Murphy's Law

Just when I was starting to feel comfortable with my new computer, Murphy's Law hit me with vengeance, playing double duty I think, to pay for having left me alone for so long.  It began yesterday morning.  While I was waiting for coffee I turned on the computer, and instead of the normal bootup stuff, a very simple error displayed.  Disk cannot be read.  What? 

I tried everything I could think of.  Drank mega-doses of coffee, hoping for some brilliant caffeinated-solution, but that didn't help.  I could just as well have poured the coffee ON the hard drive.  Hey, maybe that would have helped. 

So, I waited for hubby to get up (not very patiently), because there are times when he as the magic hands.  Seriously, there are times when he can make broken electronic stuff just start working again.  Sometimes all he has to do is look at it over my shoulder and the thing that wasn't working a minute before just magically starts working.  I've seen him spark up the VCR, a toaster, and even a car ignition.  There's no logical explanation for it, that I know of, he just has some kind of cosmic attunement with electronics and machinery. 

But even he couldn't fix this baby.  The hard drive done been crashed.  It's a dead duck, not a squawk to be had from it.  I can't believe how off-kilter this makes me feel.  And how stupid.  Did I have anything backed up?  Of course not.  I was confident, complacent, even.  After all, it was only a few months old. 

Everything's gone, all my emails, all my artwork, client files, image libraries, writings, everything. 

For the moment, I've cobbled together a temporary computer so I can at least get online and do a little emergency work.  I will try to post something more coherent tomorrow, but I'll be driving around town in the heat to try to buy a new hard drive.  And you can be sure I'll be buying some kind of backup system as well.  This will never happen again!

Bug god, the sick feeling in my stomach at all the stuff I've lost.  It's like being socked in the gut. 

Anybody know of a good data recovery service that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Comments

[Christine]

LOL, Kat, that is EXACTLY how I feel. People have been giving me that superior sort of pitying look, like I'm a slightly retarded child. Sure, go ahead, rub salt in my wounds!! I already feel stupid enough as it is.

Anyway, good news is, I took the drive to a computer place today and it appears at least some of the data is retrievable. Without having to ship it away to one of those $2000 minimum/no guarantee places I've been finding on the web. Cripes. They're going to let it run all weekend and let me know on Monday how much they got. Keep your fingers crossed for me. And toes!!!

D, thanks for your offer of help. Be sure if anything like this happens again, your name is at the top of my list now. :)) Nancy, Audrey, thanks for the sympathy. It really does help.

(Audrey, I have no idea why that message is popping up. Sometimes Typepad does weird things.)

[Kat]

Christine,
I am so sorry as I know that feeling in the stomach and the disbelief that everything is lost. Having had it happen, I was devastated. People said, "What, no back up?" with such a tone I almost wanted to resort to violence. Maybe if I had I would have felt better!

[David]

"...because there are times when he as the magic hands."

There are indeed people with those magic hands. I sometimes wish I were one. :-) Instead, I have to rely on the ocassional use of my dredlocks wig and chickenbone rattle...

[David]

Christine,

Email me with

1.) Make/model of computer
2.) Operating system
3.) As nearly as possible, the exact wording of the error message and any unusual events.

Often messages like these are simply the result of an OS (software) file table error OR even simper, and more common, a loose cable.

Recovery services on hard drives that are truly toast? I know of NO such service that is both inexpensive and reliable. However, if you have cobbled together another computer of a similar kind (that is Wintel/Wintel Mac/Mac) there are softwares that are often capable of recovering data from the most common types of hard drive problems.

Email me and I'll see what I can come up with for you

[Audrey]

Aw sweetie.. I'm so sorry to hear this for I know exactly how you feel. Happened to me twice and believe me, I've taken steps to ensure it never happens again. You'd think the first time would have been enough for me. Oh well.... I wish you much luck and hope you find your lost files and images. I wish I could help.

Audrey

Note: The oddest thing... when posting this comment, typepad tells me that my url is invalid! http://www.coffeesage.com/ What the? Isn't that weird?

[Nancy]

Oh no! What a nightmare. I'm lucky to have a computer tech hubby or I'd be sunk half the time as well. One thing he has pounded into my pea brain is 'back up, back up, back up..." and I do, at least once a week. I simply back up on a CD-RW; it's not foolproof, but at least it's something. I'm so sorry you lost all those files and hope that you can have them retrieved. Hubby says there are programs that will do this (Get Back is one); your best bet it to take it to a reputable service shop and see what they can do for you. There are places you can send your hard drive, but they *do* charge an arm and a leg.

I hope you can salvage your files. :(