Author Topic: Link computors  (Read 4176 times)

lezelle

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Link computors
« on: November 23, 2019, 09:06:51 »
Hi All, I have a lot of photos and information on my laptop. I am considering linking it to our main computer if this os possible to do. Can it be done and if so how do you do it? is it easy as I am no computer buff. I take it that if I link them all the stuff on my laptop will be loaded on the main one as well. Any advice would be most welcome, thanks

galina

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2019, 09:08:17 »
I have always loaded onto a memory stick and transferred that way.  :wave:

Beersmith

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2019, 23:11:09 »
As you admit to not being very tech savvy  I'd go with the suggestion made by galina. Simple, reliable and you can keep the stick in a safe place as an additional back up.

There are other possibilities. If both machines access the internet through your home WiFi they may already be in a network. This, with the correct settings and permissions would allow each machine to see drives and directories on the other machine directly. In Windows this is known as a home group. You could set one up if both machines are running fairly recent versions of Windows. (Your wifi device will need to support internet protocol version 6.) A different set up would be required if using other operating systems.

On second thoughts. Go with the memory stick.
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hippydave

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2019, 08:20:51 »
Sign up for a free cloud based storage service upload to  that on one computer and download from the other. The storage will be there again as needed.
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ancellsfarmer

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2019, 09:23:16 »
The storage will be there again as needed.
But will it?
You are completely at the mercy of the server/cloud provider. They give no guarantee of immortality. It is a fast moving environment. Have you provided your login details as a codecile in a will ?
Much of the value of family photos is to subsequent generations.
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hippydave

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2019, 09:33:58 »
It's just there as a vehicle to move the files to the new computer, but will still there in future if needed.
you may be a king or a little street sweeper but sooner or later you dance with de reaper.

Beersmith

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2019, 12:24:25 »
It's just there as a vehicle to move the files to the new computer, but will still there in future if needed.

I agree. 

Added resilience.  If those photographs are really precious, a copy on each of two computers, and a copy on the cloud reduces the possibility of losing them.

Even better. An extra copy on a memory stick and another on an external hard disk drive. 
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MervF

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2019, 15:04:42 »
I keep quite a few photographs on my computer - well over 20,000.   I keep backups on 3 portable hard drives so that if anything happens to the computer, as has happened in the past, I have backups.   Quite recently one of these hard drives died so it was a simple job to go and purchase a replacement and copy from one of the other two.   I believe the new hard drive was about £40 from PCWorld which I feel  is a small price to pay and should last for a few years.

BarriedaleNick

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Re: Link computors
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2019, 09:49:17 »
I have 100,000s of photos on my PC and thousands of songs, docs, videos and other files.
After working in IT for over 25 years I have learnt the hard way about data loss and the misery it can bring. My wife's drive popped in her PC last year and she lost loads of stuff as it had been months since we backed it up.
However the OQ was about linking not backing up but the two things are linked imho..

My preferred solution is cloud backup which means I have access to my files from literally anywhere with an internet connection.  Yes the company could go under but I frankly if Microsoft Google and Amazon do down then I would have more to worry about than my files but even then I can just copy them locally.
If you don't have many files then free accounts from the above companies will do.  You will have to pay for more storage per month if you want to keep more than a basic amount but prices are reasonable..
USB sticks are fine for transferring files from one place to another but never use them as the primary means of storing files - I have  seen dozens of sad faces over the years when I tell them that the USB is FUBAR'd and data is unrecoverable.  Using a USB is also a manual process of copying and pasting and unreliable.
The easiest way of accessing files over a network is to either share the files from just one location (you might need help to set that up but it is pretty easy) or to buy a dedicated networking sharing appliance. I prefer the former as it is built in to most PC systems and cost nothing.
What I do now is
My files are shared over the network so I can access them on my laptop or any other PC I have.
I back all my pics up to Amazon and Google - I can access them anywhere via a browser
My files are backed up to my wifes PC and hers to mine.
Every now and then I take a backup (of both mine and OHs' backup) to an external HD and keep elsewhere..

You can look at sharing files on Windows PCs here - https://www.windowscentral.com/how-share-files-and-printers-without-homegroup-windows-10


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