I lost all my undergraduate and graduate work (the digital copies at least; I still have the hard copies of most), plus a TON of research notes for a big paper I had planned when my desktop one day just didn't turn on. $300 worth of parts later, I was informed it was hopeless, and bought a laptop and have been e-mailing myself back-ups ever since. Sigh. It still stings.
Close calls
- Thread starter Lidiya
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I email my MS once a week to myself. One week, I made a typo in the domain and didn't notice until right as I hit send. I spent the next 20 minutes hyperventilating and thinking I had just emailed a random stranger a 47K manuscript.
Luckily, my email is smarter than I am and corrected the domain error. No random stranger reading my half-baked drivel.
But I was very, very upset for those 20 minutes.
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I thought I could get through a bit of writer's block with the help of a glass of something interesting, which examination over the next couple of days revealed had turned into emptying the drinks cabinet and doing untold reprehensible things that will never be spoken of again. My hacked'n'slashed MS, yes, the main file, the un-backed up main file, the only copy I had, was open on my desktop, many thousand words shorter than I last remembered it being and with mysterious 'large amounts of text' on my clipboard. I clicked 'yes' when Word asked me if I wanted to save it and clear the clipboard when I closed it
Edit: not so much a close call as a will never do that again no matter what ;p
I hope at least the drinks were nice xD
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I usually email myself a copy of my WIP every time I reach a big milestone. That way if a hard drive crashes or something I'll at least have most of it backed up. That said, I was using a crappy netbook for a while for writing outside of the home, and I was saving everything to an SD card. At some point the SD card ended up in one of my cameras, and my entire WIP got wiped out. So I had to start over from scratch. Fortunately, I think I was only up to the first 10K words or something, and it had been about a year since I'd last worked on the project so I almost didn't mind starting over. I think I might have ended up with a better story the second time around anyway.
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I have an evil SD in my vicinity. First time I came across it was in another country. Then, I found it my drawer randomly (not in the same country!). So I asked everyone in my family if it's theirs...it's not. It's completely empty, yet nearly damaged all our cameras.
Everyone's scared of it now and pretends it's not there.
But it is.
Ooooh!! For a couple of days now I've been thinking to myself, "I should probably back up my novel. I'm 20K in, it's time." Didn't get around to it.
Yesterday I was cleaning up my writing area and went to pick up a mug of cold, milky tea...and promptly tipped it over. The breath flew from my lungs, the laptop was snatched up into the air...and it was okay Quickly saved everything to my USB afterwards. Close call indeed!
Yesterday I was cleaning up my writing area and went to pick up a mug of cold, milky tea...and promptly tipped it over. The breath flew from my lungs, the laptop was snatched up into the air...and it was okay
Quickly saved everything to my USB afterwards. Close call indeed!
I write on 2 computers, one is connected to the internet and the other is not.
I transfer between them with a flash drive. I also have places online that I post my work. I am confident that I am safe
I transfer between them with a flash drive. I also have places online that I post my work. I am confident that I am safe
Perhaps I'm obsessive.
I backup to my main drive; to a large USB drive, to DropBox, and then add copies to a CD, which I eventually finalise and store.
Doesn't take long -- certainly less time and worry than losing everything.
Incidentally, I've had several major crashes over many years, but touch wood, I've not yet lost my files. (See, I'm superstitious, too.)
I backup to my main drive; to a large USB drive, to DropBox, and then add copies to a CD, which I eventually finalise and store.
Doesn't take long -- certainly less time and worry than losing everything.
Incidentally, I've had several major crashes over many years, but touch wood, I've not yet lost my files. (See, I'm superstitious, too.)
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Perhaps I'm obsessive.
I backup to my main drive; to a large USB drive, to DropBox, and then add copies to a CD, which I eventually finalise and store.
When one day, everything crashes and everyone loses their work, you'll be the one laughing from the side, waving all those devices you saved your work to!
I've had a few. My first laptop blue-screened before I made a habit of backing everything up. Now I have at least two flash drives where I store backup copies, just in case one of them goes out for any reason. Go team paranoia!
Some weeks after the laptop recovered from the blue-screen, I was intently focused on a scene I was writing. It was tense, it was poignant, and I was committed to it. Nothing outside this scene existed.
Enter my brother, slamming my bedroom door open to the wall, and shouting 'GO TEAM RETARD!' (of Zero Punctuation, online video review serial for video games)
I was startled so badly that I bolted up from my desk chair, not realizing that I had absently wound my leg up in the excess power cord for my laptop. My motion yanked it to the floor, (My room back home had concrete floor, by the way) where it landed totally open and face-down.
Fortunately, nothing was broken, and it started right back up. I hadn't even lost my work, by some miracle.
My brother maintains to this day that he had absolutely no fault in the episode. But I never would have jumped from my seat if he had knocked first.
Some weeks after the laptop recovered from the blue-screen, I was intently focused on a scene I was writing. It was tense, it was poignant, and I was committed to it. Nothing outside this scene existed.
Enter my brother, slamming my bedroom door open to the wall, and shouting 'GO TEAM RETARD!' (of Zero Punctuation, online video review serial for video games)
I was startled so badly that I bolted up from my desk chair, not realizing that I had absently wound my leg up in the excess power cord for my laptop. My motion yanked it to the floor, (My room back home had concrete floor, by the way) where it landed totally open and face-down.
Fortunately, nothing was broken, and it started right back up. I hadn't even lost my work, by some miracle.
My brother maintains to this day that he had absolutely no fault in the episode. But I never would have jumped from my seat if he had knocked first.
When I was young and thought I was invincible, I didn't back things up. A friend built me a computer with a new hard drive + the hard drive from my old computer, which I stored all my writing and graphics on. Then the old drive died. I sent it to multiple recovery companies, but no one could retrieve the data. I don't let myself think too long about what was on that old hard drive for fear it will cripple me.
There was a time I recall saving a bunch of files to 20 floppy disks so I could reformat, but I can't for the life of me find those disks now. I probably just threw them all out in a fit of spring cleaning or (*cringe*) left them behind when I fled from my last living situation. That really upsets me... thinking that bastard has my files (ETA: ... and the lids to my tupperware!)
Anyway, the good news was that all of this transpired before I started thinking about my writing as a professional endeavor, so all my WIPs were created on my new (at the time) laptop. And now they're also on my desktop and my USB stick and my work computer and Dropbox and various CDs.... AND I turned that busted drive into a drink coaster (a little resin and felt on the bottom) so that it sits usefully on my desk to remind me to back up my damned files.
That's a good thing because a couple of years ago, my account on my laptop became corrupted and I couldn't access any of my files. I had to delete it and create a new one... which was iffy for me without another admin account to work from. Now, my dog has her own account on my laptop with admin privileges. My boyfriend looks at me weird, but... whatever. If I ever corrupt my account again, my dog can access my files.
There was a time I recall saving a bunch of files to 20 floppy disks so I could reformat, but I can't for the life of me find those disks now. I probably just threw them all out in a fit of spring cleaning or (*cringe*) left them behind when I fled from my last living situation. That really upsets me... thinking that bastard has my files (ETA: ... and the lids to my tupperware!)
Anyway, the good news was that all of this transpired before I started thinking about my writing as a professional endeavor, so all my WIPs were created on my new (at the time) laptop. And now they're also on my desktop and my USB stick and my work computer and Dropbox and various CDs.... AND I turned that busted drive into a drink coaster (a little resin and felt on the bottom) so that it sits usefully on my desk to remind me to back up my damned files.
That's a good thing because a couple of years ago, my account on my laptop became corrupted and I couldn't access any of my files. I had to delete it and create a new one... which was iffy for me without another admin account to work from. Now, my dog has her own account on my laptop with admin privileges. My boyfriend looks at me weird, but... whatever. If I ever corrupt my account again, my dog can access my files.
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I've had two hard drives crash suddenly...yes, suddenly.
Since then I back up and back up and back up. Online I use Flipdrive. I also use a flash drive and external hard drive.
I was lucky that I was able to retrieve the data from the crashed drives, but I'll never let myself become that vulnerable again.
Since then I back up and back up and back up. Online I use Flipdrive. I also use a flash drive and external hard drive.
I was lucky that I was able to retrieve the data from the crashed drives, but I'll never let myself become that vulnerable again.
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I've had horrible luck with laptops since... ever.
The first one, I was 14 and decided I wanted to learn how to hack. (Hooray!) It didn't work out and I had blue screen and loud beeps until I yanked the battery out. ... I didn't learn after that.
The next one crashed because... I don't know. Bunnies, maybe? Didn't learn.
The next one... Also bunnies, I can only assume. Still didn't learn.
Then, I bought my very own netbook that I treasured every day and took everywhere with me, happily writing and smiling all the while -- for about six months, when I sat down with a cup of coffee that spilled all over it. Nothing survived. But at least I've finally learned my lesson.
My mom bought me a replacement a year ago as an early b-day gift, and it's still going strong, but I back up everything onto three different flash drives.
The first one, I was 14 and decided I wanted to learn how to hack. (Hooray!) It didn't work out and I had blue screen and loud beeps until I yanked the battery out. ... I didn't learn after that.
The next one crashed because... I don't know. Bunnies, maybe? Didn't learn.
The next one... Also bunnies, I can only assume. Still didn't learn.
Then, I bought my very own netbook that I treasured every day and took everywhere with me, happily writing and smiling all the while -- for about six months, when I sat down with a cup of coffee that spilled all over it. Nothing survived.
But at least I've finally learned my lesson. My mom bought me a replacement a year ago as an early b-day gift, and it's still going strong, but I back up everything onto three different flash drives.
I have two different flash drives I use for backing up my work - one is bright green and travels with me; the other is tan and stays at home.
I have a deathly fear that something will happen to my house/computer/the stay-at-home flash drive while I'm away, so the green one has taken on a kind of holy significance. However, I'm intrigued by those of you who email your WIP to yourself. I may start doing that.
I have a deathly fear that something will happen to my house/computer/the stay-at-home flash drive while I'm away, so the green one has taken on a kind of holy significance. However, I'm intrigued by those of you who email your WIP to yourself. I may start doing that.
One glass of water over a laptop, and that was the end of my thesis. Data couldn't be retrieved.
I had to retype the lot from an old print-out because the backups were all in an old version of software that wouldn't run on the new computer.
Funny to look back on, but I seem to remember screaming a lot...
I had to retype the lot from an old print-out because the backups were all in an old version of software that wouldn't run on the new computer.
Funny to look back on, but I seem to remember screaming a lot...
I haven't had any close calls yet, but I always keep my flash drive right by my bed in case there's a fire or a tornado (I live in the Midwest). Right now, I'm very anal about saving to my flash drive because my laptop is acting up. I have no idea when it might give up entirely.
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Well, today my USB died. I died. Fortunately, my WIP survived (I emailed it to myself last night).
All the rest of my files were buried... even Google Docs couldn't rescue them. :'(
That sunflower seed was a bad omen.
All the rest of my files were buried... even Google Docs couldn't rescue them. :'(
That sunflower seed was a bad omen.
LOL! I just did that yesterday! And I'm still letting it sit and dry out to see if it works.
I have a 2nd hard drive in my computer and my thumb drive serves as my working, or in case of major fire, back up... can't be to careful these days. I wonder if there is literary espionage?... hmmm
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My novel was almost done, feeling good. . .sat down to write and my monitor screen started going screwy, squiggly lines and weirdness and fading in and out and I thought, okay, something's wrong with the file or program or. . .I know naught about computer stuff--no, I know just enough to get myself in trouble. . .I thought, I'll re-install everything, fresh and clean, so I slid my first back-up disk in the slot, there are nine, and lo and behold, my computer seemed fixed except, that disk rewrote everything, effectively taking me back two years and all my documents were gone, gone, gone. . .
Hewlett Packard said, It sucks to be you. But amazingly, this guy from India who works for Microsoft took control of my computer remotely and found, somehow, he found my documents, my God. . .
I was happy for two days. Then, I'm typing away and my monitor started to smoke, holy crap I thought, Oh Jesus, my computer just died, that's it, I'm f**ked, it's fate, not realizing the monitor is not the computer because I'm a putz.
Anyway, to make a long story longer, got a new monitor, and bit the bullet and paid for MozyHome, and I copy my stuff to a thumb drive every week or so because I'm being careful, not because I'm anal-retentive or anything like that. . .
Hewlett Packard said, It sucks to be you. But amazingly, this guy from India who works for Microsoft took control of my computer remotely and found, somehow, he found my documents, my God. . .
I was happy for two days. Then, I'm typing away and my monitor started to smoke, holy crap I thought, Oh Jesus, my computer just died, that's it, I'm f**ked, it's fate, not realizing the monitor is not the computer because I'm a putz.
Anyway, to make a long story longer, got a new monitor, and bit the bullet and paid for MozyHome, and I copy my stuff to a thumb drive every week or so because I'm being careful, not because I'm anal-retentive or anything like that. . .
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*mourns*
Alas poor USB drive, we knew thee well.
My poor baby USB...died at just 2 years. Like an egyptian king, it was buried with its most prized possessions -- my short stories, pictures and some unfinished books.
May the Nile ever be still on its journey. May it find eternal joy in the Field of Reeds. May Osiris bless its spirit.
And may its replacement last a tad longer.
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