Photos. How Do you save them FOREVER?

[bridge4]

I didn't read everything, but SSD storage lasts for 300 years. Load it all on a SSD and throw it in a fire rated safe.

Regular hard drives die in like 8/10 years, or maybe not die, but can be unreliable.

As tech updates and SSD can't connect, update as needed to new version of it.

Edit: We did this, but also made a book with EVERY single photo we had in it. Was almost 200 pages. Now is online on a server forever, in a book format we can always re-order, and on the protected drives.

Everytime we get lots of new photos (maybe every 5-10 years) we will make another book and update the solid state drive to keep current.

The books can be GREAT family gifts.

 

[ovrszd]

I was delegated as the family historian in regards to pics. My Mom passed it to me. I have hundreds of pics and documents regarding my family. Pics of the German farmstead my great grandfather owned before immigratin to the U.S. I have the boarding passes for his family to board a steamship for their trip here. All in German. Every year at Thanskgiving the family gathers. Now at my shop. We go thru all these items with great interest. You can't experience that with digital media.

Here's a pic of me dressed by my Sister, circa 1955.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, that's the issue. Drives use controllers and certain communication protocalls.

Like peodple don't have enough things to manage in their busy lives.

I have seen many older pictures of little boys wearing what looks like a dress. Night dress?

 

[Fallon]

A fireproof safe isnt actually going to protect most electronics well. They are designed to protect paper which actually doesn't combust until 451 Fahrenheit (ya, Ray Bradbury got that right). Electronics tend to have lots of problems well before that. Solder often has melting points of 275-400f.

Also the fire rating is usually for half an hour or so, sometimes an hour on the nicer ones. Even if the fire department does get the fire out the hot safe is going to be buried in hot rubble. It's unlikely you'll get it open within those timeframes to cool the contents down.

Most fireproof safes are actually just lined with drywall. Either the standard stuff your walls are made of or a pourable version.

The safes also need to be waterproof at tempature as well. They pump a lot of water onto fires so chances of water & steam making it in are high. Yet more stuff metals & electronics dont like.

My vote is still 2 different types of media at least 1 if which is off-site.

 

[bridge4]

A fireproof safe isnt actually going to protect most electronics well. They are designed to protect paper which actually doesn't combust until 451 Fahrenheit (ya, Ray Bradbury got that right). Electronics tend to have lots of problems well before that. Solder often has melting points of 275-400f.

Also the fire rating is usually for half an hour or so, sometimes an hour on the nicer ones. Even if the fire department does get the fire out the hot safe is going to be buried in hot rubble. It's unlikely you'll get it open within those timeframes to cool the contents down.

Most fireproof safes are actually just lined with drywall. Either the standard stuff your walls are made of or a pourable version.

The safes also need to be waterproof at tempature as well. They pump a lot of water onto fires so chances of water & steam making it in are high. Yet more stuff metals & electronics dont like.

My vote is still 2 different types of media at least 1 if which is off-site.

More backups the better, obviously. I know that the fire proof safes aren't really "fire proof" but it at least gives you a little time.

 

[MossRoad]

More backups the better, obviously. I know that the fire proof safes aren't really "fire proof" but it at least gives you a little time.

Off-site storage is also important. That can be "the cloud", a safe deposit box at a bank, or a box in your mom's basement. But at least you have a copy somewhere other than your main residence.

 

[Kingsqueak]

Yeah SSD is currently the most stable media. I'm old enough that I have music CDs and CD ROMs that have failed from decomposition now. There is no forever though, it's a game of leap frog as tech evolves, that, and redundancy.

 

[ovrszd]

That was my point with the picture I posted. It has outlived most of the electronic storage devices mentioned.

 

[Motorboatin]

I didn't read everything, but SSD storage lasts for 300 years. Load it all on a SSD and throw it in a fire rated safe.

Regular hard drives die in like 8/10 years, or maybe not die, but can be unreliable.

As tech updates and SSD can't connect, update as needed to new version of it.

Edit: We did this, but also made a book with EVERY single photo we had in it. Was almost 200 pages. Now is online on a server forever, in a book format we can always re-order, and on the protected drives.

Everytime we get lots of new photos (maybe every 5-10 years) we will make another book and update the solid state drive to keep current.

The books can be GREAT family gifts.

300 years is not what the manufacture of the drive says. They claim 2 years for an unplugged SSD stored at 77 degrees. The problem is ambient magnetic fields

https://www.jedec.org/sites/default/files/Alvin_Cox [Compatibility Mode]_0.pdf

Page 27

 

[bridge4]

300 years is not what the manufacture of the drive says. They claim 2 years for an unplugged SSD stored at 77 degrees. The problem is ambient magnetic fields

https://www.jedec.org/sites/default/files/Alvin_Cox [Compatibility Mode]_0.pdf

Page 27

Well that is quite a difference! Thanks for linking that.