Eric Cross

Q: What's the best way to backup a LARGE iPhoto 9 library

So, as the title states I currently have 29,713 photos in my library, and I'm looking for the best solutions for backing up.  In the past I have just dragged my libray over the EHD and moved on.  I have read stories of upgrading iphoto and how some have lost photos or they just don't transfer over.  I'm really looking to upgrade anytime soon but I'm wanting a solid plan that I can count on.  Before we switched to digital I used to have all my film pic's copied to CD's for backup so I have those, but since then I just import my digital photos to iphoto and erase the camera disk.  I realize I'm living on borrowed time since it's not IF my HDD with fail...it's When! 

 

So my questions are....

 

1.) Do I just continue backing up the library as in the past?

 

2.) Is it wise to backup the "Originals" folder in my library?

 

3.) How would I go about doing #2 without screwing up my current library

 

4.) Do you guys trust online backups like Carbonite etc...

 

Thanks for your help!

Eric

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 17" MBP GHz Intel Duo Core, 4GB RAM

Posted on Jan 27, 2013 10:51 AM

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Q: What's the best way to backup a LARGE iPhoto 9 library

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  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Mar 21, 2014 1:17 AM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (139,597 points)
    iLife
    Mar 21, 2014 1:17 AM in response to clodo9

    I have no interest in the future of DVD. It's not relevant. I'm looking at Apple and other computer manufacturers are doing with DVD drives.

     

    Soon it will be as difficult to find an external DVD drive as it is to find an external floppy drive now. You simply can't understand that and I'm not sure why. But there is lots - and lots and lots -  of precedent here.


    For the umpftphtdxseenth time, terence, we're NOT backing up iPhoto library, we're backing up our most cherished photos.

     

    See there you go again. "We're" doing no such thing. You may be doing that but that's another example of your arrogance, you deciding for other people again - and you have no right to do that.

     

    Plus, if you're just backing up the photos then online is a less expensive, more convenient and probably safer option.

     

    Who buys CDs anymore? I have two teenagers in this house and no one has bought one of those in years. It's all downloads now.

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Mar 21, 2014 5:17 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Mar 21, 2014 5:17 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    You might be an  expert in iPhoto, terence, but obviously not in backups-archiving, so let me clear a few things here :     

    Cloud based storage

    Drawbacks:

    1. 1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
    2. 2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
    3. 3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
    4. 4. *Level-0 security of your vital data.

     

    Advantages:

    1. 1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
    2. 2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

     

    Network attached storage (NAS) and JBOD storage

    Drawbacks:

    1. 1. Subject to RAID failure and mass data corruption.
    2. 2. Expensive to set up initially.
    3. 3. Can be slower than USB, especially over WiFi.
    4. 4. Mechanically identical to USB HD backup in failure potential, higher failure however due to RAID and proprietary NAS enclosure failure.

     

    Advantages:

    1. 1. Multiple computer access.
    2. 2. Always on and available.
    3. 3. Often has extensive media and application server functionality.
    4. 4. Massive capacity (also its drawback) with multi-bay NAS, perfect for full system backups on a larger scale.
    5. 5. *Level-2 security of your vital data.

     

    How about a few words about Time Machine :

    Time Machine is a system hub backup, not a data hub backup

    Important data you “don’t dare lose” should not be considered ultimately safe, or ideally stored (at the very least not as sole copy of same) on your Time Machine backup. Hourly and daily fluctuations of your system OS, applications, and software updates is the perfect focus for the simple user to conduct ‘click it and forget it’ backups of the entire system and files on the Macbook HD.

     

    Bootable clones are the choice of professionals and others in that Time Machine cannot be booted from and requires a working HD to retrieve data from (meaning another computer). Your vital data needs to be and should be ‘frozen’ on some form of media storage, either in a clone, as an archived HD containing important files, or on DVD blank archival media.

     

    A file that is backed up to Time Machine is unsafe in that if that file is deleted off the computer by accident or lost otherwise, that file will likewise vanish from Time Machine as it reflects changes on the internal computer HD/SSD.

    All this by an expert in backups-archiving:

    " ...BACKUPS, ARCHIVES..."       ( by Plotinus Veritas  )

    ( hard drives, etc. )

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

    you can bury your head in the sand, but even if you don't WANT to see it, it is still there : DVDs, optical are well alive.

    Like many of us, i have a lot of music CDs i like to put on my computer, which is connected to a good sound system.

    You write :

    ""Who buys CDs anymore?  It's all downloads now.""

    YOU want everyone to do as YOU wish  ????

    Then may i return your own words to you :

    "" your arrogance, you deciding for other people again - and you have no right to do that.""

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Mar 21, 2014 5:29 AM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (139,597 points)
    iLife
    Mar 21, 2014 5:29 AM in response to clodo9

    And yet again you simply ignore the points I make and change the subject. You have no reply to the fact that hardware manufacturers are moving away from optical media. You have no reply to the fact that there's no way to back up an iPhoto Library to optical media. You have no reply to the fact that iPhoto can't read a back up from optical media. You refuse to warn people that what you propose leads to dataloss. I've done with you. Folks can read the threads and make up their own minds.

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Mar 21, 2014 5:43 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Mar 21, 2014 5:43 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    ALL of your "questions" were answered many times in this thread.  At last, you "allow" people to "make up their own minds" . ..  There's progress  , we're inching along here...

    You had written:

    just backing up the photos then online is a less expensive, more convenient and probably safer option.

    Wasn't my answer clear enough ?  Could that be called  "ignoring the point",  "changing the subject"  ..?

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Mar 21, 2014 8:23 AM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (85,624 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 21, 2014 8:23 AM in response to clodo9

    Except

     

    there is no cloud system what will work with the iPhoto library - and there is no NAS that will work with the iPhoto library so yoru frist two suggestions should not be made since they will not work and rater than protecting a users photos will lose them

     

    Since mose users fail to backup at all having Time Machine is a Quantum leap and a great start

     

    Personally I use TM and a daily bootable clone - plus an occasional off site backup

     

    Your simply wnat to argue and your posts are redundent and totally off the point since you coontinue to recommend methods that do not work to backup the iPhoto library  --  these are the actions of a Troll

     

    LN

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Mar 25, 2014 7:34 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Mar 25, 2014 7:34 AM in response to LarryHN

    since you don't seem to read what you're talking about, i have to remind you:

    1- i have never recommended backing up iPhoto in any way, but simply backing up one's essential pictures

    2- the "cloud" and "NAS" system was referring to your "acolyte" ( as he says ) terence  writing :

    online is a less expensive, more convenient and probably safer option.

    3-in fact, you're not arguing with me, but with most backup and archiving experts

    4- including Ken Watson 

    http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/index.html

    that we both recommend to other users ( the difference between you and me being that i've read it ) ( if you've read it you don't seem to understand it )

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Mar 21, 2014 10:56 AM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (85,624 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 21, 2014 10:56 AM in response to clodo9

    i have never recommended backing up iPhoto in any way, but simply backing up one's essential pictures

     

    And that is exactly the problem

     

    the topic of this thread is

     

    What's the best way to backup a LARGE iPhoto 9 library

    So NOTHING you have posted is responsive to the OP's question - you are not trying to help - you simply love to make pointless ARGUMENTS

     

    LN

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Mar 21, 2014 11:05 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Mar 21, 2014 11:05 AM in response to LarryHN

    yes,  the question was

    What's the best way to backup a LARGE iPhoto 9 library

    and the answer was ( again, don't you read what you're talking about ) ;

    Mar 20, 2014 10:07 AM (in response to Terence Devlin)

     

    to sum up:

    ---before doing any serious backup you must read:

    " ...BACKUPS, ARCHIVES..."       ( by Plotinus Veritas  )

    ( hard drives, etc. )

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

    ---you will then realise that, unless you run THREE  EHDs, you still incur the risk of losing everything !

    ---i'm then suggesting backing up the " extremely-important-to-you " stuff on DVDs, which are recognised by all experts as being the safest, most solid backups

    ---as said before, external DVD drives are the definitive answer to your ( incorrect ) prophetising of the "disappearing"  optical alternative.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Mar 21, 2014 11:12 AM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (85,624 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 21, 2014 11:12 AM in response to clodo9

    Good bye and good riddance

    You have no idea what you are talking about

     

    You have an extermely outdated computer with an extremely outdated OS and an extremely outdated version of iPhoto

     

    And you do not understand how iPhto even works ro why your suggestions are so far off base

     

    You simply like to argue - I don't

     

    Good bye and good riddance

     

    LN

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Mar 21, 2014 11:21 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Mar 21, 2014 11:21 AM in response to LarryHN

    "extremely outdated computer" ,     "extremely outdated OS"  :    wow larry, guess all of us out here with 3 year old iMacs   running  Snow Leopard are not "your kind"...

    Your constant abusing of other users should not be tolerated, by the TOU and etiquette of this forum, although you think your zillion points allow you to do it.

    I like to argue ?

    i say it takes two to tango.

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Mar 22, 2014 2:41 PM in response to clodo9
    Level 10 (85,624 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 22, 2014 2:41 PM in response to clodo9

    Very interesting - Plotinus Veritas also states that DVD is dead and is not a good way to store data

     

    Looks like there is a full sweep stating that today DVD is NOT the answer nor is it the answer for the future

     

     

     

     

    all about finding that magical substrate that doesnt degrade

     

     

    world doesnt need another VHS vs BETA format war.

     

     

    The future MUST be optical and not magnetic, but not disk optical [DVD], something else, and something a redneck dufus doesn't get a speck of dust on that cover up 100MB of data.

     

     

     

     

    Alley_Cat wrote:

     

    I had several discs still sealed and even those have failed so it's not wear and tear/damage caused by me.

     

    AC

     

     

    Eeeeeek,  untouched data media       and still data loss.   Design flaw

     

  • by DavidPear987,

    DavidPear987 DavidPear987 Mar 23, 2014 1:01 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Mar 23, 2014 1:01 AM in response to LarryHN

    Thanks for the tips Larry, I copied the IPHote library to an external computer with ease. All the best, David

  • by DavidPear987,

    DavidPear987 DavidPear987 Mar 23, 2014 1:02 AM in response to Terence Devlin
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Mar 23, 2014 1:02 AM in response to Terence Devlin

    Thanks for the tips Terence; I copied the IPHote library to an external computer with ease. All the best, David

  • by LarryHN,

    LarryHN LarryHN Mar 23, 2014 8:10 AM in response to DavidPear987
    Level 10 (85,624 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Mar 23, 2014 8:10 AM in response to DavidPear987

    You are welcome - LN

  • by clodo9,

    clodo9 clodo9 Dec 13, 2014 6:20 AM in response to LarryHN
    Level 2 (194 points)
    Dec 13, 2014 6:20 AM in response to LarryHN

    nobody's saying DVDs are the way of the future, but they're STILL the most SOLID, time resisting memory media we can use today.

    Tip: don't use "no-name-bulk-special-bargain" DVDs, larry. To know more, please see :

    http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media/

    in a nutshell, choose a R+ good quality disc.

    Have to repeat: this is for archiving VERY important ( to you ) data of a modest size ( remember such a disc contains about 4 GB of data ). Last warning: takes some experiencing to do it right, from iphoto, so buy  a few RW ( rewritable discs ) to practice. Very easy ( plus NOT costly ) as soon as you get the knack of it. Beginners NOT beware.

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