Saving computer files: build your personal archive
We have safeguarded our memories in photo albums, video tapes and notebooks. But are we ready to recover the data we have generated in the digital environment? How will we be able to access the selfie from our last summer holiday or our end of course project ten years from now? We provide content and tips to help you store and preserve all your data for the future.
From shelves and boxes to the cloud
Keep hold of the files you want and clean out those you don't, using the famed Marie Kondo method.
1. Locate your information
Find out where your personal files are stored and choose which ones you wish to keep depending on their importance and quality. Search your computer, hard drives, memory sticks and mobile. Don’t forget the information in your email and social media accounts.
You can download your tweets for an overview of the information you post.
You are able to download specific information from your Facebook account.
You can export data from your Google email account.
You have the option to export emails and contacts from this email provider.
You can export a copy of your individual or group chat history in this app.
You are able to download a back-up copy of your Instagram data whenever you wish.
2. Organize your information
Once you have chosen the files, organize them: give them a descriptive name and create folders. Then choose the support on which to store them.
Tips for being more productive in organizing your digital files.
Alan Capellades, de l'arxiu comarcal del Vallès Occidental, explica eines i trucs per organitzar els arxius digitals en aquesta entrada del programa de ràdio Popap.
3. Save your content
Create back-up copies of your computer files and review them periodically in order to keep them in good condition.
Una llista elaborada per la Digital Preservation Coalition que classifica els formats digitals de més a menys vulnerables i t'avisa de quan un d'aquests formats està “en perill d'extinció digital”.
Take note of these six factors that could put your digital legacy at risk. Prevent them by keeping your collection up-to-date. Technological obsolescence, appearance of new formats, the fragility of storage media... all of these factors put your digital collection at risk.
Practical guide by the Document Management, Archives and Publications Service of Girona City Council. This manual highlights the importance of all document types (text, graphic, photographic or audiovisual), the fragility of all supports (from parchment to digital) and the personal and collective importance of the information that they contain.
This practical guide looks at digital resource management over time and the problems of maintaining access to them. This specific chapter focuses on formats.
This table contains guidance on file formats recommended and accepted by the UK Data Service for data sharing, reuse and preservation.
Module 1 of the resource explains preservation strategies. You’ll find, for example, the definition of refreshing, transferring data from one support to another.
The InterPARES international project produced this guide focused on long-term document preservation. The manual offers information about production, maintenance and preservation, with various recommendations on choosing formats, the use of metadata and organizing files.
Graphic image explaining the procedure for identifying, organizing and storing important information. It answers the most frequently-asked questions in each of these three stages.
How to save...
The UOC's O2 repository is an open-access digital archive that collates, disseminates and preserves the publications produced by the members of the university. You're free to download and read any of its 10,000 documents.You will have a permanent URL that will remain the same regardless of any changes that might be made to the repository's interface. This means you can retrieve your work whenever you want.
In this video they advise making a prior selection and organizing important computer files into folders, giving them descriptive and explanatory names. To save them well, create two copies in separate locations and check that they can be opened and read once a year. Remember to transfer the files using the latest version of the software.
We offer a webpage with recommendations for organizing and saving your emails. Access your personal email accounts and select important messages. Don’t forget to check the folders with archived emails as well as save attached documents. You can now export your emails, while preserving their metadata (date, time, etc). Finally, make separate copies of the files.
Start by saving the best quality versions of your camera, computer or mobile video files and give them a good description: include labels with the names of the people that appear in them or the subject matter. The more copies you make, the better. Save some of them in external supports such as hard drives or CDs.
Start by saving the best quality versions of your camera, computer or mobile video files and give them a good description: include labels with the names of the people that appear in them or the subject matter. The more copies you make, the better. Save some of them in external supports such as hard drives or CDs.
Keep in mind that much of our daily activity is stored on blogs, webpages or social media. How can we preserve this content? On this webpage you will find general tips on how to organize your files.
The two key issues you need to investigate before deciding on an online back-up service are: 1) the cost and 2) the ease of use. Consumer storage in the cloud is still in its infancy and the business models are still being devised and established.
