Hi Karen, This is a common problem with folks through time, so you're not alone! I regularly help people with file management skills meant to avoid this frustrating conundrum. The best approach in my experience is not a software one but a folder management one instead! I have nearly a terabyte of video and images and use only folders to manage them. *The problem with photo software is this: * Software packages come and go an can leave you hanging and lost when they change or discontinue. It's better to use well organized Folders that rely on only the operating system and thus never will fail you. Folders will not go away. i.e. 2008\March\Trip to Washington DC\ will always be useful and relevant. *Sure you can use software as well to add tags and descriptions that are searchable, but start with a good folder system so you're not back at square one when your software goes obsolete!* If you manage photos with folders like you would in a file cabinet, it looks like this: Have a folder for each year, then inside the year folders have additional folders for each Month/Project/Trip/Subject/Client etc. whatever works for your the way you take photos. It's also important that when you take photos from your cameras, that you delete them from the camera so you don't keep importing duplicates. * Good Rules: * 1. When you import from your camera, delete them on the camera so it's empty. 2. Keep all your photos well organized in nested folders My Pictures\Year\Month\Project\Trip\ etc. Much like you'd organize an old fashioned file cabinet! 3. Back up your entire My Pictures folder including it's sub folders regularly for WHEN (not if) your hard drive fails. I like 2 backups, one local one remote. The process of organizing and de-duplicating is usually a manual one, but once you've done it (a little at a time) and follow up with perfectly organized folders you'll never have to do it again! If you need any help getting set up to efficiently organize using folders, just let me know. We can do it remotely as if we were sitting together in front of your computer. *Mark Firehammer* *413 303 0315 Scheduler Link: *Schedule an appointment<http://techeffective.net/remote-support/set-an-appointment/> * * *Website:* http://techeffective.net *Facebook: *Facebook.com/techeffective <http://facebook.com/techeffective%20> On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Karen Blinderman <kbmail at comcast.net>wrote: > ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. > ** If you did, we all thank you. > > > > Hello ... > > I'm in need of some tech advice. I am using a PC and wish to reorganize my > personal JPG files (and eventually all my photo files). I find I have some > 29,000 photos many of which are duplicates, triplicates and ... just too > many copies. This happened over the years as a result of multiple new > machines and duplicate back-ups each time I installed a new OS. > > Can anyone recommend software (for the PC) which would help me in this > endeavor? Once I get rid of the multiples, I want to then organize in terms > of my family tree, so this will be a long-term project, but I need to get > rid of the multiples first. I don't think I necessarily need to figure out > which photo is the "original," as it likely doesn't make a difference, I > hope (unless someone feels there's a quality issue from copy to copy). > > Thanks for any advice! > > Best, > Karen Blinderman > > > KayBee Marketing Resources > Karen F. Blinderman, President > > Giving you time to do more business > > 413/731-8595 • 413/726-9042 FAX • kbmail at comcast.net • www.lhblin.com > > Serving the Association Management needs of Western MA since 1995 > > Clientele include: Advertising Club of Western MA, Assoc. of Fundraising > Professionals of Western MA and of Central MA, Women in Philanthropy of > Western MA, HRMA of WNE, Bubs Foundation (Worcester), Beelzebubs Alumni > Association, Pioneer Valley Business Executives, Congregation B'nai Torah, > Women Business Owners Alliance of the Pioneer Valley, Planned Giving > Council > of Central MA and more > > This email is confidential and privileged. Only the intended recipient may > access or use it. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this > email and notify us promptly. We use virus scanning software to scan all > incoming/outgoing documents, but exclude all liability for viruses or > similar in any attachment. For your protection, please perform a virus scan > before opening this file(s), if any. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net > Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net > > You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. > If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members > page on the Hidden Tech Web site. > http://www.hidden-tech.net/members > -- *Mark Firehammer* *413 303 0315 Scheduler Link: *Schedule an appointment<http://techeffective.net/remote-support/set-an-appointment/> * * *Website:* http://techeffective.net *Facebook: *Facebook.com/techeffective <http://facebook.com/techeffective%20> [image: Get Tech Effective]<http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/GetTechEffective/%7E6/1> <http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=iru7c61fcvc1v4i1d4umtctnak&w=1> ↑ Grab this Headline Animator<http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=iru7c61fcvc1v4i1d4umtctnak&w=1> On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Karen Blinderman <kbmail at comcast.net>wrote: > ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. > ** If you did, we all thank you. > > > > Hello ... > > I'm in need of some tech advice. I am using a PC and wish to reorganize my > personal JPG files (and eventually all my photo files). I find I have some > 29,000 photos many of which are duplicates, triplicates and ... just too > many copies. This happened over the years as a result of multiple new > machines and duplicate back-ups each time I installed a new OS. > > Can anyone recommend software (for the PC) which would help me in this > endeavor? Once I get rid of the multiples, I want to then organize in terms > of my family tree, so this will be a long-term project, but I need to get > rid of the multiples first. I don't think I necessarily need to figure out > which photo is the "original," as it likely doesn't make a difference, I > hope (unless someone feels there's a quality issue from copy to copy). > > Thanks for any advice! > > Best, > Karen Blinderman > > > KayBee Marketing Resources > Karen F. Blinderman, President > > Giving you time to do more business > > 413/731-8595 • 413/726-9042 FAX • kbmail at comcast.net • www.lhblin.com > > Serving the Association Management needs of Western MA since 1995 > > Clientele include: Advertising Club of Western MA, Assoc. of Fundraising > Professionals of Western MA and of Central MA, Women in Philanthropy of > Western MA, HRMA of WNE, Bubs Foundation (Worcester), Beelzebubs Alumni > Association, Pioneer Valley Business Executives, Congregation B'nai Torah, > Women Business Owners Alliance of the Pioneer Valley, Planned Giving > Council > of Central MA and more > > This email is confidential and privileged. Only the intended recipient may > access or use it. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this > email and notify us promptly. We use virus scanning software to scan all > incoming/outgoing documents, but exclude all liability for viruses or > similar in any attachment. For your protection, please perform a virus scan > before opening this file(s), if any. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net > Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net > > You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. > If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members > page on the Hidden Tech Web site. > http://www.hidden-tech.net/members > -- *Mark Firehammer* *413 303 0315 Scheduler Link: *Schedule an appointment<http://techeffective.net/remote-support/set-an-appointment/> * * ** *Website:* http://techeffective.net *Facebook: *Facebook.com/techeffective <http://Facebook.com/techeffective%20> [image: Get Tech Effective]<http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/GetTechEffective/%7E6/1> <http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=iru7c61fcvc1v4i1d4umtctnak&w=1> ↑ Grab this Headline Animator<http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=iru7c61fcvc1v4i1d4umtctnak&w=1> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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