A little I.T. help required please.

[fly boy3]

Hi all. I need to down load my picture files ( which are stored on folders) from "My Pictures" to a flash drive for safety. As there is a lot of folders can anyone show me how it is done. Thanks. ps Still using XP, hence the worry.

[iqon]

easiest way open files for my pictures and your flash drive , then drag and drop......not gonna tell you how to do it though

[WolstonFlyer]

In Windows explorer right click on the 'My Pictures' folder and choose 'copy'

Then still in Windows explorer find the flash drive in the left side list of folders and drives.

click on the flash drive so the contents of the flash drive are shown in the larger middle area of the screen, right click on an empty area and select 'Paste'

This should copy the whole My Pictures folder.. if the flash drive is big enough.

Edited By WolstonFlyer on 22/06/2014 17:58:21

[avtur]

Make sure you choose the 'copy' option ... you want a copy as back up .... you don't want to loose your original copies .... even on XP this should be quite straight forward.

[Ady Hayward]

Hi,

Windows allows many ways to skin the cat so to speak and further to what WolstonFlyer has said you can open the "My Pictures" folder and flash drive folder/ window. Then If the picture folders are in order you can left click on the first folder, Then hold down the shift key and click on the last folder you want to copy and they should all turn blue. Then right click in the blued area select copy, then right click in the flash drive window and select paste. All being well your selection will be copied across.

Alternately you can hold down the Ctrl key and left click carefully on each folder/ picture you want to copy and each will turn blue until you have selected all that you need. Then right click in the blue area select copy, then move the mouse cursor into the flash drive window, right click and select paste.

It seems daunting at first, but practice a bit and it soon gets easy.

Adrian

Edited By Ady Hayward on 22/06/2014 18:47:17

[kc]

Fly Boy, I guess you are probably thinking about upgrading your computer because XP is no longer updated and not considered safe ( rotten business ethics!)

I had this problem recently with an old Win 98 machine with low spec. After much searching I found a firm selling refurbished base units with Dual core and Windows 7 for about 75 pounds delivered. Seemed worth a chance to me and I opted to have increased memory and larger hard disc for total 90 pounds including VAT & delivery. Came next day, plugged in and everything worked perfectly. Proper Microsoft sticker with authentification code which checked out OK. All at less than the cost of buying a copy of Windows. I found them at this website

it appears that as manufacturers of new computers Microsoft allow them to also sell the used machines updated with OEM version of Windows. All seems daft but better than buying a brand new computer and having the thing unsupported in just a few years. Having to dump a used computer wont seem quite as bad! Anyway Windows will be a thing of the past in a couple of years as Android is getting such a hold now.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

[fly boy3]

Thanks lads,sorted. One more silly question, When I download new pictures to my flash stick, will only the new ones be down loaded ? Thanks

[fly boy3]

Thanks for the info kc, as my model is over 10 year old, I was told its not worth updating. The site in your link looks quite a reputable one. Have you any more info, ie does it come with a word processor ? Thanks

[kc]

I found they were nice to deal with - I phoned up and asked some questions, the man was obviously British and answered truthfully about the condition. . You can tell a lot about a firm when you aske the awkward questions and see if they are evasive or not.. The man answered " They all vary with slightly used appearance but quite acceptable" Most of the base units are the medium size desktop not the large tower type.. Of course that means there is not much space left to put extra cards or discs inside but most people will not want to do that.

The only software supplied is Windows. The disc has been properly wiped clean and reloaded with Windows. At the basic 60 pound price they dont have Windows, this costs 15 pounds extra for Windows 7 Home and a bit more for Professional. I chose to have 4 Megabytes RAM at slight extra cost and a 200Gb hard dicsc making the total about 90 pounds with 3 months warranty. Could pay extra for a year warranty but then it all adds to the price.. I added up all the options and compared to new low cost computers at Currys or Dabs before deciding. If you have a good monitor and keyboard its about a third the cost of new. But if you need a monitor, year warranty, keyboard, wireless etc it gets nearer to the price of a low spec new machine.with these included. Check what plugs your monitor and Printer have and make sure any new computer has the same or else consider the cost of leads too.

I reused my existing monitor and used a mouse and keyboard I had already ( needs a USB Keybard & mouse not the old plugs type) but they offer a keyboard & mouse at a little extra cost. Check what plugs your keyboard & mouse has. I used a wireless adaptor I had because the computer has an Ethernet card but not a wireless card. Wireless card can be supplied at slight extra cost.

Make sure any used computer has a proper Microsoft Windows 7 sticker with authentification number, otherwise it stops working after a month! The sticker was there on mine but not obvious, when I went online to Microsoft it all checked out OK

I use the free Open Office which is easily obtainable, includes a word processor etc and seems to equal Microsoft Office in almost every respect according to all reports. Win 7 offers a choice of browser & E-mail programs to download free. There are free anti virus, photo editing software etc available too. And a free version of Profilli to produce airfoils is available.

I reserved a couple of Win 7 books from the local library ( free online! ) to complete the budget price setup.(no manuals with the s/h computer)

So my cheap Dual Core Win 7 computer with 4 Gb seems faster than my wife's Quad Core 1Gb Vista computer which cost 5 times as much just a few years ago. All the reports say Win 7 is preferred to Win 8 and is more popular.

[fly boy3]

Thanks KC, for an exellent write up. I dearly needed an upgrade, to my 10 year old pc, but a new one was out of my reach financially. I have a laptop ( present from grand children) which I use frequently, but as an old guy LoL I like to sit in front of a monitor to do the bizz. Thanks once again, I shall be looking into this soon. FB3

[Handyman]

Hi everyone, I have just got a new laptop which unfortunately came with Windows 8 installed. To say I am baffled is an understatement. I should have read the "Spec" more closely. I have a laptop with Windows 7 home premium on it, and I recently purchased a disk to reinstall the operating system on it again, i.e. to return it to factory settings.

Would this disk work on my new laptop, by that I mean, could I load Windows 7 Home premium into it and be able to use Windows 7 instead. I am more comfy with that version. I flounder in the dark with Windows 8. I cannot find out how to make a backup copy or mirror image of Windows 8 into the bargain. Mind you, I am 73 and this technology leaves me baffled at times. Anyway, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.

Tony.

[kc]

Fly Boy. Have you thought about connecting your laptop to the monitor or to a TV screen instead of buying a new computer?

One thing I noticed in the spec for these used machines is that some have CD writers ( which only read DVD) and some DVD writers.  Best to get a DVD writer, so check the spec.

Edited By kc on 23/06/2014 16:30:44

[fly boy3]

Thanks kc, I had thought of that. Cheers