After you open your zips...what do you do?

[~Heather~]

I burn all the zip files. Then I delete them. I was surprised many people mention they just delete them and don't burn them. I don't trust my computer back up at all. I have spent a lot of money on kits I feel better having them on disc.

So what does everyone else do?

I also have to add here that originally I would have thought you are all crazy running around looking for preview files, LOL however now that I have ACDSEE I totally understand.

[Priscilla]

I delete. It's awful- I know

[BrattyMeg]

I delete mine too...I burn my folder of kits by designer to DVD and leave it so I can reburn on them. Sometimes zips can corrupt over time so i don't trust just a zip on backup

[tracey]

I trash the zips too, just burn folders. ITA w/ Meg...I have had a few zips go corrupt on me.

[ditzyscrap]

I delete them. Back when I first started, I would burn them to disc, but that was a MAJOR pain because if I wanted something that was on a disc, I would have to unzip it back onto my computer. If I burn anything, it would be the actual kit.

Also...zips are more unstable, a disc full of zips has a higher chance of having them be corrupt than if you burned the actual files. They're not smaller files, either - jpg and png files don't compress very much...if they are smaller it's only by 1-2 MB.

Zips are basically just to hold all the files together to make it easier for download - otherwise they're pretty much useless. I toss 'em!

[jaylensmom]

I delete my zips too...

[Hom74]

Another person who deletes the zips, but I backup the folders that were inside the original zip

[~Heather~]

LOL I should have likely asked this question when I first started.

Gee Bree...you could have told me this before.


I didn't know a zip file was more likely to get corrupted. Thanks all, will be changing it around now.

[twentytinytoes]

Yep I delete em! I do all my backing up with mozy now I've had so many cd's go corrupt its such a pain in my butt lol

[Leila]

I burn the zips AND the kits to DVDs. I'm a digital pack rat.

[digi-gee]

This is great to know. It seems I'm the pack rat too and back up both. I will be getting rid of all the duplication in the zip files now and maybe not have to go out and get me more storage so soon. Thanks!

[Libby Pritchett]

Yep, I delete too.

I have my kits stored on 2 EHDs and Mozy online backup, so I think I'm covered. LOL!

[Stacey42]

I go back & forth on what I actually burn. Sometimes I burn the zips, sometimes I burn the unzipped files. Once I have my downloaded things unzipped or copied to where I want it I toss everything downloaded into one burn folder & burn that folder when it hits 4GBs. If a kit has 4 zips, odds are I'll have the unzipped folder with everything in it in the burn folder, but if it is a one zip set of word art, I probably have the zip file in there

[newfiemountiewife]

I delete them. They aren't that much smaller than the fully opened files, so I get rid of them. I have an EHD they are backed up on, a 250 GB hard drive in my computer they are on, and a bunch of stuff burned to disc as well. However, I am finding that some of my discs are becoming corrupt, so I'm going to start with Mozy once I get a few minutes to set it all up.

[Sari]

I'm on a Mac and they are automatically unzipped as I download them and the zip files go to the trash. But I do backup all my folders onto DVD.

[Sue Setiadji]

Thanks for yhe info on zip stability ladies! I haven't used it in the past but have been considering it as a possibility! Will shelve that idea.
Great thread!!

[ditzyscrap]

Originally Posted by ~Heather~

Gee Bree...you could have told me this before.

I'm sorry...LOL! Like I said, I used to back up the zips, but found this info out later on...

[amandabarugh]

I agree. Great thread! I've been backing up on to Mozy all day because of it. I also have an external hard drive that I keep everything on, as well as disks.

[lmccandless]

Thanks for the tip about the instability of the zips. I am going to have to change my system now! I have been backing up my zips to an extra internal HD and keeping all the unzipped files on my EHD. I guess I will unzip everything on that internal drive and trash the zips...

[tmcquaid]

Hmmmm...I've always kept the zip files and I actually don't unzip something unless I'm working with it. LOL! I guess I'm in the minority. Knock on wood, I've never had a problem with corrupt zip files but I think I'll definitely go back and unzip those files after reading this thread. I usually keep everything on my internal HD and than back up to my EHD and burn to DVDs as well.

[kcmcd]

I just delete them too. lol. In thepast I've been really good about backing them folders up, but I haven't for a while... I think Imma sign up for Mozy...