The PhotoStick Review – Easy and Secure Backup Of All Your Photos And Videos

It has happened with mostly all of us. However careful we are, we have lost either once or a couple of times our precious photographs and videos. These form our way to revisit our past that we can never get back, thus these should never be lost, isn’t? So, we bring to you a device that helps you to find the missing videos and photos from your computer instantaneously!  Doesn’t it sound exciting?

The PhotoStick – It offers easy and secure backup of all your photos and videos on your phone and computer. And all this in just a few minutes. TopGiftsReview has created this complete guide that covers everything which will help you understand What is ThePhotoStick? and how does Photostick work? So, let’s read more about it in our detailed review below.

What is The Photostick?

Photostick is a brand new product that is launched in the market to conveniently backup your files almost in an instant. If you go by its appearance, it looks like any flash drive that already must be used to store data.  But, technologically, it is way different from it.

It has software that helps you find the photographs on your computer which were lost. It does not only find photographs but also works on documents and videos. The best part is Photostick works automatically, so if you are not technologically sound, still you can recover your data after a data failure.

The Photo Stick is a USB device that provides a convenient way to backup files in seconds. The USB device contains a builtin app that searches through all the folders of your computer to find images & videos and create a backup for you.  Not only does Photo stick work on photos & videos, but it can also find documents. The device works automatically, it’s easy for those with limited tech experience to use.

Only those who have lost pictures and videos due to hard drive failure knows the pain of losing a special moment. Not just the hard drive failure, a spilt drink or a power surge can also cause system error and make you lose your precious memories.

The Photo stick only comes in three types of capacity: 8 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB. The higher the number, the more pictures it can save. 8 GB can keep up to 3500 videos and pictures; the 64 GB Photo Stick can reach 30,000 pictures and video, while the 128 GB can archive a maximum of 60,000 pictures and videos. They all come with a standard USB entry.

Most of us have seen and used old film cameras. We used to capture all the important moments in our life. Today, old film cameras have been replaced by digital cameras and phones. We all love to record our special moments during a vacation or a party and love to look back on them in the future.

ThePhotoStick is designed to offer easy and secure backup of all your photos and videos on your phone and computer. ThePhotoStick looks like a flash drive and is also well known as Photo Stick and Photostick.

Key Features

The Photo Stick is specially designed to find all the hidden photos and videos on your laptop or computer. Just plug it in and select “Go”. It’ll take about 10-20 minutes to work its magic. It’s going through all of the folders and files in your entire computer to make sure it doesn’t miss a thing. Afterward, it deletes all duplicate files, so you don’t have to delete them yourself.

Just unplug the Photo Stick and you’re good to go! All the photos and videos are now on that device. You can then put the photos on a different computer to share them with friends, or to print them!

• Fast and automatic – Without this savvy photograph reinforcement, you’d need to sit before the PC and physically select which photographs you need to keep. At that point, you’d need to make envelopes and mark them. Such an issue! Utilizing this device, however, doesn’t take an excessive amount of time. You can leave your PC and still perform different assignments. It has worked in programming that is amazingly simple to utilize, so even the individuals who aren’t so nerd can utilize it as well.
• One-click backup – Unlike backing your files in cloud storage, it doesn’t require setting up an account or installing the software. All you have to do is plug the thumb drive into the port, click the ‘GO’ button, and wait for it to finish backing up. You can even grab a coffee and be productive while waiting.
• No Internet Required – You can save upto 60000 photos in this device without the internet and anywhere you want to. No internet is required to use the photostick.

Photostick Variations

What Are the Other Extensions Compatible with ThePhotoStick?

Aside from the MOV, JPG, PNG, and MPEG4, Photo Stick is compatible with other extensions. These can include the following: GIF, TIFF, PCT, ICO, BMP, AVI, RAW, WMV, and MOV.

How Does PhotoStick Work?

You already know that the PhotoStick looks like a flash drive. But what about this little gadget’s working, does it even work as an ordinary flash drive? Answer to this question is partly yes. As long as you have a USB port, you can use PhotoStick.

The Photo stick takes only two steps to function. All you have to do is to plug it into an empty USB port of your computer. Then you have to click on the “Go” on the application that automatically launches and you are done. you need to press this button, to give permission to access your hard drive.

The main menu on the interface contains 4 options; File, Options, View, and Help. you will be able to check for software updates, customize settings, and logs.

• Status area; You will find status messages during, after and before you initiate the backup. You will be able to know the status of the backup process.
• Capacity chart; Identify the amount of space used and the remaining space available for storage.
• Back up statistics; This area provides the user with information regarding the current backup process.
• “My Photos/Videos”; This button will allow you to view all the videos and photos that are already backed up on the device.
• Settings; Clicking on the settings button will bring you the options window and available settings options.
• View Logs; This button shows the backup logs of the current and previous backups.
• Exit; Click on the exit button if you want to close the PhotoStick program.
• “Go!”; Clicking on the Go button initiates the backup process of your videos and photos.

You only require a USB port for PhotoStick to work perfectly. Lets look below how PhotoStick works on your computer provided your computer is up and running:-

• Begin by inserting the PhotoStick to the USB port of your computer. A window will pop up on your screen after a few seconds.
• There is a button in the center on which “Go” is written.
• Click on “Go” to give PhotoStick permission to access the contents of the hard drive of your computer.
• Then Photostick scans your hard disk and finds even those files which were lost according to you.
• This process shall take a minute or so depending on the number of files that are stored on your hard disk.
• Photo stick can be used to search not only photos but also videos, music files, and documents.
• Backup can be created of the files searched by PhotoStick so that you can use them on some other device.

How Many Photos or Files Can You Save on PhotoStick?

I am sure you have this question running in your mind. The answer to how many photos, videos, music files or documents you can store in PhotoStick simply depends on the model you buy.

• The base model comes with 8GB of space that is good enough to store up till 3, 500 high-resolution photos.
• The next model comes with 32 GB of space which is good enough to store 5,000 high-resolution videos.
• 64 The model gives you a storage capacity of 64 GB allowing you to save up to 30,000 high-resolution photos.
• If you still think you want more space, then you must opt for the PhotoStick 128 model. This gives you a  chance to save up to 60,000 high-resolution photos in its whopping 128 GB of space.

Where All Can I Use it?

This is another question that I’m sure must be striking your mind before you buy this. So, let me answer this in detail.  PhotoStick is compatible with all the devices like Macbooks, PCs, iOS and Android devices. As it is compatible with most of the devices, you can use it without any hassles to backup photos, documents, videos, music files. It works perfectly with even earlier versions of Windows like Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

The below mentioned operating systems are compatible with PhotoStick:-

Windows – Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

Mac – Mac OS X Version 10.7 and later.

Android – Android OS Version 5.0 (Lollipop) and later

iOS – iOS version 11.3 and later

Reasons You will Love PhotoStick

The following reasons will make you fall in love with PhotoStick : –

Cuts down on your monthly expenses – After you have PhotoStick, you need not spend monthly on cloud storage. You only have to pay one time for buying this gadget and you are free from those monthly subscriptions of cloud storage.

Increase in Productivity – You need not waste hours in organizing and sorting out files, instead use these hours in other productive tasks. 

Security –  Never lose out a precious photo or video ever again because you forgot to back them.  Also, never fear computer crashes or data loss as Photostick constantly backups for files.

Which Files Can The PhotoStick Find?

PhotoStick can be used effectively to locate and create a backup for any kind of photos, videos, documents and music files saved on your hard disk. It recursively searches for directory paths that are mentioned in its settings.  PhotoStick by default search “c:\” on Windows computers and on Mac it searches  “/Users” on Mac computers.

Any kind of photo files can be searched and saved by this magical gadget. Photostick finds and saves only HEIC and JPEG picture files by default, but you can change these settings and type as many file extensions as you want.

Similarly for video files, by default, the gadget can search and save only MPEG4  and MOV extension files but additional file types can be mentioned for Photostick to find and save.

Now coming to documents, it can search and save Microsoft Office files like Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Works Files as these are specified in its default settings. Other documents file types can be mentioned for it to find and save.

Now coming to audio files MPEG4, MP3,  Advanced Audio Coding audio files can be saved by default but you can specify other kinds also if you wish.

Who is This for?

PhotoStick is ideal for anyone who never wants to miss any photo, video or any important document. Most of us have hundreds of thousands of our vacation photographs, memorable videos and crucial documents in our computers. And also, you must be aware of the cost of recovering your important data from a damaged hard drive. It can literally dig a big hole in your pocket!

PhotoStick is also perfect for anyone who wishes to free up the memory space on their devices. When you are on a vacation or any important business meeting, the last thing you would want is a shortage of memory. Also, your device shall run slowly and hang more if the memory is low. Solve all these problems by PhotoStick and never again be stuck with Low Memory.

Money-Back Guarantee

The manufactures of PhotoStick are very confident about their product that is why they have refund policies in place.

You can return the product to the manufacturer if you receive the one with manufacturing defects. But, see to it that the manufacturer receives it within 30 days of the original shipment date. If the return is reviewed after the 30 day period from the original shipment date, your refund shall not be issued.

RMA Return Form is compulsory with every return. This form includes the order number, the name, email id, correct shipping address. Also, the returns which do not contain this RMA Return Form are not entertained and the refund shall not be issued.

Another important thing to note before returning the product is that it must be in the original packing and all the parts must be included. Any return that is received without the PhotoStick insert card, packaging or the PhotoStick device shall not be entertained and refund is not issued. Thus, make a note that the original packaging must be with you for a period of at least 30 days.

When the manufacturer gets your product for return, it is inspected. The refund is a credit to the mode of payment that you used earlier to purchase the gadget. After the refund is processed, the company sends you an email to notify you about the same. Wait for 30 days or so for the payment to reflect in your account.

How to Run PhotoStick?

Insert the PhotoStick into the USB port of the computer. Mostly all the windows based computers shall identify the device and a pop-up window for file explorer will open on its own.

If automatically,  the File Explorer window has not opened, then follow these steps:-

• Go to ‘This PC’
• Double-click on the PhotoStick which shall be listed under devices and drives.
• Double-click on ThePhotoStickWindows.exe to install the application.
• When the installation is completed, it will be launched automatically.

If you want to use the PhotoStick on the Mac desktop or laptop, follow the following steps to use it effectively: –

• Insert the  PhotoStick into the USB port of the desktop or laptop.
• You will see a shortcut on the desktop labeled as Photostick, you need to double click on that.
• If you are unable to shortcut, then go to ‘Finder’ and double click on the PhotoStick which you will see under devices.
• For the installation, double click on the ThePhotoStickMac.
• Once the application is installed, it will launch on its own.

If you wish to use the PhotoStick on your handheld smart devices, install the ThePhotoStick app from the play store of your device.

Does photostick work on more than one devices?

Well, if you have more than one device having useful information, it’s not a problem. The PhotoStick will take care of all your backup need, no matter what computer you have at home or in the office.When you use photostick on more than one device for backup, it organizes the videos, photos, and documents for you. Typical thumb drives can’t effectively do that. Costly external hard drives are no exception either.

Does ThePhotoStick Work with iPhone?

Yes, you can use the photostick with any iOS devices. Thephotostick is quite flexible and compatible with various devices. It’s free to download the application which is required to run along with the device. It means that there are no additional costs. From there, plug the gadget into your iPad, iPhone or Android.

Although you may not use it for your phone at the moment, it might be a lifesaver in the future. To read and learn more about the Photostick mobile solution, visit our intensive photostick mobile review and buying guide.

• SIMPLE TO USE: Never run out of space on your phone again! With just one click, The PhotoStick automatically finds and backs up photos and videos on your iOS device.
• PRIVATE & SECURE: Maintains your privacy as photos and videos are stored securely on ThePhotoStick device, not on the cloud. Eliminates cloud storage fees!
• USE ON MULTIPLE DEVICES: The large 128 GB capacity is enough to store over 20,000 standard-sized photos and videos! Use it to backup photos and videos on all the compatible iOS devices you own.
• TRANSFER TO COMPUTER: Once your photos are backed up on The PhotoStick for iOS, simply connect the other end of ThePhotoStick to your computer’s USB port. It’s simple to view or transfer photos to any computer.

Does ThePhotoStick Work on an iPad?

A Photo Stick works like a USB flash drive on a Macintosh Computer or Windows PC. While it has a USB 3.0 connector on one side, it features an IOS Lightning connector on the other. With that, you will be able to easily use it on an iPhone or iPad. Also, it allows you to transfer a photo from a computer to an iPad and vice-versa.

How to Run Photostick on Your Windows computer?

Using photstick device on your windows operating machine is quite simple. Just plugin the storage stick on any USB port of the machine and wait for the OS to identify the new device. You can see the device name under the File Explorer. After that, you will need to click on ThePhotoStick Windows.exe so that it can access your computer. Then, a window will pop up. From there, just click the GO button and you are done.

How to Run ThePhotostick device on MAC?

On the MAC machine locate an open USB port and plug in the stick to the port. Double click on a PhotoStick icon on the desktop, and click PhotoStick Mac and the Go button. You’re done.

If you have a trouble finding the device on your desktop, check that in Finder. The company also has a professional team that is known for its great customer service.

What is the difference between Photo stick and a Flash drive?

The difference between a Photo stick and a flash drive is pretty obvious. The major difference between them is that Photo stick is specifically designed to store and transfer media (photos and videos). It does not detect any other files apart from photos and videos; whereas a flash drive is a portable and removable storage device which is used to transfer any sort of data; a USB flash drive has no restrictions upon what it can store or transfer.

Photo stick comes with dedicated software which performs all the scanning and storage of media. Whereas a USB flash drive is an open storage device upon which any software can be installed. 

How Many Photos Can PhotoStick Save?

A common question that many shoppers have is about how many photos and other documents they can back up with this device. The simple answer is that it depends on which model you buy. Amazon offers the base model, which is Photo Stick 8.

This model offers 8 GB of storage, which is enough for storing up to 3,500 photos. The 64 model has 64 GB of storage and can hold up to 30,000 photos. You’ll also find the Photo Stick 128, which is the largest model available. It can hold an impressive 60,000 photos and offers 128 GB of storage space.

Benefits of Using Photo stick

• Productivity. All those hours that you allocated for sorting and organizing files would have been more useful if you did other productive tasks. Avoid spending hours on file organization by using this photo stick.
• Monthly expenses. With this photo storage stick, you can avoid paying monthly for cloud storage. You’ll only pay one time upon purchasing the gadget, and that’s it. Or if you’re using cloud storage, you can avoid paying for extra storage that your photos would have taken up. Instead, you can use it for other, more important files.
• Security. Avoid the pain and frustration of losing your precious photos just because you failed to back them all up. Keep it all safe from computer crashes or corruptions by doing constant photo backup using this stick.

Buying Guide on The PhotoStick

It can be tough to find a hard drive that backs up files within a few seconds, that searches for lost images, or that retrieves videos after a power surge or device failure. Well, the market has a growing number of solutions for everyone.

All of those options can make it difficult to figure out which product is the best. Narrowing down your options can be a tedious and complex task. Of course, products that are aesthetically pleasing can be tempting. Are they of high-quality, though? Looks can certainly be deceiving.

There are also some options that are very simple but that function very well. So, which is better? The simpler, more functional product should be what you pick. However, before you buy, there are other factors to consider. Whether it’s your first or second time purchasing a hard drive, the buying guide below can help. Read on for more information.

Primary Use of the Hard Drive – How will you employ the hard drive? Are you going to give it to a friend as a birthday present? Perhaps, you will use it to securely back up important files. Probably, you will want to use it to retrieve photos, documents, and videos from your smartphone or camera. Or you may want a good storage device for your files.

Whatever the case may be, it’s imperative to know how you will use the tool so that you can decide on the best brand that suits your unique needs and requirements.

Speed Performance – Everyone loves a hard drive that’s proven and tested, but it isn’t always easy to find something like that online. With the variety of brands in the market, it’s tough to decide. The secret here is to look for a solution that can perform a full scan for 60 seconds or run for a few minutes.

Although restoring an important file and creating a solid backup can take hours with some devices, there are a number of products that get the process done within a short period of time. Whether you have a hectic schedule or have a pile of paperwork to deal with in the office, a fast tool is worth the investment.

Hardware Compatibility – What kind of digital camera, computer or smartphone are you working with? Hardware compatibility is something you should not overlook. While most hard drive options work across plenty of devices, it’s risky to buy a hard drive and not know for sure if it is compatible with your device. It’s smart to choose the one that is compatible to Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Mac OS X Version.

Storage Needs – In the past, it was daunting to burn CDs or purchase floppy disks to transfer or store files, but things have changed today. We can now fit any file into a small, technologically advanced drive, thanks to the way tech is moving forward.

There was a time when hard drives came with a limited variety of storage options, but not anymore. These days, we have 8GB, 64G, 128GB of storage and more. The 8GB can store up to 3,500 photos. The 64GB can hold around 30,000 images. The 128GB can hold approximately 60,000 photos, with an additional 128GB of storage. How much they will store depends on the size of your files. Although most models can store 3,500 pictures, they will hold fewer files if they are videos.

Large clips can take up more space. Storing a number of songs and other larger documents is going to eat through your storage space as well. It is also essential to consider the size of your PC’s hard drive.

Style and Design – Aside from the storage capacity, most brands come in various sizes and styles. Classic options are commonly short and have a sturdy cap. You can also find selections that have a touch of crystal, wood or other unique themes.

There are also memory devices shaped with a custom object. While it boosts the aesthetic appeal of your devices, experts recommend that you get storage devices with a simple design and effective performance. Their simplified style makes them convenient to use at home, office, school, the mall or anywhere.

Customization Options – Most products for retrieving lost information or creating a backup of important files are not personalized. When you intend to use it as a present for someone or a tool in the office, custom looks are a must. Depending on your selection, you can print or engrave a design on the device. For smaller devices, printing your logo can be a smart idea. For larger devices, full-color images are the best. However, there are some brands that do not require any customization as they come with a unique look already.

Other Quality Applications

Do you want your device to do anything other than just create a backup of important files? Hey, the Photo Stick can do that! This innovative device has software that searches for lost images, videos, documents and other files. It isn’t necessary to install any other software, making this the ideal device for professionals and students who are not tech-savvy.

Customer Service – Almost as important as the quality features of a product is the kind of customer service you receive. Not only do you want to save as much money as possible, but you also want to get help and support quickly and without any hassle.

Amazon, the product’s official manufacturer, and other reputable e-commerce sites do all of that. Each has professional customer service agents that can accommodate your needs, queries and other concerns. In terms of shipping, the manufacturer and other top-notch providers will deliver it as soon as possible.

Cost – When looking for the device that retrieves lost information on your computer, don’t consider the cheapest brands. While it can be less expensive upfront, that choice can lead to an unnecessary and expensive replacement. Investing in a quality brand is the best. Although it will be more expensive at first, it reduces your risk of having to purchase another solution. So, try to get products that are sold at a fair price.

Backed by a Warranty – Buying devices online can be tricky, because nobody wants to end up with a damaged or ineffective brand. So, make sure your choice comes with a convenient warranty to protect you from a poor investment.

Pros and Cons of Photostick

Pros

• Easily and Quickly create backup of the files from your computer.
• Works with all the devices perfectly.
• Even the ones who are not technologically sound can use it without any problems.
• Saves money as no monthly subscription is required.
• Photostick takes backup of all types of files, images, videos, and documents.
• Available in different sizes, so that you can select the one that suits from requirements. From 8GB to 128 GB, all are available.
• Can be also used to transfer files between computers
• Works well with systems with previous versions of windows also. 
• No internet is required to take a backup of the files
• Stores up to 60,000 photos – which is a lot!

Cons

• Does not organize your pictures. Thus, sometimes an old missing photo will be mixed amongst the new ones and go unnoticed by you.
• There are no instructions with PhotoStick.
• Some people will find it tough to customize the default settings.
• You need to do a bit of hit and trial before you understand all the features and settings.
• If you are simply unhappy with the product, you will not get a refund.

The PhotoStick User Manual

ThePhotoStick Default Settings

ThePhotoStick was designed to be flexible to meet your back-up needs.  It can find and save a wide range of photo and video file types as well as allow you to specify where ThePhotoStick will search for photos and videos.  

By default, ThePhotoStick will search for JPEG photo files.  These settings can be changed.  Please click here to view all the options available in ThePhotoStick.

• Default Start Search Locations (recursively searches from the start search location)
  • On Windows:   c:\
  • On Mac:   /Users
• Default List of Folders to Skip
  • On Windows:   
    • C:\Program Files
    • C:\Program Files (x86)
    • C:\Windows
  • On Mac:
    • /System
    • /Application
    • /Library
    • /Volumes/PHOTOSTICK
• Default Photo Types
  • JPEG (*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.jpe;*.jfif)
• Default Options
  • Consolidate all files into a single directory
    • Photos saved to My_Photos
  • Skip duplicates

Getting to know ThePhotoStick interface

1. Main menu — allows for access to various features of ThePhotoStick, including your photos/videos, settings, logs, and checking for ThePhotoStick software updates.
2. Status area — provides status messages before, during, and after a back-up is run.
3. ThePhotoStick capacity chart — provides a quick snapshot of how much used and free space is currently on ThePhotoStick.
4. Back-up statistics — provides information for your current back-up.
5. “My Photos/Videos” button — clicking this will show your photos and videos that are currently backed up to ThePhotoStick.
6. “Settings” button — clicking this will launch the Settings and Options window for ThePhotoStick.
7. “View Logs” button — clicking this will show the back-up logs for all the previous and current back-ups that were run.
8. “Exit” button — clicking this closes ThePhotoStick software.
9. “Go!” button — clicking this starts a back-up of your photos and videos. 

1. To start a back-up, simply press the green “Go” button.

NOTE:  ThePhotoStick will find and save JPEG photo files. ThePhotoStick can also find and save many more file types if you choose.

NOTE:  To see other default settings for ThePhotoStick.

Viewing files saved to ThePhotoStick

There are 2 ways you can view your photos and videos saved to ThePhotoStick:

1.  From inside ThePhotoStick software (same for Windows and Mac):

2. From your Operating Systems File Manager:

ThePhotoStick stores your photo and video files on the USB stick in the directory path:  <ThePhotoStick drive>\My_Files\<computer name>.  

For Windows computers, for example, if you plug ThePhotoStick into a Windows computer with a computer name of mphillips1, and Windows assigns the drive letter F: to ThePhotoStick, the path to files backed up to it would be F:\My_Files\mphillips1\.

For Mac computers, ThePhotoStick is always mounted on the path /Volumes/PHOTOSTICK.  So, if you plug ThePhotoStick into a Mac computer with a computer name of phillips-mac, the path to files backed up to ThePhotoStick would be /Volumes/PHOTOSTICK/My_Files/phillips-mac.

Example screenshots from ThePhotoStick running on a Windows computer named mphillips1:

Example screenshots from ThePhotoStick running on a Mac computer named phillips-mac:

Settings and Options for ThePhotoStick

ThePhotoStick offers several options to meet your photo and video back-up needs.

Accessing the Settings and Options

To access ThePhotoStick’s settings and options, open ThePhotoStick software and click on the “Settings” button.

File Locations

ThePhotoStick will recursively search any directory paths specified in its settings.  By default, ThePhotoStick will start at “c:\” on Windows computers and  “/Users” on Mac computers.

Adding a Folder path to scan:

You can add additional search paths by clicking on the “Add…” button, browsing to and selecting the folder you would like to recursively search, then clicking “open”.  You should now see the path added in the list of folders to scan.  Click “Ok” to save.

Removing a folder path to scan:

To remove a directory path to search, select the folder path in the list, then click on “Remove Selected”.  

Note: You can select multiple folder paths at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key when clicking on another folder path.

For example, on a Windows system, if you do not want ThePhotoStick to search your entire drive, you can remove “c:\” by selecting it and then clicking “Remove Selected”.  Then, click “Add…” to add a more specific path.  In this case, we want to only search the “Pictures” folder. Click “Ok” to save.

Reset Folders to scan back to default:

To reset the folder paths back to default, click on “Reset To Default”.  This will remove any added paths and set it back to “c:\” on Windows computers and  “/Users” on Mac computers. Click “Ok” to save.

Adding a Folder path to skip:

You can add additional folder paths to be skipped and ignored by clicking on the “Add…” button, browsing to and selecting the folder you would like to skip, then clicking “open”.  The folder you selected, plus any subfolders in that folder will be skipped.  You should now see the path added in the list of folders to skip.  Click “Ok” to save.

Removing a folder path to skip:

To remove a directory path to skip, select the folder path in the list, then click on “Remove Selected”.  

Note: You can select multiple folder paths at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key when clicking on another folder path.

For example, on a Windows system, if you do not want ThePhotoStick to skip the “C:\Program Files” folder, you can remove “C:\Program Files” by selecting it and then clicking “Remove Selected”.  Click “Ok” to save.

Photo File Types

ThePhotoStick can find and save many types of photo files.  By default, ThePhotoStick will find and save JPEG photo files, but it can find and save many more photo file types if you choose.  

To add additional photo file types to find and save, click on the “Photo File Types” tab, and then check the box next to the photo file types you would like ThePhotoStick to find and save.   Click “Ok” to save.

Video File Types

ThePhotoStick can find and save several types of video files.

To add additional video file types to find and save, click on the “Video File Types” tab, and then check the box next to the video file types you would like ThePhotoStick to find and save.   Click “Ok” to save. 

Options

ThePhotostick has additional back-up options available.  These can be accessed by clicking on the “Options” tab, making any option changes, and then clicking the “Ok” button to save.

Copy options:

Consolidate all files into a single directory — By default, ThePhotoStick will consolidate your photo and video files into a single folder for easy and convenient access.  ThePhotoStick stores your photo and video files on the USB stick in the directory path:  <ThePhotoStick drive>\My_Files\<computer name>.  See Viewing files saved to ThePhotoStick for additional details.

Skip duplicates —  When consolidating files into a single directory on ThePhotoStick, ThePhotoStick can skip any duplicates it finds.  Often times, the same photos and videos can be saved in various places on your hard disk drive. Having “Skip duplicates” checked will result in only one copy of that file being copied to ThePhotoStick.  If you uncheck this option and ThePhotoStick finds a duplicate file, it will copy the duplicate file to ThePhotoStick and rename it on ThePhotoStick to <filename>_copy-#.

For example, say there is a photo file called DSCF0566.JPG, and it is saved on your hard disk drive at C:\Users\ricky\pictures\DSCF0566.JPG, C:\photos\DSCF0566.JPG., and C:\Users\ricky\Desktop\pics\DSCF0566.JPG. ThePhotoStick will copy the first of these DSCF0566.JPG files, C:\Users\ricky\pictures\DSCF0566.JPG,  as normal to ThePhotoStick as DSCF0566.JPG.  When it goes to back up the next DSCF0566.JPG file, C:\photos\DSCF0566.JPG, it will see that a file called DSCF0566.JPG is already on ThePhotoStick, so it will analyze the file further to verify if they are true duplicates of each other.  

If they are, and “Skip duplicates” is checked, it will make note it found a duplicate but not copy this file to ThePhotoStick.  If “Skip duplicate” is not checked or if the files are not true duplicates of each other, the file will be copied to your ThePhotoStick as DSCF0566_copy-1.JPG.  The process is repeated again when it goes to save the third DSCF0566.JPG file, C:\Users\ricky\Desktop\pics\DSCF0566.JPG.  It will see that there is a DSCF0566.JPG and DSCF0566_copy-1.JPG file already on ThePhotoStick, so it will check if this third DSCF0566.JPG file is a duplicate of DSCF0566.JPG or DSCF0566_copy-1.JPG.  If so, it will not save it again.  If neither is a duplicate, then it will copy it to ThePhotoStick as DSCF0566_copy-2.JPG.  For this example, assume ThePhotoStick is running on a Windows computer named “mywincomp” and was given the drive letter F:.

Exclude Photo/Video files smaller than — By default, ThePhotoStick will skip and not save any files smaller than 100kb.  Generally, any picture or video files smaller than 100kb are system or application images and not user photos or videos.  This value can be adjusted to any size that you prefer.  For example, if you want all photo and video files saved no matter how small they are, you can change the value to “0”.  Likewise, if you know your photos are all bigger than 2MB (the approximate size of a 8MP camera), you can change this exclude value to 2MB and fine tune the photo back up.

Advanced Options:

To view the advanced options for ThePhotoStick, click on “Show Advanced Copy Options…”

As you can see above, the Advanced Copy options are:

Maintain source directory structure — This option will not consolidate all photo and video files into <ThePhotoStick drive>\My_Files\<computer name>\My_Photos and <ThePhotoStick drive>\My_Files\<computer name>\My_Videos. With this option, ThePhotoStick will separate your photos and videos into the directories My_Photos and My_Videos, but it will maintain the entire path structure to the file.  Also, because each file maintains its original directory path, there will never be a duplicate on ThePhotoStick USB stick, so skipping duplicates is not a selectable option when using  “Maintain source directory structure”.

For example, say there is a photo file called DSCF0566.JPG, and it is saved on your hard disk drive at C:\Users\ricky\pictures\DSCF0566.JPG, C:\photos\DSCF0566.JPG., and C:\Users\ricky\Desktop\pics\DSCF0566.JPG.  If “Maintain source directory structure” is selected, all three of these files will be saved to ThePhotoStick whether they are duplicates or not.  They will be saved to ThePhotoStick in the following way.  For this example, assume ThePhotoStick is running on a Windows computer named “mywincomp” and was given the drive letter F:.

Copy Thumbnails in iPhoto Library — On Mac computers, when this option is checked, ThePhotoStick will copy all the iPhoto Library thumbnails in addition to all the Master (original size) photo files.  This option is less common since iPhoto will automatically generate new thumbnail images when importing the Master photo files.

Debug logging (Support Only) — On occasion, ThePhotoStick support may require more detailed logging when investigating an issue.  This option turns on detailed logging and is only recommended to have on for small periods of time and as directed by ThePhotoStick support.  Having it always on can impact performance.

Where to Buy Photostick?

PhotoStick can be bought easily from the manufacturer or from Amazon.com. If you do not want to miss the alluring discounts, I recommend you to buy from the official manufacturer.

You will be happy to find deals like Buy two, get one free, up to 50% off, buy 2 and get another one at half the price. Order above $50 and enjoy free shipping in the United States or worldwide from the official manufacturer.

The PhotoStick Review – Final Verdict

PhotoStick is for everyone. You only require a USB Port to begin taking the backup of all the files. If you are looking for pocket friendly, security and convenience all in one gadget, then PhotoStick is best suited for you. It makes you free from the monthly subscriptions of cloud storage. You do not require an internet connection to take a back up of your files with PhotoStick. Thus, Photostick is for everyone and will be highly useful to one and all.

The PhotoStick Review – Easy and Secure Backup Of All Your Photos And Videos