Computer backup storage device question

Stu

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
87
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s, p, d & f orbitals.. somewhere in the Rockies
Hi all-
I hope this is the right place to post this..
I am interested in getting a program that slows down music (played from MP3 files or on CD discs) so you can better hear the individual sections. I don't yet have a hard drive backup device, but I wonder if a short-term way to protect against loss of the program (if my hard drive crashes or wears out) would be a simple USB thumb drive. Is it feasible to save it by bringing up the program icon in the "My Computer" area and then just drag & drop it onto the thumb drive?

I don't have a lot of other stuff I am worried about saving on the hard drive. I also don't know if downloaded apps that you pay for (and backup in this manner) would readily transfer to a new machine or hard drive if the first one crashed. Then again, maybe it is wiser to go ahead and get a typical/larger external backup drive?
Thanks for any input,
Stu
 

louph

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
3
Hi Stu,

Slowing down of audio files can be done straight from windows media player - ctrl+shift+s to slow down and ctrl+shift+n to return to normal speed. Or for better speed control you can use a free version of "express scribe" found here > http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/index.html

Thumb drive as backup device - no problem with that as long as size would suffice. drag and drop > just make sure you did copy the files and didn't create shortcuts shown with an arrow on windows machines. Another way is to use free online storage like "dropbox".

As for the apps - drag and drop won't back it up literally, not unless they are portable apps. you need to save the app installers.

hth
Lou
 

benm11

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Joined
May 19, 2012
Messages
22
Check out Dropbox. If you aren't dealing with tons of dAta then it would work really well for you. Pm me and I can give you a referral so we both get extra space. That's what I use on my laptops and it's really convenient.
 

blasterman

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
1,802
Thumbdrives are a good basic tool for immediate back-ups and storage. With 16gig models going for under $20 that's a fair amount of storage for music files. Video will fill them up fast, but unless you're a DJ you can cram a lot of music on a big thumbdrive.

The negatives with thumbdrives are also an issue to be aware of. First, they are notoriously easy to lose. Next, they often fail for no reason right when you need them.

External drives are perhaps my favorite method for home or small business back-ups because they have massive capacity, and most often come with software that allows you to easily create back-ups without resorting to digging through your local profile folders or fighting with Window's perpetually clunky back-up wizards.
 
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