Your Photo Questions Answered

Since Verbatim launched their user information site www.photostorageguide.com, they have received a number of questions from people on how to gather, save, and protect family memories, photos and videos.

The following are some of the most commonly asked questions they received:

Q - What are the best practices for caring for images stored on my camera's memory card?

A - It is best to download all your photos from the card onto the computer. Then delete the ones you don't want. If you continuously delete them directly from your camera, you could accidentally delete a desired photo, or risk corrupting the files. One corrupted image file can cause many other images files to be lost. Keep a spare memory card on hand if you anticipate running out of storage space on your current card, to avoid having to delete photos just to make room for new images.

One of the most common causes of corrupt files is turning the camera off or removing the memory card before the camera buffer has completely transferred your files to the memory card.

Always reformat the card in your camera each time after downloading and saving the pictures on your computer. Don't use the computer to format the card. You should use the format function on the camera to prepare the card for new picture taking after you have properly saved the images on your PC.

It is best to avoid continued picture taking when the camera batteries are nearly depleted to avoid corrupting the memory card if the battery should die while your camera is attempting to save your last photo. Be certain that your batteries have been charged sufficiently before taking pictures and keep a set of fully charged spare batteries handy just in case.

Q - What is the difference between archive and backup and why should I do both?

A - With an archive, files that are no longer needed on a regular basis are removed from the computer and stored in an organized way so individual files are easy to retrieve. Write-once media is generally used to ensure that the files cannot be accidentally changed or erased. Since storage media evolves, archives should be reviewed periodically and updated to current technology.

Backups are active copies that are often updated and used as replacements if the original files are lost or destroyed. Rewriteable media can be used for backups.

You need to do both backups and archiving because one (backup) is for recovery protection and archiving is for long-term data protection.

Q - When I put my memory card in my camera, I get a message telling me to reformat the card. Our Hawaiian vacation photos are on that card. What should I do?

A - Download and save the photos on your computer, then reformat the card in your camera. Don't use the computer to format the card.

If you cannot download the photos to your computer, visit the camera manufacturer's web site to see if there are update drivers and software available for the camera. You can also try one of the many data or photo recovery programs that are available on the web. If one doesn't work, try another or seek technical assistance before giving up.

For more photo tips and solutions, visit PhotoStorageGuide.com.

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