Why External Hard Drives Aren't Forever (not even a decade)

It's easy to think the Latest & Greatest form of technology is the answer to everything.  Being able to back up photos on a CD was amazing for a while.  Then DVDs for backing up family videos.  And lately EHDs (external hard drives) are all the rage.  And now SSDs (solid state drives) are vying for attention, too.

Having a secure place to back up photos and videos wouldn't be that important, except that what you're saving is absolutely irreplaceable.  Like this:

That's my daughter, a few days old.  And her big brother kissing her cheek.  I'll never, ever get that moment back.  I never get another chance to capture those faces in that time.

I'll tell you a little more about that sad video (with some hope!) later, but here's why CDs, DVDs, and hard drives aren't forever.  Not even a decade.

Why Hard Drives Don't Last

Most EHDs and SSDs last 3-5 years, simply because the connectors fail.  They just stop working.  They're not really made to withstand repeated use.  (Which is ironic since the purpose of EHDs & SSDs is repeated use.)  But it's not just the connectors.

We can learn a lot from the experience of Iron Mountain.  They were tasked with backing up the entertainment industry's music.  Music, as you know, has gone from records to 8-tracks to cassettes to CDs.  It has been stored on hard drive disks since the 1990s.

About 1/5 of what Iron Mountain recently received on hard drives to archive was entirely unreadable.    

“In our line of work, if we discover an inherent problem with a format, it makes sense to let everybody know,” Robert Koszela, global director for studio growth and strategic initiatives at Iron Mountain, told Mix. “It may sound like a sales pitch, but it’s not; it’s a call for action.”

They found that hard drives are not designed for long-time archival use.

“It’s so sad to see a project come into the studio, a hard drive in a brand-new case with the wrapper and the tags from wherever they bought it still in there,” Koszela says. “Next to it is a case with the safety drive in it. Everything’s in order. And both of them are bricks.”

What we learn here about music applies to anything else stored on a hard drive.

Like our photos.  And our home movies.  And that audio recording of my mom reading her grandkids a story.

What to Do About It

Kevin Purdy suggests that the best solution to this problem is:

The gist of it: You cannot trust any medium, so you copy important things over and over, into fresh storage.

Seriously?!

But what if you don't have the equipment?

Or the time?

Or the knowledge?

Thankfully, there's another option.  I suggest this three-step solution.

1. Use a digitization service.  I suggest the one with the highest customer satisfaction (as independently determined by TrustPilot).  It's phenomenal.  Then pair it with #2 below.
2. Next, put the updated versions of your photos and videos on a flash drive or a computer if you like, but whatever you do, back it up in the cloud.  This is the only private cloud storage service that guarantees your photos and memories will be yours for your lifetime + 100 years, a legacy you can pass down.   Not only that, but they triple back-up everything, keeping your files encrypted, and will update file formats FOR YOU.  (Like, when .jpeg files become outdated in 20 years.)  Another bonus with this particular service is that you'll buy your cloud space, so there are no recurring payments (until you die!) to keep your photos and videos always accessible and safely backed up.
3. Print the photos in pages.  I know print is kind of "going out of style" these days, but print will never be at the mercy of a hard drive crash.  And don't think you have to have a lot of time or "be creative" to put photos and memories in books!  Find a high-quality print option that will last for generations, then spend 10 minutes a day on it.  Really.  It works.  

Don't miss that amazing point:  If you don't have equipment, time, or know-how to "copy important things over and over into fresh storage" as Purdy suggests, FOREVER Storage will literally do it for you.  

If that's not peace of mind, I don't know what is.

A Few Words of Encouragement

SO, WHAT ABOUT THE BABY?

If your heart broke watching my video, I first want to let you know that the video has a happy ending.  Knowing that the magnetic tape in VHS tapes deteriorates, I sent in my home videos to be digitized using FOREVER Digitization a few years ago.  I was brokenhearted to receive that video I shared with you at the beginning.  Most of it was fine, but there were a few parts that were garble-y, including that sweet moment.  I was pretty upset about it for several days before remembering that I have the original Hi-8 tape that might be in better condition.  It had been stored differently, so I sent that in to FOREVER Digitization for digitizing and crossed my fingers.  It was in much better shape, so I now have that video as it was meant to be seen!  

SENDING MY PHOTOS AND HOME MOVIES AWAY?

I know it can be scary.  I've done it four times now, and the first time was indeed a little scary for me, so I know how you feel.  When it came down to it, though, I decided that if I didn't get the VHS tapes digitized, I'd just have to throw them away in 10 years anyway.  Nobody has a VCR any more, and my grandchildren-to-be definitely won't!

If you're at all worried about sending your DVDs or VHS tapes or slides off to be digitized, learn more about FOREVER Digitization so you can see how much care goes into the safety of your precious memories.  There is a lot of hope at that link!

GETTING AHEAD

I heard of someone recently who had saved all their family photos and home movies on an external hard drive, then put it in a safe deposit box for their family to have when they pass on.

The intent is beautiful.  But, practically speaking, that EHD may not even be readable 10 or 20 years from now.  It makes me sad to think about.

But you can get actually get ahead of technology issues by following the 3 steps above, using the links I included.  And that's the best news of all.

It's important to keep in mind that every form of technology has a different purpose and capability.

NOTE:    If you're new to Forever and open your free account here, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.

So, share this post with anyone you know who is still using an external hard drive to save their photos and videos.  All types of hard drives are not long-term storage devices.  They won't even last through the rest of this decade.  But there's hope because there are other, better options!

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Easing Photo Overwhelm Using the "Film Photos Strategy"

When Notre Dame cathedral burned in 2019, I thought, "At least I have pictures of it."  When I went back to look at my photos of that trip, I was shocked to find that I have a whole TWO photos of Notre Dame.  I even turned the scrapbook pages back and forth to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Nope.  For real, I have two photos of my visit to Notre Dame in Paris.  And here's why.  

We visited it in 2003, and I had a film camera then.  We got a digital camera gifted to us the year before, but the quality wasn't good at all.  The photos were grainy.  So, I stuck with my film camera. I took a roll of 24 photos at a time, and because I had to pay for every one of those 24 photos to get developed, whether they were blurry or had someone's eyes closed or not, I didn't take 20 pictures of one thing to just see which ones I liked best.  

I remember I took one photo inside Notre Dame.  The flash didn't do anything, and it was so dark in there.  The famous rose window looked like a dark but somewhat colorful circle, nothing like it actually looked to my own eyes when looking at it.  It didn't even make the scrapbook.

Lately, I have been scanning all the scrapbook pages from those pre-digital camera days.  Those pages are the only copies I have of those photos, so scanning them gives me a backup (AND a way to access those photos digitally through my Forever app).  I spend 10 minutes a day scanning, and have made amazing progress.

I recently came across photos from the previous year, 2002, when we went to Italy.  It was a dream trip.  We went to Florence, which I completely adored, and Pompeii, which was utterly fascinating.  I am a weensy bit obsessed with Pompeii, actually.  I looked through those pages as I scanned them, re-living memories from too long ago, and was again shocked to find that I took TWO pictures at Pompeii.  

Two.  Of a place I'd been dying to see.  

What Has Changed 

While I certainly wish I had taken just a few more photos of those amazing places, it also caused me to reflect on how I take photos today.  It has especially caused me to reflect on what I hear so many clients (and potential clients) tell me:  "I have so many photos that I can't do anything with them."  I call it Photo Overwhelm.   

How I take pictures now is SO different.  I don't have to pay anything to see how my photos turned out.  My phone is actually *amazing* at indoor/low-light photos.  So I get photos like this:

interior of the Frieburg im Breisgau cathedral, 2022

interior of St. Mary's Cathedral; Kilkenny, Ireland; 2023

And so, as you might guess, I take a lot more pictures now. 

I'm sure it's the same for you.

Why it Matters 

Maybe you think, "What's the big deal? Yes, we take a lot more pictures now, and sometimes they're hard to find.  We don't really look at them very often.  Who cares?" 

Actually, photos matter far more than we realize. 

You might think of other reasons that photos matter, but these are the main ones I've learned about in 20+ years as a photo & memory-keeping guide, which are actually backed up by studies:

• They create connections and can even be an antidote to the disconnect, loneliness, and self-esteem struggles caused by social media. (See the link above in blue for the details.)
• They increase a sense of belonging and purpose while increasing empowerment.
• They increase happiness by 11%, which is more than anything else we tend to try (like music or chocolate) to help our mood.
• They increase relaxation by 22%.
• They decrease stress.
• They improve memory.
• They can help in healing from grief.
• They create perspective and foster gratitude (which is, by itself, a mental health benefit).

We need our photos desperately!

While there's a lot of focus on digitally preserving photos (like on a hard drive or in the cloud), and rightly so because digital versions are an important back-up and easily shareable, photo experts still list print as one of the most important ways to preserve photos.  Plus, print never needs a battery.

What We Can Learn from My Film Photos 

I hear so many people talk about Photo Overwhelm as the root cause for not preserving their photos (digitally or in print).  And, yes, photo experts also recommend preserving photos in two ways digitally--this is the best digital photo storage option I've ever seen.

  

This throwback to my film camera days and the resulting scrapbooks made me think again of the wisdom of a method I heard about years ago, The Yearbook Method.

The Yearbook Method is simply choosing your favorite photos from each month to create a two-page spread, like this:

photo credit: Brooke Mehr

And, yes, maybe you took 50 photos that month.  But that's sort of the point.  Just choosing favorites gets you out of Overwhelm because it makes preserving them more doable.

You can certainly add 2 more pages for a given month if you want.  I am super addicted to digital scrapbooking, and I have an impressive method of preserving my photos digitally, too, so I don't suffer from Photo Overwhelm.  I personally feel free to preserve all the pictures I take in pages.

But if you are overwhelmed with your photos, I highly recommend The Yearbook Method.  Whether you use the method or not, the mindset behind it, the Film Photos Strategy, can help you immensely.  

How the Film Photos Strategy Can Ease Your Photo Overwhelm 

The Film Photos Strategy is just thinking about your photos as if they were film.  Do a little throwback to the film days, with the mindset that taking 20 photos of your day at the park costs a lot.  

Because it does.  It costs us our photos.  It prevents us from accessing, enjoying, and sharing our memories as captured in photos, so we miss out on all those personal benefits I listed earlier.

So, yes, these days the Film Photos Strategy will probably consist of more than 2 photos of a special destination or special event, unlike my Pompeii and Notre Dame photos.  However, thinking about your photos in terms of just the must-haves can ease your photo overwhelm.

You also need a photo-memory book that's high quality and easy to create.  I recommend this one:

You can see how easy it is in the video, but also know that these books are printed on the highest quality materials and have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  They're also preserved in your account forever after they're printed, so you'll have a digital, easily shareable copy, too!

If you prefer more flexibility and creativity, like this

I recommend Artisan, my go-to digital scrapbooking love.  Books are still printed with the same quality, the highest in the industry.  You can see my whole "year in review" in 20 seconds!

My "year in review" is preserved both digitally and in print. It's not at the mercy of a social media site who may change their policies or remove my content or sell my data. My 2024 photos, videos, and memories are preserved at Forever using Artisan software, Forever Print (the highest quality in the industry), and Forever Permanent Cloud Storage!

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate, called an Ambassador, because I love Forever so much!  This means I make a commission from any purchases at my website, and as your Ambassador I'm here to help you, too.  And if you are a new Forever user, be sure you validate your email so you'll receive the $20 coupon to use on whatever you're going to order!  It's good for 60 days.

Get the Photo Benefits by Getting Started 

If you, by chance, have photos, and if you, by chance, need to lower your stress and create connections and increase your happiness and decrease your loneliness and better your perspective, you just need to spend time with your photos and memories.

You can actually accomplish a lot in just 10 or 15 minutes a day.  Try my 10 Minutes Daily Plan and see what I mean.  (I have done this myself and it really does make a huge difference.

Here are two ideas for that "high quality but easy to create" suggestion I made earlier.  

This template is called Simple Pleasures, and you can create your own at this link.

page examples from the Simple Pleasures template--there are lots to choose from

There are lots of others to choose from, too!  I like the Color Blocked Yearbook myself.

You can see all the possible pages and start yours here.

Get started right away!  And then share this post with someone you know who needs the same things.

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Make Your Foray into Digital Scrapbooking Easy with a Starter Project

Scrapbooks have been kept for centuries!  They're not a new tradition or fad.  In fact, scrapbooks pre-date photos!  Once photos came on the scene, scrapbooks meant even more because they preserved even more.  

Scrapbooks turned into "scrapbook-ing" in the 1980s and 1990s when scrapbookers added a creative, decorative aspect.  

The 21st century has brought us digital scrapbooking.  Instead of papers, stickers, and scissors (and a lot of space to spread out in), a digital scrapbooker utilizes technology--a computer and computer software--to create books digitally, then submit them for publishing.  

I know some digital scrapbookers keep only digital versions of their work, but print has a lot of benefits that digital doesn't, and photo experts have long maintained print as one of the safest ways to store photos.  So I consider the "digital" part of digital scrapbooking in the creation only, not the finished product.

Your story is worth sharing and preserving (the benefits to the heart and soul are impressive), and photos are the highlights of your life's story.  So let's explore making that entirely doable for you!

If you're considering making the transition from paper scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking, here are some great ideas and reasons to do it (such as a book never needing a full battery in order to give you access to your photos).  

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.

Making Digital Scrapbooking Easy

Today I'll share with you a brilliant way to make your foray into digital scrapbooking easy:  a starter project.  

There are five things I love about this approach I'm about to share with you:

1. It's a great fit for anyone who doesn't feel very computer-savvy.
2. It's a great fit for anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to spend preserving photos and memories.
3. It's a great fit for anyone concerned about photo privacy.
4. It provides you both a digital (shareable!) version of your book (digital backups are always smart) as well as access to a professional printing service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  
5. Once you've completed the starter project, you'll have a taste of an easy way to digitally scrapbook.  From there, you can continue using the simple software platform (free) or you can advance to a more creative and flexible digital scrapbooking software if you prefer.  (In my opinion, this is the piece de resistance!  Finding a digital scrapbooking method that works for you makes it not just doable but enjoyable moving forward.  Fun is what makes it easy.)

There seems to be a false idea out there that preserving photos and memories is hard, is complicated, takes a long time, is only for some people but not for others.  It's simply not true.  Memories aren't just for certain people.  Photos aren't just for some people.  The feel-good benefits that come from photos, memories, stories, and connections are for everyone!

My two biggest tips for making digital scrapbooking easy and doable are:

First, use a template.  It's just faster and easier.  All the templates in the platform I'm showing you here are free, so that's an extra bonus.

Second, set aside some time.  Take some Me Time on a Sunday night or a Saturday morning to spend with your photos and memories.  As soon as you start, it will stop feeling like a chore because you will love it!  I promise.

So let's get you there with a Starter Project.  Right now, just explore the options and don't worry about how to make them.  I'll explain everything!  😊

The Starter Project:  Three Options

When you're trying something new, it's often easier when you first just get your feet wet.  I have three ideas for your Starter Project which will do just that, so choose whichever one sounds most interesting and enjoyable to you.  

I've chosen three projects that you can actually try out for free, too!

I'll give you some instructions on how to do that shortly, as well as a little tutorial video on how to make these items.  You'll love how easy the software is to use!

OPTION 1

This starter project can be done in less than 5 minutes!  This is a set of 4 cork-backed coasters.  Keep it for yourself, or give it as a gift.  Click this link to start the project if it's the one you choose.

You'll choose 3 photos, a quote or sentiment, and a little text with one of the photos.  Easy, peasy.  Really.

OPTION 2

This starter project can be done even quicker than the coasters!  This little magnet has a quote as part of the design, then you just add a photo.  Click this link to start this project if it's the one you choose.    

With magnets, you can choose a 3x4 size or a 4x6 size.  If purple isn't your thing or you'd like a different quote, there are lots of other magnet templates you can choose from here.

OPTION 3

This is a sweet little book called "Remember."  Clink the link to start this project if it's the one you choose.

The "Remember" book has a lot of different page options, each one with a word like "SMILE," "GROW," "SHARE," etc., room for a few pictures, and space for text.  Write down a few of your memories--things you remember--and find some photos you can add in, too.

If finding photos is a little overwhelming for you because you haven't organized them yet, here's an idea:  Go to a local park and take some nice scenery pictures.  This is just a book of your memories, and you're just getting your feet wet making a book.  You can save the photo organization for later if that's easier.  

By the way, my goal here is for your Starter Project to be free if you're new to Forever, but I know there are several options for sizes and bindings available for books.  If you choose the 8x8 softbound book during a 50% off sale, you'll still be able to get it for free!

The How-To:  Instructions

Follow these simple steps to make your Starter Project (hopefully for free!).

1. You'll use the free templates at a simple platform called Create & Print by FOREVER.  First, open your free Forever account here.  
2. Next, check your email for an email from Forever so you can verify your email address.  If you're new to Forever and you verify your email address, you'll be emailed a $20 Welcome Coupon that's good for 60 days.  You'll be able to use it for your Starter Project!
3. Now watch this 5-minute tutorial video about how to use the Create & Print software (formerly called Design & Print).  I like to say that the learning curve for the Create & Print software is almost a straight line!  This allows you to get projects done in a jif.
4. Choose the photos you'd like to use in your project.  Upload them to your Forever Storage (cloud storage for photos and videos).  If you're uploading from your phone, this tutorial video will help.  If you're uploading from your computer, this tutorial video will help.
5. Next, click on whichever Starter Project you've decided on:  the coaster set or the magnet or the "Remember" book.  Make the project!  👊  I'm your Forever Ambassador, so reach out if you have questions.  photoandstorytreasures@gmail.com
6. Once your project is completed, go to the "Deals" tab along the top of the page at the Forever website.  Check to see if your chosen product is on sale.  You should be able to use the $20 coupon to get these items for free if they are 50% off.  Everything is on sale all the time, and sales vary between 35%-50%.  If you want to wait until your item is 50% off, you certainly may.  Whatever the sale is, use the sale code you see there so you'll get the sale price at checkout.
7. Now, go back to your email and get the coupon code for the $20 Welcome!  Apply that $20 Welcome code in your cart as well.  You should have the sale code and the $20 welcome code.  You will pay shipping, but hopefully you're getting your lovely Starter Project for free.

Next Steps

Now that you've gotten your feet wet with the Create & Print software, you're ready to do some digital scrapbooking to preserve your photos and memories!

You can keep on using Create & Print by Forever for travel books, yearbooks, Reasons I Love You books, and much more!  

There are hundreds of templates in Create & Print, and new ones are added all the time.  Old ones are retired periodically, so if you see one you like, snap it up and get started!

And, of course, you have also seen that you can make plenty of photo gifts and home decor using free Create & Print templates, too!

If you love Create & Print, then my work here is done!  😊  Set aside the time, use Create & Print templates, and you're ready to become a regular digital scrapbooker.  I like creating yearbooks every year, and you can find a lot of different designs by typing in "yearbook" into the search bar or just clicking here to explore.  

However, if you liked Create & Print OK but haven't met the love of your digital scrapbooking life, let me introduce you to Artisan digital scrapbooking software by Forever.  

It has many of the DIY elements of traditional paper scrapbooking (like using embellishments and alphabet stickers and "ripping" papers).  There's a LOT of room for flexible pages and for creativity.  You can see the basics at an introductory class I taught a few years ago:

It's my personal favorite because I can do things like this with it, playing with fonts and creating my own pages (whether from scratch or from blueprints) and choosing my own digital art and designs:

If you think you might fall in love with Artisan like I did, you can start a 30-day free trial here and read all the computer system requirements.  (Mac users need a partitioning program.)

What Will You Do?

I love that these options mean there's something for everyone, that you can get it all with both photo privacy and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and that you can really be your own digital scrapbooking hero!

Tell me--what will you do?  Which of the three Starter Projects will you choose?  Which of the digital scrapbooking options will be Your Thing?  Let me know in the comments.  You're going to love the world of digital scrapbooking, especially with Forever!  

Who do you know who is looking for a simple way to get into digital scrapbooking?
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