Zips - keep them or not?

[beethovengrandma]

I have downloaded a few kits and elements and have saved the zips in the folder with the rest of the pieces. Is there a good reason to save these zips once they are unzipped or can I just delete them and have one less item on the memory? Thanks for anyone who knows the answer and will educate the rest of us.

[Fortissimo]

Once I have enough zips, I burn them to a cd since some sites recycle their stuff.. and I'm a hoarder.

[Lizzerd]

but if you're downloading a kit, one DL a day, then dump the indivual zips, and at the end of the week, make one larger zip for back-up!!! Just my 2c.:D

[moog25]

I keep a separate folder and after I extract the contents of a zip I transfer it to that folder. If there is a password I add that to the name of the zip so I don't lose it. This way if I ever accidentally delete something I can retrieve it. I'm just about to back them up and clear the folder so I can start to fill it up again!

[moog25]

but if you're downloading a kit, one DL a day, then dump the indivual zips, and at the end of the week, make one larger zip for back-up!!! Just my 2c.:D

Great idea! I never thought of doing that.

[Paula]

I never thought about the password. That would be a problem if you didn't put it with the kit!!!! but I usually don't keep my zips, but I do back up quite offten. Learned that the hard way! Thanks for sharing

[sharpli]

I don't keep my zips at all but backup my d/l and unzipped kits regularly. In most cases, the zipped files isn't that much smaller than the unzipped one and I don't want to use up hard drive space to save them both - and if I'm going to put something on a CD, I make it easier for myself by backing up the unzipped ones

[wallstrednekwife]

I don't save my zips. I definitely don't save the password protected ones once I have unzipped them. Sometimes I rezip to burn and sometimes I don't. Depends on my mood! LOL I do find that I can squish more onto a CD of zipped kits vs. a CD of unzipped ones... but not that much more. So, I might start doing things the way Linda does!

[shug]

So, Linda, do you write down the names of the new kits you've unzipped so you know which ones to back up? I unzip them to the designer's folder and keep the zip with it. I would have no idea which were the new downloads unless I wrote every one of them down. Unfortunately - or fortunately for me - I download more than one scrapbook item per day.

Sandee

[LemonaideLinda]

I like having a zip file of a kit for back up. But I usually unzip a file and re-sort and clean up to suit my needs. I like brushes in a separate file and I sort them by designer with a note of the original kit name. I also rezip kits to burn the back up file. Some kits also have sets of the same previews and TOUs and I only need 1, so I delete redundant files in a kit. I only need 1 so I don't want extras in the same kit.

[winnie]

I keep my files organized by themes, with the designers name as part of the file name. I than back them up to a rewritable DVD for that category. That way I can add new to the DVD. Also keep any leements, clip art alphas etc that goes with the category. Works for me

[MLLatgottapixel]

I also wondered whether or not I should keep the zip files, so thank you for asking and thank you to everyone who responded. I got some great ideas!

[ScrapperFL]

I keep all my zips in a seperate folder .. and then arrange them by site/designer name. I also keep passwords to all password protected zips. I then burn them to a disc so I will always have a copy -- just in case. :)

[dbagnell]

I download a kit, unzip it and re-organize (i.e. I like everything in one folder, not papers in one, elements in one, etc.). Once I re-organize, I zip it again and put it in my scrap folder. Then, I save the picture which shows the whole kit together in another folder called Index. That way, if I want to look at my kits, I don't have to unzip them, I just open my index folder, see which one I want and unzip that kit.

[radsweb]

i also keep my zips in a folder until i have enough to burn to a cd or dvd, its good to always have a backup of them in case of computer problems or if you upgrade to a better computer. And i also recomend keeping a note of the passwords i prefer to keep a notepad file with the zips saying the name of the zip and its password

[aznewmom]

Hmmmmmm, sounds like I'm taking up twice the room I need to. LOL!
I have been unzipping and then keeping the zips and the files together.
Perhaps I should just get rid of them. Leaves more room for more kits!?!?!?
:-)

[Meme]

I dump them. I write every thing to CD

[triciaontario]

I back up the zips (and everything else) everyday to an external hard drive that I take with me when I travel so I always have a backup. I then dump the zips from my hard drive but am thinking of storeing them on an old computer hard drive so I have a back up of my back up ???????? I keep track of everything on an excel spread sheet. name of design-designer-type(kit, element etc.)-user name-date downloaded-site downloaded from. This makes it easy to sort in any catagory.

[GinnieS]

I unzip all my kits then delete the zipped file and place the unzipped kits on a cd. Am I doing it wrong???

[shug]

Something I'm trying to remember to do is add the password onto the end of the zip file name.

Sandee

[kresta]

I don't save zips, just the unzipped files. Back them up on CDs.

[tlccreates]

I unzip, resort the files (cause I like the papers and elements together in the main folder and just have a subfolder for the alpha), make sure the folder name has the designers name on it, and then delete the zip

I use a couple external hard drives cause this laptop's drive is too small. One external stays with the laptop, the other is at the desktop puter. Now and then I bring them together to back up files.

Gee, my scrapping collection is so huge that I'd use up a ton of cds to backup. I am not complaining of course, just commenting

[createdbydigi]

You are right, you do end up with a ton of cd's.

Being quite new, I didn't know what to do for a system, I was told - any system is better then none, you will be sorry if you don,t start one.
That information was good!
So I did the best I could, even though I have tons of room on an internal added drive of my computer.

Just to keep my stress down, I would open a kit, not keep the zip, burn it on a cd, put it in a cd envelope, print a small picture of the kit to show through the cd envelope window. I marked the cd and the envelope, and file them, in a plastic cd holder under the site name.

Yes, it is a lot of cd's, but it was once suggested, that for the price of a cd, probably 10 cents, do something with the kits! Especially the favorite ones or purchased ones and I didn't want them to get lost in my collection.

Now that I have been doing this a couple of months, they were right, if I had no system, I would be sorry. Now, I have an idea of the sites I like, or don't, and also my favorite designers. I am not sorry that I started out that way...it was overwhelming for me to create a system, so mine was simple for me. And it worked, it is hard to learn everything at once.

So now I can just go from here...:)

Learning so much at once, you have to start somewhere.

[SL144k]

this thread is reminding me that I have burned backups this month...thanks for the reminder

[sparky_mom]

No I dont keep the zips. I take everything out of the file, Including the Terms of Use and I name the folder what the kit is called and who made it. If it is just paper I put it in a file that has all my paper in it with the person's name on it who made it. I have mine like this. I have Paper, paper kits, elements, word art, and so on. ex. Sun Kissed by Tara Forbes is in my paper kit as a sub folder!

[scrappin.doodle]

Hmmm.. I've got some zipping n' saving to do.... Thanks for the reminder.. ;)

[maryann]

A good system of keeping your layouts and backups is a GOOD idea. I learned the hard way!! Now I am filing and backing up EVERYTHING! Also, if you tell yourself that you will file and backup later, you will see how fast your stuff will pile up on you. Then you got a real mess. I have lived and learned.........good luck. I also needed to know about the zipping and unzipping issue.