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Suggestions for software to easily copy large numbers of digital images to CD and DVD



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 14th 05, 12:34 AM
MaryL
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Default Suggestions for software to easily copy large numbers of digital images to CD and DVD


"Colin D" wrote in message
...


MaryL wrote:

Can anyone make some suggestons for software that can easily copy large
numbers of digital images to CDs and DVDs (and span more than one disk,
if
necessary)? Following some suggestions from this group, I did buy a
program
a couple of years ago that I thought was just what I needed -- Archive
Creator. I even tried out the demo version first, and every *seemed* to
go
smoothly. It was only after purchasing the full version (non-refundable)
that I learned that it created major problems with my system. I use Win
XP-Home edition on a Compaq Presario 8000 computer, and my first inkling
of
a problem was that System Restore would not work after installing Archive
Creator. I made many attempts and communicated with the publishers, but
nothing helped. Finally, I uninstalled Archive Creator -- and then all
of
my options under "Help and Support" literally disappeared from the
screen.
I finally used System Restore by going a different route (through
StartAccessories, etc.), restored to a date earlier than when I had
installed AC, and then everything worked fine. Recently, I had to
reformat
my hard disk and reinstall everything. So, I decided to try AC again --
and
had exactly the same results.

So, can anyone recommend an alternative program that will carry out the
type
of functions that AC was actually designed for? I went into such great
length about AC because it does have exactly what I wanted -- easy to
use,
fairly fast, and can be used to copy both image files and data files (in
fact, any type) to both CDs and DVDs. I also like using a "tree" of my
computer files that I can quickly click so that only those files I select
will be copied. It's unfortunate that AC is obviously completely
incompatible with my system.

Thanks,

MaryL


A file manager like Powerdesk or ExplorerPlus, which are considerably
more powerful versions of Windows Explorer will do it. Or, if you don't
mind a dos-like command-line interface, xxcopy is brilliant, though
there is a learning curve,there are over 200 cammand variations.
Googl;e for any of them. The first two are like about $US40, xxcopy is
free.

Colin


Thanks for the suggestions. PowerDesk looked "great" for awhile, but I sent
email with a couple of questions -- and learned that it will not span
multiple disks. So, it's back to the drawing board... I still need to look
into ExplorerPlus. The one web site I checked didn't have much information
about it.

MaryL


  #2  
Old January 14th 05, 07:12 AM
Frank ess
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Default


MaryL wrote:

Can anyone make some suggestons for software that can easily copy
large
numbers of digital images to CDs and DVDs (and span more than one
disk,
if
necessary)?


I suspect that I simply don't understand how to facilitate this
process. How do you determine, in advance, which files will fit on a
disk? I know the size of the CDs and DVDs I use, and of course I can
see the size of each individual file. For that matter, it is easy to
use Properties to determine the size of each folder. However, I have
numerous folders (some with various sets of subfolders), and some
have many files or digital images of different sizes. So, is there
some relatively easy to determine in advance (that is, before
starting to copy) which specific files and folders will fit on a
disk? I am using XP-Home Edition.


This program offers a complete display of directory and file sizes. It
won't solve your problem, but may make the eventual solution easier to
see or implement.
http://www.jam-software.com/treesize/index.shtml

I have a not-pro edition from a while back, free quick and easy. I don't
know if such is still avalable.


--
Frank ess


  #3  
Old January 14th 05, 07:34 AM
ECM
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Posts: n/a
Default

I normally use Nero Burning ROM to back up my photos - I don't like the
idea of spanned disks at all, because of the aformentioned problems
with the "index" disk going bad. Some programs apparently can recover
gracefully from this, but many have no idea what to do if the first or
last disk is bad or goes missing.

I have to say, with the price of media being what it is, I usually just
accept a bit of wastage. I will often leave 50-100 MB empty on a CD-R;
I'll put a couple of months of photos on the disk, and then if the next
month doesn't fit, I just go on to the next disk. It's 10-20 cents a
disk, so what? I'm even getting good quality DVD-R for $0.40 now....
ECM

  #4  
Old January 14th 05, 08:27 AM
Colin D
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Posts: n/a
Default



MaryL wrote:

"Colin D" wrote in message
...


MaryL wrote:

"Colin D" wrote in message
...


MaryL wrote:

Can anyone make some suggestons for software that can easily copy
large
numbers of digital images to CDs and DVDs (and span more than one
disk,
if
necessary)?


A file manager like Powerdesk or ExplorerPlus, which are considerably
more powerful versions of Windows Explorer will do it. Or, if you
don't
mind a dos-like command-line interface, xxcopy is brilliant, though
there is a learning curve,there are over 200 cammand variations.
Googl;e for any of them. The first two are like about $US40, xxcopy is
free.

Colin

Thanks for the suggestions. PowerDesk looked "great" for awhile, but I
sent
email with a couple of questions -- and learned that it will not span
multiple disks. So, it's back to the drawing board... I still need to
look
into ExplorerPlus. The one web site I checked didn't have much
information
about it.

MaryL


I would think twice about spanning multiple disks, Mary. In my
experience with multiple-disk spanned backups, one has to insert the
first or last disk into the drive for it to read the backup contents,
and then insert the required disk. If for any reason the last disk
cannot be read, you may not be able to recover anything from the disk
set. For this reason, I back up image files disk by disk, each one
stand-alone. Then, if a disk cannot be read, that one is the only one
lost, and file recovery will be much easier than recovering from a
spanned set.

Colin


I suspect that I simply don't understand how to facilitate this process.
How do you determine, in advance, which files will fit on a disk? I know
the size of the CDs and DVDs I use, and of course I can see the size of each
individual file. For that matter, it is easy to use Properties to determine
the size of each folder. However, I have numerous folders (some with
various sets of subfolders), and some have many files or digital images of
different sizes. So, is there some relatively easy to determine in advance
(that is, before starting to copy) which specific files and folders will fit
on a disk? I am using XP-Home Edition.

Thanks,
MaryL

Powerdesk and ExplorerPlus allow you to right-click on a folder, and
under 'properties' you can see the aggregate size of the files in that
folder.

If you open the folder with a left-click and see the files listed in the
right-hand pane, the total bytes of the files can be seen at centre
bottom. To the left of that you will see 'Objects selected' and the
aggregate bytes. Selecting one or more files with shift/arrow will show
the aggregate bytes of selected files, which you can then copy to your
backup disk For a 700MB cd, I put a maximum of about 660 megabytes, to
allow a bit of headroom for the disk to finish writing. If the entire
folder is less than about 660MB then simply copy the folder to the cd.

Colin
  #5  
Old January 14th 05, 12:28 PM
Bart van der Wolf
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Posts: n/a
Default


wrote in message
...
SNIP
(If anyone knows of a tool that can select a group of files
to best fit a specific target disk size, while retaining the
original directory structure, please let me know, as it'll save
me from having to reinvent the wheel.)


The easiest/fastest way is to sort the files by size (large to small),
copy the largest file(s) that fit(s) the remaining space, if it
doesn't fit move to the next smaller file in line until it fits or
there are no smaller files. If there are still files to be written,
proceed with a new disk and begin with the largest unwritten file,
etc. until the total file list has been written.

Bart

  #6  
Old January 14th 05, 02:32 PM
MaryL
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Bart van der Wolf" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
SNIP
(If anyone knows of a tool that can select a group of files
to best fit a specific target disk size, while retaining the
original directory structure, please let me know, as it'll save
me from having to reinvent the wheel.)


The easiest/fastest way is to sort the files by size (large to small),
copy the largest file(s) that fit(s) the remaining space, if it doesn't
fit move to the next smaller file in line until it fits or there are no
smaller files. If there are still files to be written, proceed with a new
disk and begin with the largest unwritten file, etc. until the total file
list has been written.

Bart


That won't work with my setup. I have thousands of data files and thousands
of images. They are manageable because I have them categorized into dozens
of folders -- so, I am trying to find a way to click on parent folders
(which are far less numerous in numbers, of course) and copy the entire
contents. As an example of data files, I have all of my WordPerfect files
in one parent folder. They are then categorized by individual courses,
which are further broken down into syllabi, exams, lecture notes, etc.
Digital images are similarly categorized. The largest folders are the ones
labeled "All 2004 photos," "All 2003 photos, etc." Those are used only if I
have problems with the copies that I have edited and stored elsewhere.
However, they are important because those files contain all of my original
images. Images that I use more often are categorized -- trip to Alaska,
family, inventory, etc.

MaryL


  #7  
Old January 14th 05, 03:02 PM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

"Bart van der Wolf" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
SNIP
(If anyone knows of a tool that can select a group of files
to best fit a specific target disk size, while retaining the
original directory structure, please let me know, as it'll save
me from having to reinvent the wheel.)


The easiest/fastest way is to sort the files by size (large to small),
copy the largest file(s) that fit(s) the remaining space, if it doesn't
fit move to the next smaller file in line until it fits or there are no
smaller files. If there are still files to be written, proceed with a new
disk and begin with the largest unwritten file, etc. until the total file
list has been written.

Bart


That won't work with my setup. I have thousands of data files and
thousands of images. They are manageable because I have them categorized
into dozens of folders -- so, I am trying to find a way to click on parent
folders (which are far less numerous in numbers, of course) and copy the
entire contents. As an example of data files, I have all of my
WordPerfect files in one parent folder. They are then categorized by
individual courses, which are further broken down into syllabi, exams,
lecture notes, etc. Digital images are similarly categorized. The largest
folders are the ones labeled "All 2004 photos," "All 2003 photos, etc."
Those are used only if I have problems with the copies that I have edited
and stored elsewhere. However, they are important because those files
contain all of my original images. Images that I use more often are
categorized -- trip to Alaska, family, inventory, etc.

MaryL


Addendum: In continually modify these folders -- I add, delete, and edit
many files on a frequent basis. Therefore, I can't simply copy the folders
"once" and think that I have completed the process. I need to be able to
frequently make current copies.

MaryL


 




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