Even if the service goes down, they should theoretically notify users to download their files beforehand. Great, thanks.🙂.

casualwolf12 said:actually, you could just leave the photos on memory cards and simply buy a new one whenever one gets full 🤔 that seems like the most secure method to me, and it takes up minimal space. Plus, the photos are always easily accessible... though I am not entirely sure how reliable or durable flash memory actually is.🤷

In my experience, it isn't any more reliable than a DVD, and a DVD costs next to nothing, whereas a 4 GB card is $20.

So, we have disks, plus DVDs, plus a storage server.🙂.

Thanks, everyone.🙏

(I only just realized there was a specific subforum for this question)🙈

If you're going to burn this to a DVD, you really have to be careful. It isn't just about picking the right disc; it’s how you store it and handle it, too. I guess if you aren't careful, one little scratch or even just touching the surface could mess things up. It might shorten the lifespan of the disc, so maybe in 10 or 15 years, you won't even be able to play back what you put on there.

Here is this LINK where you can check out some guidelines on what to do and what to avoid when handling a DVD. It covers stuff like paying attention to the coating color and all that. Just look it over.

As for the websites, most of them include something in their Terms of Service stating they'll notify you if a site is ever shut down, giving you enough time to download and save everything. Since most of these sites run pretty professionally, I doubt it'll actually happen, but I suppose you should keep it in mind regardless. 😉

mistyhound94 said:Here is LINK. It covers the basics of what you should and shouldn't do when handling DVDs, including how to check the surface coating color and other physical indicators. Take a look.

Regarding the websites themselves, most Terms of Service agreements state they'll notify you before shutting down so you have enough time to download and back up your data. Since most major platforms operate quite reliably, it’s unlikely to happen, but it's worth keeping in mind. 😉

Thanks for the link🙂.

It seems best to stick with the well-known names then.
I know Google is my friend, but I'm not exactly an expert on this. If you're willing to drop links to a few of the most reputable sites, I'd appreciate it.🙂.

Megan Chase55 said:Thanks for the link🙂.

Maybe it's better to just stick with one of the big names.
I mean, I know Google is my best friend and all, but I don't really get this stuff, so if you feel like sharing a few major sites, I'd appreciate it🙂.

Basically, here are some solid sites where you can host your photos.
http://photobucket.com/ http://imageshack.us/ http://www.servimg.com/index.php
http://tinypic.com/

Anyway, I'd probably go with the first one. In my opinion, it's the best since you can make multiple albums, they can be locked like I said, and it's unlikely to go belly up. 😁