# A very personal crash



## Foxbat (Oct 15, 2008)

We all know what happened to this site over the weekend? 
Well here is the story of another very personal crash.

I suppose the truth of the matter is that this post is just me trying to vent some of my frustration but it could serve as a warning to others.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s my tale.

A few months ago, I invested in a new 500gigabyte external hard drive. I used this as a storage medium for all the cine (9.5mm,8mm & 16mm) transfers to MPEG I had done over the years for various friends and acquaintances. One in particular  went on sale commercially in my local area and made a good profit (for charity). I was very  proud of that.

Also on the disk was a library of  original music I had recorded over the last few years and many of my own photographs. I estimate around 300G of information. 

Last night, I accidentally dropped it and - Kapow!!! End of story. Hard drive Kaput!

After many hours of work and some soul searching, I decided to physically destroy the disk (just in case I still had stored any sensitive info like bank statements etc.) and threw it away. If this work had been the result of a commercial venture, I could have paid a hefty sum for some data retrieval boffin to have a go but, it was all just hobby stuff (stuff, nonetheless, that I am quite passionate about).

The good news is that much of the old film is backed up on digital tape but unedited. 
I think I also have most of my music lying around on various CDs.
Still, I’m pretty sad at my loss (I feel like I’ve lost an arm or a good friend).
Probably 100G is gone forever. The rest will take many hours to put right.

I hope that such a stupid accident can help others here avoid such a calamity. 
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for me.

Ho Hum.


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## TheEndIsNigh (Oct 15, 2008)

On the bright side...

It didn't land on your foot at the top of the stairs causing you to plunge forward in a deathlike swan dive to the foot of the stairs. Where you would have lay in agony for hours feeling your life force ebb away, hoping against hope that someone would hear your fading cries and come to your aid. Whereupon in the fullness of time to be told that you would be a vegetable for the rest of your life and subsequently spend eighty or even a hundred years (with the benefit of modern medicine) lying on your back sucking on a straw as the only means of communication.

Course the hundred years was mentioned just for effect


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## Grimward (Oct 15, 2008)

Empathy for your deceased hard drive, FoxB, and at least you didn't lose everything.

*Reconsiders that "bright" has a different meaning to TEiNs*


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## Nesacat (Oct 15, 2008)

Condolences on the death of your hard drive Foxbat. Am rather glad the whole staircase Victorian melodrama didn't happen though.


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## Foxbat (Oct 15, 2008)

Thanks folks. And yes. you are right. It could have been much worse.


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## Sephiroth (Oct 15, 2008)

Sorry for your loss, Foxbat.  


I lost a lot of important stuff last Xmas when my old HDD decided to give up the ghost, including some important pieces of work that I was never able to recover.  I also lost over 30Gb of music.  

But again, it could've been worse.  I had all but the most recent stuff backed up, at least.


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## SpaceShip (Oct 17, 2008)

LOL, FOFL at TIEN's comments.

But, Foxy, I think, we've all been there at some time or other.  Hope it all sorts out fast for you.


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## Pyan (Oct 17, 2008)

Commiserations, Foxbat...

Of course, you _could _have backed up your drive onto another one...and then backed up your back-up....but this way lies madness....

One small suggestion, though - perhaps get three x 250 gig external drives instead of one big one, then save photos on one, music on another, and transfers on the third. Then if, heaven forfend, you drop one again, you've much less to re-do...


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## mosaix (Oct 17, 2008)

pyan said:


> Commiserations, Foxbat...
> 
> Of course, you _could _have backed up your drive onto another one...and then backed up your back-up....but this way lies madness....
> 
> One small suggestion, though - perhaps get three x 250 gig external drives instead of one big one, then save photos on one, music on another, and transfers on the third. Then if, heaven forfend, you drop one again, you've much less to re-do...



This is good advice Py.

But at least _one_ backup is always advisable. 

Work on the assumption that every disc will always fail in the end, even if its by being dropped, or stolen.


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## Pyan (Oct 17, 2008)

mosaix said:


> Work on the assumption that every disc will always fail in the end, even if its by being dropped, or stolen.



Or left on the back seat of a MOD car...


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## TheEndIsNigh (Oct 17, 2008)

At work I have two exhchangable 250G HD SATA cassettes that I interchange between backups and incrementally store 15GB backup of the whole system. In this way I only loose a couple of days work should the inevitable happen. I delete the oldest 15G as and when the drive gets full.

I'm always take care not to carry them around near the top of any stairs though.


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## tangaloomababe (Oct 17, 2008)

very sad fox.  I feel your lose. I am about to lose this computer (its my son's and he wants it back, understandable.
I went to boot up my old computer a couple of days ago and it won't display, could be a loose wire, the monitor works fine with other computers just won't show mine.  Could be time to invest in a new one but I still need all my stuff of the old one.... Ho Hum


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## Foxbat (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks for the advice folks. I think a secondary backup is the way to go in future. Live learn eh? Nobody told me it would be this much work


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## dustinzgirl (Oct 18, 2008)

That's a bummer.

And yet my hubby spilled a beer inside his computer and nothing happened. I don't know why he thinks the top of his computer is a coaster, but whatever.


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