PC help: Photos out of order

Q I have loaded more than 100 pages of photos onto my computer by scanning them in. I numbered them (1, 2, 3 and so on) so that they would appear in order when I copied them to a DVD.

On my computer they are shown in order but when I copy them to a disc they get mixed up, starting 1.jpeg, then 10.jpeg, 100.jpeg and so on. How do I keep them in order?
Dermot Mahoney

A This happens because Windows doesn’t recognise numbers in the same way as we do. While we would naturally start counting at 1, then 2 and so on, computers start counting at 0. You’ll need to rename the images so they start 0001, then 0002 and so on.

The number of zeroes will depend on how many images you have; four digits will be suitable for up to 9,999 images, for instance.

You can rename the files using Photoshop Elements (using the Batch Renamer function) or similar photo-editing programs. Alternatively Flash Renamer will do the job.

If you’re storing the images for archiving, you’re probably best off sorting the images into folders (for example, a folder for each year, then folders inside that for months), so as not to have thousands of files in one folder. Also, remember to take a backup of the disc, as some DVDs have been known to become corrupt.

If you’re creating the DVDs to give to people, it might be worth using a program such as Nero Photoshow, which will create a slideshow (with or without music), which can be played on both computers and DVD players.

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