So*, that's it. My hardrive is gone. Completely. Caput. Everything I had on it... AIM conversations, pictures, documents, anything I may have at any point saved is gone forever. And yes, that includes papers I was working on, that do actually have an impending deadline...
*goes off to punch something*
[ May 31, 2005, 08:43 AM: Message edited by: Raia ]
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
((((Raia)))) Ouch, that does indeed suck. Next time remember to back up your stuff somewhere else. I have a gmail and a yahoo account that serve for that.
Edit: Are you sure there's nothing you can do about it?! There are quite a few programs out there that can retrieve lost data.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Have you had it checked by a professional? Or at least a computer geek? I also wouldn't give up quite yet. I've seen the miracles that some people can pull out of their butts.
Much sympathies your way.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
The professional told me so himself, an hour ago. My computer is in the shop now, getting a new HD put on it.
Oh, and I forgot music, too...
Corwin, retrieval costs roughly $1,500. It's usually done by companies who accidentally lose every single file on every single client, or something, but not really done by private computer owners.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yep, I knew it cost a lot. A client's hard drive died, and data retrieval was going to cost him about $3500 US. He opted not to, despite the lack of backups.
I feel your pain. Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
Tick off Tom Ridge bad enough and Homeland Security will fix your hard drive in a heartbeat Seriously, though, I will heed your cautionary tale and think about printing out everything I really care about.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Or, you know, do backups. Regularly. And keep some off-site. And test them regularly to make sure they work.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
It would be very weird if you couldn't make your old drive a slave long enough to get most of the data off of it.
Posted by Bean Counter (Member # 6001) on :
Well I hope you like your new one! I have never had this happen, but fate is kinder to those who do not stand so high above the crowd (1000 camels!) get a CD burner and make hardcopy!
BC
Posted by Peter (Member # 4373) on :
I second the "that sucks" statement. I'm just waiting for the day that happens to me. What causede it? do you know? I'm gonna also second storm and say you should be able to slave it. (((Raia)))
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
I have a CD burner... I guess it's just that "This will never happen to me" attitude. *sigh* Maybe this will actually induce me to make backups.
(edit: Peter, they have no idea what caused it. Unfortunately. And it's beyond saving, they did lots of things to try and salvage it when I took it to the shop.)
[ May 16, 2005, 02:43 PM: Message edited by: Raia ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ow. (((((Raia)))))
I have had this happen, and I'm STILL ridiculously bad at putting off backups.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I once lost a hard drive that I hadn't backed up in some time -- and lost not only a few poems and a short story in progress, but also some of the earliest archived E-mails that my wife and I had exchanged.
Since then, I run a hardware mirror across two drives (with a software mirrored partition on each) and maintain a separate CD backup of all data.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I'm sorry your hd has gone the way of the paperweight.
Computer problems must be catchy - I had my power supply fail in my computer yesterday. Luckilly, I don't think it damaged anything on its way out.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
I had this happen to me... at midnight... before I had to had in a vital paper... and I only had a printed copy of the work I had done four days before.
Nightmare. Lots of sympathy for you.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
AaaaahHHHH!!!
This happened to me just 6 weeks back.
This is worse than death.
OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, its more like a catastrophic fire.
You have my deepest, deepest sympathy.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Thanks, guys... my friend Bob claims he can work miracles and retrieve files from a dead HD. I'm desperately clutching at this straw, but my hopes aren't particularly high. If he does, I will promote him to St. Bob, Honorary Hatrack Techie, and let you all know how to find him. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Good luck.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
quote: and lost... a few poems
*Dies.*
quote: my friend Bob claims he can work miracles and retrieve files from a dead HD.
It's possible, deletion is a very complex mechanism, and it doesn't always work completely. I don't have the tools, though; so you have to go with Bob.
*Expects Bob_Scopatz to scream "It's about meeeeeeeeeeee!"...*
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
<-- has just performed a backup of his most important documents
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
*Had them done many times in the past, and now has an updated dual-backup.*
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Yeah, I also meant an updated backup. Not that I added much lately, but you never know...
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Raia,
Okay... this happened to my husband about a month ago. He's a computer guru, so I'm always surprised when he doesn't know something...and he didn't know this (I found it out from someone online) so maybe the tech who looked at your computer doesn't know it either. Download Knoppix (a linux distro). It's an operating system that runs completely from your CD drive, so it can often see data on your harddrive that your computer otherwise couldn't see. It's used for restoring systems... and it's FREE.
See if Bob knows anything about it.
-Katarain
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Wow, Katarain, that's awesome... thank you... I'll definitely ask Bob if he's heard of it.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
bob the miracle techie can also sing really well and looks good in chaps (maybe I'm too tired to be posting)
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
*giggle* No, that's actually true...
He'd so kill me if he ever saw this thread.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
quote: Download Knoppix
Kanotix! Far better! I used both!
Posted by Beanny (Member # 7109) on :
(((((((Raia)))))))
It really sucks, but look at the bright side: doesn't your computer feel roomier? All of that free space...
Sorry. I know that was annoying. There is a bright side to it, though. From this day on, you'll never forget to backup again - and I'm sure you'll have much more important documents to keep in the future. As a matter of fact, I'm going to backup all of my files right now.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
*bump*
I just got my laptop back. After what, two, three weeks of waiting?
It doesn't work. It's in exactly the same state it was when I discovered the problem, and delivered it to Compaq.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
That sucks. I would call and give them hell.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
My dad's on the phone right now. He's more... persuasive than I am.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
And? What's happened?
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
He's probably still on hold. Posted by Beanny (Member # 7109) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raia: He's more... persuasive than I am.
Ooooh, you mean he uses props? Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Quid: Problem not fixed yet. Computer being shipped from technician to technician. Apparently it's something as simple as just needing windows, but not a single person in this country apparently has time to install it. Grrr.
Beanny: Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Ugh. That's frustrating.
Yeah, it's difficult to get good computer help here, too. Luckily, I can fix most things software related, and what I can't fix, Fahim can. But the hardware end of things for laptops - well, that's a whole other issue. Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
oh man do I wish I had seen this thread when it was first posted!
This happened to me about a week ago, and I hadn't saved anything either.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
(((((Dragon))))) It SUCKS, doesn't it? Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Well, my laptop is dead, and we still don't know if it can be fixed or not. It's a power supply problem in the computer - possibly a part of the motherboard. Despite being told three days ago that they'd know in 2 or 3 days, I was told today that they'd know in 2 or 3 more days. Apparently, this is what they do - keep promising it in a few days, but never actually getting anything done. My hard drive is completely intact - data all there. I have backups, but I prefer not to lose even a few days worth of stuff if I can avoid it.
So* tomorrow, Fahim and I are going to buy me another laptop. Because the way things are going, I doubt it'll be fixed before a week is up, and I can't wait that long without a functioning computer of some sort. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
(((((quid))))) I hear ya. I've been without for three weeks now. Good luck.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Well, we went down there yesterday to pick up the data backup of mine that was supposed to be ready the day before that was delayed several times (2 or 3 more hours, it'll be done! No, no, very busy, will be ready in two or three more hours. Not yet, it'll be another two or three more hours.) Fahim then told them to pack up the laptop because, repaired or not, we'd be taking that, too. (They've been telling me, every two or three days, that they'll know what the problem is in two or three more days. But they don't actually do anything to find out what's the matter with the thing.)
So we picked up a new laptop yesterday, so I'm no longer going blind trying to use his old one with the fading display that I can barely read. I've spent all yesterday afternoon and evening and today applying windows updates (you think you're done, and there's six more. Those get done, and yep, there's three more. Those three get done, and there's 17 more. Sigh. Micro$lop at its finest.) And installing some other software, too.
Ugh.
Fahim has friends (buddies? Acquantances?) at his old place of employment who can fix almost everything electronic. Last year, they fixed my dead CPAP machine that I thought was not just sorta dead or mostly dead but entirely completely and totally dead, and it's been working fine ever since. It's conceivable that they may be able to pull off something similar with the laptop, too. We'll see. At least they won't keep us waiting a week to find out when we'll know if they've looked at the thing.
So the old laptop isn't fixed yet. It's still dead.
The Laptop is dead. Long Live the Laptop!
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
quote: So the old laptop isn't fixed yet. It's still dead.
Quid, are you sure you're not me?
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Looks like you've got a few frustrations of your own, Raia. Why can't I have Bob the singing miracle techie to swoop in and solve my problems?
*kicks a rock*
Seriously, I am now terrified of losing everything on my computer. Stupid computers!
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
I'm sure Bob would oblige. Would you like me to ask him?
But Compaq didn't give me my hard drive back (even though I asked them THREE TIMES specifically on the phone to do so), and by now they've probably thrown it away, and they get thousands of calls a day, so they won't be able to find it. So there's very little that Bob can do if I don't provide a HD for him to work with.
*stabs Compaq*
TL, I highly recommend backing everything up. Now.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
I was going to say the same thing, Raia. TL, make a backup. Now! Clean your computer from all the things you don't need anymore and make a ghost, if you have the tools to do it.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
I'm trying to avoid thinking about this but do you want to know what truly sucks? I used a filesplitter to move about 40 gig of files from my old computer to my new one, and I can't get these split files to merge back into their original form.
I'm working on 3 novels simultaneously and everything I have on ALL 3 novels are in those fricking files.
The misery.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Ouch. *hug*
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Most of the rest of it is just music. But the books ... the thought of losing those books is killing me.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Maybe you can take the files to a professional who can extract them for you?
The reason they couldn't do that with my HD is because it couldn't even turn on.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
At least I didn't lose anything I had a deadline on, and I've still got these split files so at least there is hope.
You've actually got it worse because you ... just lost ... everything. That must've sucked.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Yeah, it did/does. Thanks.
*is on a campus computer right now*
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:Last year, they fixed my dead CPAP machine that I thought was not just sorta dead or mostly dead but entirely completely and totally dead, and it's been working fine ever since
And just what was the CPAP's noble cause? Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
CPAP = Continuous Positive Air Pressure. I use it to treat my obstructive sleep apnea, which means that without the CPAP machine, I stop breathing in my sleep. Many many times. See the fat article thread for more info on OSA.
More news on the dead laptop front. Fahim's buddy popped it open last night, and there was still dust and cat fur in it, which had to be cleaned out, which meant that the other place hadn't even opened the laptop before making their diagnosis that it was the motherboard. And Fahim's buddy also said it isn't the motherboard, but instead, looks to be a fuse just before the power hits the motherboard.
Of course, that was last night after the guy had spent less than five minutes with the machine. We'll see what further information erupts this morning.
Meanwhile, I'm seriously considering sending a scathing letter not just to this company, but also to Dell Asia because it's a Dell laptop and this company is the sole Dell representative in this country, doing all Dell repairs. I doubt the local company will change - or maybe it will if Dell Asia gets enough of these things. I wonder how many other people complain?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
okay, keeping quid breathing is a noble cause... that ranks up there with a good MLT...
And i'm not in the least bit surprised to find out that the so-called professionals were blowing smoke out their nether regions.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Goody, yes, I, as well, was greatly relieved that they could fix it. It turned out to be a capacitor (I think) that cost all of $0.30 or $0.60. It's a common part that's easily available at any hardware shop here.
A half year ago - maybe a few months? I lose track of time so very easily - the hose on my cpap machine started falling apart. It started ripping between the spirally support thingies. It was split halfway through the hose, and not in just one place, but in about a dozen. I finally noticed because of the air I felt on my hand after I turned it on - where there should have been no air escaping.
I looked around locally to see if I could find any hoses, found nothing. Can't glue it shut because the fumes - I'm chemically sensitive. Can't tape it because of the support thingy - ridges.
Finally, my handy dandy fixing type of brother in law was in town (along with the rest of the family). He takes out a knife, slices off the part that's wrecked, rips the damaged stuff out of the rubber thingy that fits into the machine, and screwed the good part back into the thingy. Yes, all very technical. So it's six inches shorter, but damn, it works and good!
And yes, I'm starting to have faith that maybe, just maybe, the laptop actually can be fixed. These guys are incredible!
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Seriously, though, I will heed your cautionary tale and think about printing out everything I really care about.
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