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    Computer storage advice required.

    There must be hundreds of you out there who know much more about their computers than I do, and I wonder of any of you could help me sort out all the AW material I have downloaded into a more manageable system. (I would point out here that I have never used a computer in the course of my employment, and have never had any training. I just went to a shop and bought a PC and then taught myself to use it by trial and error).
    I store all the downloaded pics and vids in folders according to type and model's name but it's such a long winded process to find the item I want. Say, for instance, I want to see vid no.4 of Mim and Jacquie. I go to 'My documents' and click on the AW file. I then have to choose between Pics and Vids. Having opened Vids I then have a choice of the following categories,BG, GG, INTM, SOLO,or PEE. I open GG and have a choice of Tier 1,2or3. I open Tier 3 and scroll down to the Mim Jacquie folder. I open this and at last I have the icons for their 4 vids and click on no.4. Surely there must be an easier way!
    What I would dearly love to do is to create a sort of mini AW site on my hard disc where I could click on the main AW folder and get a thumb pic of every model with her name underneath, in alphabetical order, and a choice of pics or vids. I could then click on either, which would immediately open her folder of pics ready to see with the slide show or open the vid folder so I could click on whichever vid I wanted to see.
    Is this possible? and if so within the scope of my limited experience? For all I know this may be what you all do anyway and I haven't yet caught up.
    If it's of any help I'm running Windows XP Home Edition with the latest IE browser,(can't remember the number)
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated and could be of help to other members who, like me, are not fully versed in the capabilities of their computers.

    #2
    Hey Twogan,

    I have to say that I use a really simple scheme for the stuff I downloaded. I just dump the image zips in one folder and the videos in the other. If I want to find a video of (say) Anthea, I can either look in the directory under anthea... or under g_anthea... and so on or I fire up a browser window and use the fantastic navigation and search tools that the hard-working AW.com staff has put in place.
    To ease things a bit, I have configured Konqueror (my web browser) so that when I type "aw:Anthea" as a URL, I get the search page with all the results for Anthea. This should be possible in IE or Firefox, too, using bookmarklets, if I'm not mistaken. [Update: I was mistaken, what I was referring to was the custom keywords feature of Mozilla/Firefox. Don't know if any version of IE has this.]
    Once I have found what I'm looking for, I find the file by filename (and if I don't have it yet, I just download it).

    The kind of "mini-site" you are suggesting would of course be possible with a little work to hack together some perl scripts, but I've never felt the urge to spend hours programming in some free time I could spend to look at beautiful models.

    Cheers, Sqrt17
    Last edited by sqrt17; 17 August 2005, 10:07 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      I have a top level directory called Graphics, under that ISM and GOW and Abby and a couple of others I won't mention, under Abby I have Main, GG, Deviations, Backstage, Redux, Mez and Dressing Room. Under each of those there is a Video directory (except for Backstage and Dressing Room).

      I keep the zips in the folder that corresponds to the location on the main site.

      I use ACDSee to view them.

      HTH, Spud

      Comment


        #4
        my condolances on your choice of OS. but at least windows is easy to learn.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by freshdugi
          my condolances on your choice of OS. but at least windows is easy to learn.
          what do you use, freshdugi? mac, linux, unix...?

          once upon a time i had a dualboot win/linux box, that was fun. i'll never forget how thrilled i was when i managed to make the linux half see the win partition's files

          now i take the easy way and use win :P my wedding software won't work on any other OS :P

          Comment


            #6
            hello Alexis,

            for general usage I use Suse 9.3, or other various flavors of linux, I think of linux as kind a brain candy kind of OS, its really alot of fun.

            for serious computing, math algorithms, cluster computing and important storage i use freebsd unix.

            um, what is win :P?

            Comment


              #7
              Managing all those downloaded files

              Hi everyone. Does anyone besides me have trouble managing all the video and photos downloaded? I started using spreadsheets, but wanted something more streamlined. Unable to find anything, I am in the process of writing a VB application to help. Its starting to look good but still needs some more work and testing. It gives me up to date info on models, videos photos and disk (dvd) backups.

              Currently the app tells me there have been 451 models. The youngest 18 and the oldest 31, with an average age of 20. Models range in height from 142 to 186 cm and average 164cm.

              The program also can display models and their details by occupation, home town or interests (relational db for any1 interested) - useful for looking at all the (nurses, teachers, models from Melbourne, those interested in horses or whatever). And I know which files are on which backup ddisk (dvd).

              Has anyone else undertaken this sort of monitoring I am developing this to prevent downloading the same file more than once (which I had started doing).

              Comment


                #8
                Hi josanx!

                Well, Luxman has a nifty Excel spreadsheet that he created that keeps track of all kinds of stats. After he gets back from vacation you might want to PM him to verify that the stats that you're getting are correct. He posted a screen shot of it a short time ago but I couldn't find it by a quick look.

                I myself would love to have something like that. I wish Abby could offer something like that to organize the pics and (like you say) make sure you arean't downloading something you've already downloaded. I would definitely pay some money for it!!

                Alleyes

                Comment


                  #9
                  here's one thread with a pic of Luxman's spreadsheet
                  Where you can talk about stuff not directly related to the website, and socialise with the other members.


                  I too found with all the material available here it's becoming difficult to keep track of it all. So I started writing an app with Borland Builder C++ a couple of weeks ago.

                  So far I've got these features roughed in:
                  Checks This Week's updates and collect all file links for each day
                  Simple Download Manager
                  Monitors which files have been downloaded
                  Picture/Thumbnail viewer
                  Zip file viewer

                  I want to add some sort of catalogue system to it but I'm not sure how I'll attack that yet.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by josanx
                    Currently the app tells me there have been 451 models. The youngest 18 and the oldest 31, with an average age of 20. Models range in height from 142 to 186 cm and average 164cm.
                    To quote from Gregory's Girl, Why are boys so obsessed with numbers?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Alexis
                      now i take the easy way and use win :P my wedding software won't work on any other OS :P
                      I remember a time when it was the groom that worked on your wedding software.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by freshdugi
                        for general usage I use Suse 9.3, or other various flavors of linux, I think of linux as kind a brain candy kind of OS, its really alot of fun.

                        for serious computing, math algorithms, cluster computing and important storage i use freebsd unix.
                        See I never got far past redhat :P Tried a small spinoff called dragon linux once, that was nice.... (simple and efficient OS)... and I think I installed an earlier version of SuSE...

                        Originally posted by pjay
                        To quote from Gregory's Girl, Why are boys so obsessed with numbers?
                        Because 2 is better than 1, 3 is better than 2 and so on It's a competitive thing, I think!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Peter552
                          I remember a time when it was the groom that worked on your wedding software.
                          When? When??? I'd gladly hand the task over!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Alexis
                            now i take the easy way and use win :P my wedding software won't work on any other OS :P
                            What sort of wedding software are you working with and what does it do? (I'm getting ready to get married so am kinda overloaded with all things wedding related....)

                            Jack

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Jack - I'm using Blubells, which rolls a heap of wedding day 'lists' into one (guestlist, table arrangements, bucks/hens night attendees, to-do list, contact book etc etc). Cost me about AU$50 but is worth every cent because I can just hand out the Excel-compatible lists to caterers whenever I'm ready.

                              www.blubells.com.au

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Wedding software. What will they think of next? The table-arranging function could be useful in helping you avoiding seating incompatible people next to each other, or keeping the loud drunks strategically placed where they will cause the least ruckus.

                                Unless, of course, you want a ruckus.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by Alexis
                                  Jack - I'm using Blubells, which rolls a heap of wedding day 'lists' into one (guestlist, table arrangements, bucks/hens night attendees, to-do list, contact book etc etc). Cost me about AU$50 but is worth every cent because I can just hand out the Excel-compatible lists to caterers whenever I'm ready.

                                  www.blubells.com.au
                                  Wow! I wish I had found that 3 months ago!! I can think of so many things that it would have made easier. Probably a little late at this point (getting married Sept. 17th...invitations have gone out, catering is planned, rehearsal dinner set up, etc) I'll definitely point it out to other folks...looks like a great program.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    organizing

                                    I've been noticing my computer is taking longer to download files than it used to. But I've also been downloading a lot of files and am filling up the hard drive so maybe that is why. I recently upgraded my computer from a mac performa that couldn't do anything to the new G5 which is amazing. I stayed with mac in case I ever made another short film: I could use the I-movie software, but it takes money to make a movie and I have very little of that.

                                    One bit of advice I did hear was to use a external hard drive. Not only do you save disc space on your internal hard drive but you avoid the inevitable loss which would result from the inevitable hard drive failure. Until then, I am planning on dumping most of the files onto DVD, which can hold heaps of stuff.

                                    My advice on categorizing and organizing is this; do what works best for you. I myself simply have the folders set up for each model. For models who have more that one set, I simply dump the pics together in the same folder. If there are more than more than one, for models like Susie or Elizabeth, then I keep the separate sets in separate folders but all in the same 'master' folder. Vids get thier own folder but in the corresponding model folder. For GG shoots, I have created a separate 'couples' folder. Multi girl shoots have special titles like "fourgirls" or "shower girls" so those go in the abby folder just like models, by title.

                                    Just like learning to use your computer without the aid of a manual (Mac users know all about that), classes or on the job training, learning to organize is a matter of trial and error. Find what works best for you and if it gets to hard, simplify. I have been starting to DL photo sets twice by mistake so I think I might start keeping a hard copy somewhere to cross reference, especially if I start purging files from my computer once they are on DVD. Let's see, where am I at now...? 28.5GB available - 24.13 GB in my abby folder. It's all good

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by matchless
                                      I've been noticing my computer is taking longer to download files than it used to. But I've also been downloading a lot of files and am filling up the hard drive so maybe that is why.
                                      I doubt it would have an effect on download speed. That is usually affected by things like other activity on the computer (another program running that is taking a lot of the system), or the speed of your connection to your ISP. Sometimes there can be a slowdown on a key link between you and the AW server. Sometimes you could have a virus or adware that is interfering. Is AW the only internet activity that has slowed down?
                                      Originally posted by matchless
                                      ...One bit of advice I did hear was to use a external hard drive. Not only do you save disc space on your internal hard drive but you avoid the inevitable loss which would result from the inevitable hard drive failure. Until then, I am planning on dumping most of the files onto DVD, which can hold heaps of stuff.
                                      Note that an external hard drive is exactly the same drive that is in your computer and it can die just as easily. Maybe even more easily because it can be dropped. It is a good idea to use the external drive as a backup or as your main drive with some other backup.

                                      HTH BigSpud

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Peter552
                                        I remember a time when it was the groom that worked on your wedding software.
                                        Originally posted by Alexis
                                        When? When??? I'd gladly hand the task over!
                                        I meant a different kind of soft-ware, Alexis - the kind a groom gets into on his wedding night

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Originally posted by BigSpud
                                          I doubt it would have an effect on download speed. That is usually affected by things like other activity on the computer (another program running that is taking a lot of the system), or the speed of your connection to your ISP. Sometimes there can be a slowdown on a key link between you and the AW server. Sometimes you could have a virus or adware that is interfering. Is AW the only internet activity that has slowed down? Note that an external hard drive is exactly the same drive that is in your computer and it can die just as easily. Maybe even more easily because it can be dropped. It is a good idea to use the external drive as a backup or as your main drive with some other backup.

                                          HTH BigSpud
                                          Thanks for the tips on both these issues. I am aware of the various factors that can affect download speeds and the like. When I'm online, I don't usually have any other programs running. When I decided to splurge on hig speed access I went with Road Runner because I heard it was faster. Then I heard that speed can be affected by how many other people are using the same cable. My problems are usually worst in the afternoons so I am thinking it is time to switch to another provider, probably SBCYahoo DSL (SBC happens to be my long distance provider - I might someday get Time Warner cable but not until I get a better job or a second job)

                                          I don't think I need an external hard drive just yet. But thanks again for the heads up.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Isn't it strange that I started this thread asking for help with my hard disc storage, and it ends up on the subject of wedding arrangements? Thanks to all who tried to help but I hardly understood any of it. However I have been experimenting with my files and folders and found all sorts of things that XP can do which I knew nothing about.
                                            I have now introduced a system which suits me perfectly and allows me to access the pics and vids I want very easily.
                                            I have a file for every model containing her pictures. All pictures are just lumped in together but as they are sensibly annotated on this site they automatically sort themselves into the correct order even if there are several sets. Using the 'customise' facility I use the first pic in the folder as the folder icon which is big enough to see when I am looking for a particular model but can't remember her name. These all go into the master AW folder which is customised to 'show in groups', a much better way to view the folders than the normal.
                                            I then drop the model's video folder into the picture folder, having first placed the relevant icon on it. (to do this I copy the icon used for her pics folder and paste it into the vids folder, then use the customise facility to set it as the icon). I do the same for the IM folder if she has one and the pee folder, as I keep these seperate from the main pics and vids.
                                            OK so far? right here's the clever bit.(well I think so but then I'm easily pleased). The gg pics and vids I keep all together, in their own seperate folders, in a master folder,(AW -GG), using the main pictures from the site (showing both girls) as the icons. I then make two shortcuts for each folder which will already show the icon and drop one into each of the model's folders. The shortcut appears as a folder just like the others except that it has the small arrow in the lower left corner.
                                            To summarise, I now open the master folder and immediately see all the models' folders with their pictures on the front, in alphabetical blocks. I scroll down to the model I want, and open her folder.
                                            I can then either start the slideshow of her pictures immediately or go to her videos, solo or specialised (including gg) by opening the relevant folder.
                                            The advantage of this system is that not only can you go to any model's folder and access everything she has done in a couple of moves, provided you've downloaded it of course, but also go to the main gg folder if you only want those pics or vids, and see them without searching the individual models' folders. I don't think a system could be much more user friendly.
                                            Last edited by twogan; 29 August 2005, 11:13 PM.

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