Are you backed up?

Memories are the most precious gift of all.

You have all your photos, StoryBooks, digital content, and more stored on your computer.  What would happen if tomorrow when you turned your computer on it did not boot up?  There was no sound, nothing.  Would you be able to get all of these precious memories back?  What would happen if you had your computer stolen?  Is everything gone forever?

Backups are no fun to do. They take time and we are all short on time.  We always plan on doing a backup - after I finish this book, when the kids are done with school, after I finish this big project at work, etc. etc. etc.  But losing your data does not take into account your busy schedule.  We all need a system that is automatic - or at least as automatic as possible.

Like backups this post will not be the most interesting to read but hopefully you will glean some information that will protect you and your precious memories. 

You NEED to have an external hard drive.  This is the fastest way to create a back up and to retrieve the backup information if needed.  If you are using Memory Manager you need to set up an automatic shadow copy.  Then you need to plug in your external hard drive when working in Memory Manager.  The automatic shadow copy will do exactly as it says - it will automatically create another copy of your Memory Manager on the external hard drive when you close out of Memory Manager.  This way you will have a copy on your computer hard drive and an extra shadow copy on the external hard drive. 

StoryBooks do not back up automatically.  You must take the time to back these up yourself.  There are a few ways to do this.  You can manually navigate to the drive and folder your StoryBook is saved in and then copy this file to your external hard drive. 

The other option is when you are in StoryBook Creator 4.0 do the following:

1. Open your project
2. On the File Tab, Choose Save As, then Save Project As..
3. Choose a NEW NAME for the project such as Freye Family 2011 Backup
4. Choose a new location to save the project - your external hard drive
5. Click Save As

You have now created a copy of the StoryBook project that can be opened up in StoryBook and worked on if you lose your original copy.  You need to repeat these steps for every project. Be sure when you open the project next that you open the original project and not the backup.  That is why I suggest you add backup to the name of the backup file. 

Be aware that these copies are of your StoryBook on the day you created the backup.  Any changes you make to the original will not be made to the backup unless you manually save the file again.

Once a StoryBook has been uploaded to the Creative Memories digital center your book will be saved there as long as your account is active.  This way you could always order another copy of a completed book if the worst happened.  But you cannot download the book and make any changes to the book.  That is why a backup of the book should also be kept on an external hard drive. 

Some people like to be extra safe and also burn their projects to a DVD.  If you are doing this you should be sure to buy an archival CD/DVD.  The ones you buy in bulk at the store are not designed for long-term storage. 

Another option is to save each page in a project as a .pdf file and back that up.  Dr. Mark Mizen covers the step by step directions on how to do that here on his blog.  The advantage to this method is that a .pdf file is universally recognized.  He is thinking very long-term and hopefully you will be able to read a .pdf file in the distant future.  The backups I talked about above are ones that you could open in StoryBook Creator Plus but not in another program.

You should also backup any content you have, especially the freebies you may be saving.  You would do this by navigating to where they are stored on your computer and copying the folders to your external hard drive.  If you don't know where they are stored go to Content Manager in StoryBook Creator 4.0 and when you hover over a package it will show you the location of the package.

You need to keep your e-mail records for any digital purchases you make from Creative Memories.  This way you have the information to download and activate the content in the future.  Anything you have purchased since September 1, 2011 is stored in your account at Creative Memories.  But anything before that you are responsible for keeping track of.  As your consultant I do not receive the activation codes and download links - only you as the purchaser receive these. 

Print out a backup up of your activation codes. To do this in StoryBook Creator 4.0 do the following:

1. Open StoryBook Creator 4.0
2. From the Welcome Page click on Manage Content
3. Click on Activation Codes
4. Click make a backup copy of my codes
5. Print this file

In addition to the external hard drive and/or CD/DVD backups there is another option called on-line backups.  There are a number of companies that provide this service.  Just Google on-line backups and you will find several.  Some of the most popular are Carbonite, Mozy, BackBlaze, iCloud.  You will need to research the different pros and cons to each of them to see which one fits your needs the best.  These services back up everything on your computer to an on-line storage facility.  This is key if you have a house fire, or a robbery and everything is gone, including your external hard drives. 

I have been using BackBlaze for some time now.  The reason I chose it was that it allowed me to back up more than one drive and I have two hard drives on my computer.  At the time I purchased it the other major options only allowed you to back up your C drive.  I believe that has now changed. 

These sites are good because they backup everything on your computer - not just the Memory Manage and StoryBook Creator Plus I have been talking about.  The one thing to be aware of with on-line backups is that they are backing up what is active on your computer.  It you delete something from your computer it will delete it from the on-line backup.  They are not a way to free up room on your computer.  There may be options available for this purpose but most on-line backups are a mirror image of what is currently on your hard drive(s).

Some people like to have more than one external hard drive.  They store one off-site at a bank vault or a relatives house. 

We have so much information on our computers that would cause major heartache is we lost it all.  Take some time to think about what works for you but please do some types of back up.

If you have read this far, thank you.  If I can help you process any of this information please let me know.  I am not an expert but can share with you what experience I do have.

Looking to free us space on your computer?

If you've been working on organizing your pictures and have been deleting the bad ones it is time to clean out your recycle bin.  When you delete a photo in Memory Manager it puts it into a temporary recycle bin so if you accidentally delete it you can get it back.  But this means that the picture has not been removed from your computer and it is still taking up space.  Periodically it is a good idea to empty this recycle bin. Here are the steps to do that:

1. From the Welcome Screen in Memory Manager click on Show Me More Details

2. Click on the Support Tab

3. Choose View the Recycle Bin

4. Choose Empty the Recycle Bin

5. Choose Clear the Thumbnail Cache - this is not necessary but I do it every time I empty the recycle bin.  You can also delete the temporary files while you are here.

The above procedure will remove the photos totally from your computer.  But while you are in a clean-up mode why don't you empty the recycle bin on your computer.  It's easy to think we are deleting things but forget to empty these bins.

I just emptied my Memory Manager recycle bin and freed up 3.1 GB on my computer!  Share in the comments section how much memory you freed up on your computer.

Which photos have you printed?

This short video demonstrates how the Print Track feature in Memory Manager 3.0 works.  It will allow you to quickly and easily see which photos you have printed, which you still need to print, and which you decided you did not want to print.  This is useful for both traditional and digital users.  If you print your pictures in a StoryBook you can still mark them as printed.  Share in the comments section if this feature has been useful to you and how.

Audio and Video files in Memory Manager

Did you know that Memory Manager can manage your video and audio files in addition to your photos? You have the option to see only your audio or video files by choosing the drop down arrow under your photos (and above the time line) that probably says Show All Media Types.


If you are importing audio or video files from you camera or other device into your Memory Manager Software, make sure to save them to your hard drive first. Then use the “Get Media” feature on the software to import those files into your media library.

Creative Memories has discovered that when you plug in a camera and try to get media through the Get Media > Camera option, it treats images as we are used to, gets them directly into the Media Library. But Audio and Video files are treated a little differently. Depending on how your camera is read by the software it may allow the audio and video files to be brought in directly. But this is generally not the case.

I don’t want you to assume your audio and video files have been imported, delete them you’re your camera, and then find out they were not brought into Memory Manager. With so many different cameras out there and everything changing so quickly in the technology world, Creative Memories can’t put a list of every camera and what will happen with each. It is good to get in the habit of doing this so if you get a new camera that does not automatically read the audio and video files you will not lose them.

This was covered in the Digi Newsletter from Creative Memories. If would like to receive this monthly newsletter you can subscribe by going to your Account at the Creative Memories Digital Center and then e-mail notifications. If you agree to receive email from Creative Memories Digital Center about special offers you will receive the Digi Newsletter.

Please call me with any questions.

Start the New Year with a clean back-up file

If you have been using an external hard drive and the Shadow Copy feature in Memory Manager it is a good idea to start the new year with a clean backup.  The way a shadow copy works is that every time you close out of Memory Manager it automatically backs up your work.  It does this as an incremental backup - only backs up what you have added, changed, or deleted during that session.  Over time this file becomes very large.  By periodically creating a clean back up you decrease the size of the file.  Here are the steps to take to create a clean backup.  The actual backup process may take some time if you have a lot of pictures so do it when you have time to let the computer run.

1. Open Up Memory Manager

2. Click on Show Me More Details from the Welcome Screen

3. Click Mark Entire Memory Vault for Backup.

4. Now Go to the Media Library and click on the Protect Tab

5. Click on Shadow Copy and be sure this is pointing to your external hard drive.

6. Click on Update Now. This may take a while because it is backing up your whole vault.

7. Congratulations you are done!

If you do not have an external hard drive I would highly recommend you purchase one.  You don't want to lose all your precious photos.  But if you don't have one you need to be backing up to a CD/DVD on a regular basis - at least monthly.  If you need help on how to do this please let me know.

If you want to be extra careful about your pictures you may want to create a backup on CD/DVD now too and store these somewhere outside of your home.  This gives you protection in case of fire or theft.  DVD's will hold a lot more than CD's.  If you click on Show Me More Details from the Welcome Screen in Memory Manager it will tell you the size of your Memory Vault.  From here you can figure out how many CD/DVD's you will need.  Be sure you have enough before you begin the process. 

When you have your CD/DVD's in hand you want to go to the Protect Tab and Choose the arrow under backup and then choose Full Vault backup and follow the steps.  Be sure to label each CD/DVD with the number given.  This is critical if you ever have to restore your Memory Vault. 

As I said this is an extra precaution.  You could also do another backup to a second external hard drive if you find it easier than the CD/DVD method.  Depending on how many pictures you have the external hard drive may actually be cheaper than the CD/DVD method. 

Please contact me if you have any questions.

PicFolio Album Planner

This video demonstrates how to use the PicFolio Album Planner feature in Memory Manager.  Out PicFolio albums are slip and slide albums that are very fast and easy to create.  You can add some decorative touches to them with our PicFolio Milestones kits or just mat some of the center photos with our StoryBox mats.  These albums help busy people get their photos off their computer and into their life so they can savor the moments they captured in their photos.  If this style does not appeal to you think about using them for gifts.  They work especially well for grandparents.  You can send them photos as the events occur and they will have a place to put them and show off their grandkids.  Some people also like the idea we call "Just pick 9".  You pick just 9 photos from either a month and/or an event and add a journal box and you have a two-page spread completed.  Again a fast way to celebrate your life and do something with your photos.

Correct Pet Eye

Have you ever taken a picture of your pet and had glaring yellow eyes?  This is a result of using a flash.  While it is best to try to shoot pictures without a flash many times this is not possible.  That is when Memory Manager once again comes to the rescue.  In just a few short minutes you can return your pets eyes back to normal.

Do you have pictures of red-eyed monsters?

Red eye occurs when we use our flash. The flash reflects off your eye and the blood vessels in the eye cause the red "monster" eyes.  You can have a really great picture, except for these glaring red eyes.  Fortunately Memory Manager has a very easy way to fix red eye.  This short video will walk you through the two very quick options available in Memory Manager. There is now no reason for you to have red eye in any of your pictures.