????? For all you embroidery machine / computer techs......hubby thinks instead of me saving all the designs to a flash drive that I shoul be able to save them to an wxtnal hard drive, then hook that up via USB plug (I place of the flash drive) and us this. Can that work? OR will having all the designs saved to the hard drive bog down the EM or can 8 just pull up the folder I want say ... Flowers and open that one folder up on the EM and it not bog down the machi e?

Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks so much!!!!

Sorry wish I could help you with the answers to that question.

But neither of my machines are USB my smaller (older) machine
can only use the memory cards (rewritable) and my newer one
uses either a memory card or connects to a computer directly
which is usually how I work with this machine.

LaQuita, my machines both use a flash drive, but I cannot imagine keeping all my designs on one! After collecting designs for two or three years I have thousands and they wouldn't fit. I have them all on my computer (backed up on disk, on a second computer and to an online backup service).

This helps in several ways:
1. I have a program that visually displays PES and other files so I can see what they are
2. I can open the color charts and convert their colors to the threads I have on hand
3. I have all my designs organized in folders by category and by what makes sense to ME.

Hard drives will fail eventually, so be sure you have several methods of back up and do it once a week.

Hahaha! Yup. I have lots of those "someday" designs, too!

LaQuita, what format does Janome use?

Bernina also has free designs often.

I am about to embark on a quest for my first embroidery machine. I would like a combo machine because it is time for me to ditch the mechanical sewing machine that I use daily. So, I am going yo test drive Baby Lock Elissimo Gold. Any coments, pluses and minuses would be very much appreciated. I do not like machines that are picky with types of thread I use. I prefer Glide for quilting, which is embroidery thread, so the machine wound have to be able to use it. Thanks a lot!

I am so envious of all you tech smart people. My husband did everything computer in this house. IBM retiree and then taught computers at local university. Then he had the nerve to die!! Im lost in many ways without him!!

My machine won't accommodate more than a 2g flash drive. I keep my designs on an external hard drive then transfer them to the flash drive when I am ready to stitch.

I keep a backup of my designs on DVDs and CDs.