Crashed

@webeishere (36313)
United States
May 17, 2008 3:43pm CST
Well I was asked last night about installing a Windows XP update, Service pack3 I think and as usual I clicked okay. After all the waiting etc this morning my puter crashed on me and wouldn't even start up. So I had to go back to factory settings. Which meant I had to reinstall all my hardware programs. I lost ALL of my photos of which were many family photos. Well not that treasured as I can take more. But I had a lot of photos for future discussions saved. Anyhow now I know to start backing my puter up ever so often so if this happens I can save the pictures at least. Other than the hassle of restarting the puter from scratch as if I just bought it and reinstalling my hardware again I am not that upset. It tooke a few hours total resetting my puter from scratch and the reinstalls. So I am now back. What is the best device etc for saving photos? An alternate drive thats removeable? Saving to disc? Or what? HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
7 people like this
20 responses
• United States
17 May 08
After I lost some of my photos because of my computer crashing, I started saving my photoes to disks. Now I can view them whenever I want, but don't have the worry of losing them. Unless, of course, I loose the disk. I have apparently done that with my wedding photos, of all photos. Sorry to hear that you lost all of yours and had to start over from scratch.
3 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 May 08
Well now I need to get a pack of discs. I was just at Sams and looked at them but decided against them as I still have 5 left from the last pack. So I'll be getting more soon you'd better believe that. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@kamran12 (5526)
• Pakistan
17 May 08
Hello webeishere, I am sorry about the loss of your data, especially the photos, though you can take more but the older ones would still be 'lost'. I can relate to that as I myself have had my laptop crashed. I am just happy that I had already backed up my crucial data. It's always safe to do it. As to options, You can save them on external hard drives, on writable CDs/DVDs. There are some online storages offered free of charge. Then there is also a possibility to save them on your gmail account, if you have one. They are now offering around 7 Gb of storage space. Moreover, if you haven't rewritten twice, anew, on your hard disk, you can still recover your lost data. There are some free-ware offered on internet without any charges or strings attached. One among them is PCinspector. It recovers the data even after computer has crashed or formatted. There is no guarantee, however, that it will recover 100% of your lost data. You can download it from the direct link given below. http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/file_recovery/download.htm?language=1 I hope it helps!:-)
2 people like this
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
18 May 08
Grandpa Bob, I use a flash as in the pic, I find them better than cd's because they can't get scratched, you can remove and add more pictures, songs, files when ever you want and it is also password protected so no one can access it. The best feature it has is that it's portable and very small so you can take it somewhere and transfer files to and from another computer.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
How much does a flash drive run generally? HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
I may go to Radio Shack and Best Buy tomorrow asking about it ans checking them out. Thanks friend. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
18 May 08
They run different prices depending on the memory of the flash drive. I notice Radio Shack always has very good sales on them. Here is a link directly to the flash drives... http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=usb%20flash%20drive&origkw=usb%20flash%20drive&sr=1 I would choose "SanDisk" this brand is very easy to use. If you stop by Radio Shack they will explain all the different features they have. I have 2 "SanDisk" from RS and I store all my photos, music, and important files on them. When I go to visit my brother I take one along and stick it in his computer and copy all the newest pics of his kids and take it home for my computer. PS it comes with a cool neck strap too.
1 person likes this
@ferdzNK (3211)
• Philippines
17 May 08
Sad to here that Grandpa Bob. Any one using windows should be aware that this is inevitable. This is why I configured my HD with partitions, one for window system and one for my documents and data. If window would crash all I will loose is windows itself and programs I can readily install. Backup to disc is more practical since you can do multiple copies at a cheaper cost, but make sure its a quality disc. This disc have to be checked also from time to time to ensure its readability.
2 people like this
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
18 May 08
I'm sorry for what you went through, Grandpa Bob, and for your data loss. I shall stay on XP Service Pack 2 and not attempt pack 3 upgrade. For your case, don't give up just yet. You may just be able to recover some images. There are softwares that allow one to try and recover images that were deleted, or have been erased due to formatting of drives. The images are usually still on the drive somewhere. It is just when an erasure or format is done, the pointers to the image file are changed so that the operating system does not recognize that there is a image still existing where it used to be existing, and the space on the harddisk is free for other files to occupy. I have used several image recovery software previously. For a start, you can try these 2: a. Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery. You can download and run ZAR8.3 from this site http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital-image-recovery.htm. b. Power Data Recovery. You can download it here http://www.powerdatarecovery.com/download.htm. You can try running the software, and it can recover many images. But when you want to save the recovered images, it will require you to buy a licence to do so. If you do not want to buy the licence, you can only save images up to 640KB size. I did not buy the licence and have successfully saved some deleted images less than 640KB. There are other similar image recovery software. Most require you to have a paid licence to be able to save larger files, but you may be able to find some which are free and can save larger files. Give the above a try and see if you get some success. Bear in mind that when you run such software, you can get many images recovered. That's because images are found in software installed also, and when you delete software applications, these images are also deleted together with the software. When you use image recovery software, the software will also recover such images as well as your own images deleted. Some image recovery software allow you to set some parameters as to what to recover, eg. JPG, BMP or GIF files only, etc. The other thing is that usually you are advised to install the image recovery software in a partition different from where the lost images were stored, so that you do not override the space previously occupied by the images. This is just a precaution, but some people don't have multiple partitions in their harddisk, so have no choice but to install the software in the C:/ drive. I hope the above is helpful. Don't give up just yet. Give the above a try...you might just recover some of your images. However, not all images are recoverable even if the software works for you.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
Too much work for a lazy old man like me. The photos lost were not that importnat to me. A lot were for future discusions actually that I miss the most. I am just goign to look at it as a loss and move on and start saving them to a disc or possibly an alternative drive later on. But thanks for all this useful information. I saved the links as well for future refrence. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
18 May 08
Hi GRANDPA BOB! Good thing that you really know how to reinstall the computer because I don't. haha..I just depend on hubby on everything that concerns the technical aspect of the computer. However, I know that he saves all our photos on a disc (DVD). I guess, that is the best way for now but I will be asking him about it later when he comes home and just come back here again in this post if he says otherwise. Take Care and God Bless! Happy Mylotting!
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
Thanks bunches. I am going to start saving my photos to disc as I feel I need them saved etc now. Read my newest discussion and maybe he will know something about that problem as well. Please? HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
18 May 08
Hi GRANDPA BOB! Here's an additional information from my hubby. "There are a lot of ways of saving precious pictures these days. One you can save them as an attachment & send them to another email account of yours, anyway these stuffs are free & they can hold tons of files & can be retrieved anytime & anywhere there's an internet access. Two, upload them to your own photo site, flicker & photo bucket are free sites. Three, you can back them up on your cd or flash drives but of course these things wear out depending on the usage & sometimes gets lost." Will try to check your new post and see if he knows anything about it. Take Care and God Bless! Happy Mylotting!
@wisconsin26 (3859)
• United States
18 May 08
When I do backups of photo's from my computer I normally just burn them to a cd than that way I can use them for later use.. That's really the only way I can think of or some online site where you can upload them but if that server messes up sometimes you end up losing them online too...
1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
18 May 08
Yes Grandpa Bob the best is to save it to Disc and that way you always have them I could not download the Service Pk 3 either and I don't know why So I will leave it for now
1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
18 May 08
It will do as it is an update I wonder if it might work better now as you have reformatted the Computer it might work this time Also for your Photos Grandpa Bob join Photo Bucket as that is where I have all mine and they will never disappear as it is a site that holds them and you can get to them from any Computer you use
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
It is asking me to download servuce pack 3 again. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB
1 person likes this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
18 May 08
well that certainly sucks, I hate it when my computer crashes as well. My son recently bought a new computer and he has had so much trouble with it, the company ended up changes every component, the last thing to change, the motherboard was the problem isn't it always the way.
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
18 May 08
I think the best way to save photos is to put them on a disc. I never do the new windows updates. I only do the service pack one. the rest of them mess up my computer and makes it act weird, slow and makes it crash. I turn off the windows updates alerts too because of it.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
The SP3 was the one I think that crashed my puter. Not 100% sure but it happened after I did download it and restarted the oputer. Oh well, it's running again anyhow now. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
18 May 08
The ones I definately want to keep, I save to disk. But that's my preference. They have come out with memory sticks now that can hold alot more than a disk can in such a small space. I know some ppl who have them but I haven't upgraded to that type of storage for my files yet. One of these days I prolly will thou. BTW...I've never heard of a SP3. Only the SP2. Is it recent? Wondering if I have it installed and don't know it. lol I have my puter set to download and install critical updates so I never bothered to actually find out what all it's downloaded and installed so far.
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
17 May 08
that sounds like a pain! I know there are several sites online where you can store the photos like photobucket - I also get online storage at Kodak as it is a kodak camera! I like using cd's or dvd's too as then you can watch tem on a dvd player - just make slideshows and things, My son has made me several cd's with family photos set to music - I think it i squite easy to do this from Windows media! xxxx
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 May 08
I hate the fact of the lost photos more than the thought of the crash. But they were digital and I can always take more. The older ones I had saved I do have them on discs but not the ones this year and late last year. I am buying more discs and saving them that way from now on at lweast once a week. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM AGB!!~
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
18 May 08
Stirling Castle - Stirling Castle from the north
Definitely the way to go - at least you didn't lose them all! I know people who just store their pictures on memory cards but that is an expensive way to go! You better hurry up and get snapping to replace all the others! I am adding one here that my daughter (6) took of Stirling Castle just so you can see it! xxx
• United States
18 May 08
There are many free sites to save your photos, but I have been leary of some. I don't trust just anything out there. PhotoBucket is a very reputable site, you might want to check it out. You can also use a disc to save which is probably your best bet. I wish I were more up to date on some of the newer options, but I get most of my program ideas from my son, he is the web king, LOL. I will ask him when he come over again and see if he has any good sites for you to use.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
18 May 08
For the time being I am going to be saving the ones I really like onto a disc. Thanks also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
17 May 08
Oh no! And here you just got all hi-tech with supersonic speed and everything. I sure would have been ticked. I need to save all my photos and such too, and I never think to do it. I've got a load of CDs here than I could put them on, so I should just quit playing and do it. I do have a ton of them saved online at photobucket though, so that's a big help. I wouldn't lose quite everything.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 May 08
Yeah it wasn't a lotf fun. Now I need to get things back to how I LIKE THEM and not the Windows way. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
21 May 08
I like to save things on disc.. And I hate computer troubles and crashes!! Having patience helps though!!
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
18 May 08
I want to save my pictures onto a disc but am having a hard time trying to figure out how to do it with the photo program I have. It seems I have to save one picture at a time, which is a drag. But I'm probably doing something wrong. I'll probably get my daughter to do it. Though she rarely uses the computer she seems to know a lot about it. LOL! Good luck!
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
18 May 08
I save to disc and a memory stick. I really like having all of it that I can carry with me incase of a fire or whatever. It's so compact and easy to save to.
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
18 May 08
You could save them to a disk or a alternate drive, but what is quicker and easier, I sent my photos that I really want to keep to my mail..In my hotmail, where I save my mail, I have a photo folder and when I send pictures there, I move them into this folder..So unless I loss my hotmail, my pictures are safe..(I learned this from when I lost some pictures when my computer crashed, but realized the ones I had in my mail were still there)
@rev1wendy (611)
• United States
17 May 08
I just sent you a pm. Check it out. I think it is the best.
1 person likes this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
19 May 08
I have a program that I purchased many years ago and all of my picutes are saved on it.. It is MGI photosuite III but I also use Picasa 2, it is great for saving and for editing the photos.. Good luck to you with all the puter problems..