Saving files for later print

[Rio Grandeous]

I am planning on getting into 3dprinting and am wondering if there is a safe way to save print files now for later use. 
  Also, are there any do's or don'ts to saving print files?  Like image storage, are there safer places/ways to store?  What do you guys/gals do for your files?  I know a lot depends on the drawing program as well but is there a way to store a file until a CAD?drawing program is decided upon? 
  As with anything N scale, items available are finite and subject to change and disappear at any moment, hence the saying, "If you see an item you like in N scale, buy it because it may not be available in the future." 
  There are so many great files available, however I'm not printing things yet...just an interested newbie.  If this has been covered and I've missed, please redirect.
Thanks!,
Chuck

[peteski]

Computer file is just computer file. File contents is irrelevant. It is just bunch of ones and zeros, regardless if it represents a 3D CAD object, a photograph, or your mom's muffin recipe.

Use whatever method you normally use to backup the contents of your computer's hard drive. If that method is good enough to backup your precious computer's files, it is good enough for preserving your 3D designs.

[John]

I just download them and dump them into a folder on my computer -- then make sure you have backup ..

All the sites that share files will allow you to download them ..

Did I mention you should make sure you have a backup

[samusi01]

Some organization as you save the files would be commendable and help you find them later… also, be aware that if a file is available online now it may not be available in the future. I was recently looking at some models via search engine and when I went to the website in question the files were no longer available.

[robert3985]

I've created a folder on my C: Drive that I've named "3D Printing-Everything", with various subfolders containing my stl files, as well as my sliced files. 

I have a redundant backup folder on one of my big storage hard drives that's named "3D Printing-Everything-Backup" which contains backups of my stl files, as well as my sliced files. 

I also make sure that when I get to a critical point when I'm supporting what I'm gonna print, that I make backups and I don't rely on my slicer to make auto-backups, especially if I'm combining several identical parts on a raft to combine into a full-plate for mass producing.  I want to make sure I have single parts which I can combine into several different amounts, positions, etc. without having to deal with several hundred parts being auto-saved when all I need is one.

In all of my years of building my own computers, I've only had one hard drive fail...and that was without a recent backup...and I lost several hundred model train photos in that little fiasco....so now, I make sure I have at least one current backup.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore