Damn idiot computer operator

[Vortex]

Dont know how I did it but damn near all my photos that were on my harddrive are gone. Ive hunted around for them and they are just gone. Either I got a worm that deleted them or I deleted the file by accident. Ive already looked in the recycle bin, nada. This is why I dont pay bills/bank online. :mad2:

[offroadkarter]

Dont know how I did it but damn near all my photos that were on my harddrive are gone. Ive hunted around for them and they are just gone. Either I got a worm that deleted them or I deleted the file by accident. Ive already looked in the recycle bin, nada. This is why I dont pay bills/bank online. :mad2:


I doubt a worm but run a spyware and virus scan just in case. Have you been going on any websites that'd give you a worm? ;)

Sure the folder didnt just get hidden?

[Starman]

Try doing a search for all your jpg and gif files and see what happens. The file may have moved or something else weird. Also, a bit late, but I highly recommend using mozy online back up service. I have all my pics and other important files backed up online in case I was to crash or something similar. Good luck, I hope you find them somewhere.

Oh and you may want to try a program that can restore your lost photos. I can not recommend one, but I do know they exist.

[sailsmen]

try carbonite.

I signed up for it in Oct.

I "renewed" Micro Trend only to find out they bundled it w/ some non-compatible anti-spy. 30 days and 30 emails w/ Micro Trend and I got a worm as a result, ate my hard drive!

I don't use Outlook or host my emails, all are remote. Prob from a Christmas card.

[ckadiddle]

I agree with searching for .jpg files, you may have accidentally moved them with a mis-drag to an unintended folder. It is a very common issue.

Four gig flash drives are way down in price now and hold a lot of photos. Since I have multiple computers at home I keep backups of photos on two flash drives, plus once or twice a year burn them to CD. Those are good strategies if you only own one computer. I also copy them from one computer hard drive to another computer's hard drive. Of all the crap I have on my computers, the most precious are the family photos and photos from events that we have attended. The rest I can rebuild or live without. We take a LOT of photos with digital cameras, rarely use film cameras any more.

I am teaching my new wife this mantra:

Data does NOT exist until it exists in multiple physical locations.

I don't trust online services to care for my data. I am paranoid about other people having access to my data.

Work out a backup routine you can live with, put it on your calendar, then stick to it.

[magindat]

If you wanna keep it, burn it.

[Pat]

Same thing happened to me Jim, too many unintentional keystrokes.

But only one picture was involved but it was irreplaceable. Patricia had to come and retrieve it. It was still on the hard drive but in another folder.

If the delete button was accidently activated shouldn't another advisory screen pop up: "do your really, really want to delete this file?".

If you didn't see that, then the pictures are prolly still on your computer somewhere.

[Dr Caleb]

If you wanna keep it, burn it.

That won't work ether, trust me. Most CD/DVDs you can buy have about 3-5 years before they start to degrade and are useless. Archive quality media is the only way to go for the long-term.

These aren't available everywhere, so you may have to search for them:

http://www.taiyo-yuden.com/media/index_media.html

[magindat]

That won't work ether, trust me. Most CD/DVDs you can buy have about 3-5 years before they start to degrade and are useless. Archive quality media is the only way to go for the long-term.

These aren't available everywhere, so you may have to search for them:

http://www.taiyo-yuden.com/media/index_media.html

Maybe so. I got HP discs from 1998 still readable...

[ImpalaSlayer]

i too have never herd of a cd being only good for 5 years. i got some old ass cds that still work.

[Dr Caleb]

i too have never herd of a cd being only good for 5 years. i got some old ass cds that still work.

I'll bet they have some errors on them. CDs have built in error correction, but eventually the dyes used to make them burnable will fade. The cheaper the CD, the faster they will fade.

[offroadkarter]

That won't work ether, trust me. Most CD/DVDs you can buy have about 3-5 years before they start to degrade and are useless.


What!? Im still using burnt CD's i made 8 years ago with no problem :confused:




How bout an external harddrive!? That's the best way to back things up

[sailsmen]

If I trust my bank, mortgage, investing house, credit card, medical info on line why not a reputable data storage firm?

Most of the data I have comes from someonelse on line so why not store it back to someone on line?

[MADRODER]

I recently had a meltdown myself when my mobo suddenly fried on me, I thought all my files were lost until I downloaded this program.....http://www.binarybiz.com/vlab/windows.html

It found ALL my files incl pictures, they only draw back is that you have to pay for what you want to retrieve (the more gigs you want recovered the more it's going to cost)

It will cost me around $150 for my accident........

[ckadiddle]

If I trust my bank, mortgage, investing house, credit card, medical info on line why not a reputable data storage firm?

Most of the data I have comes from someonelse on line so why not store it back to someone on line?
I am just wierdly paranoid in that way. I just don't want other people touching my data. :dunno: It's probably safe.

Some of you guys can wrench on the cars you drive, and do not want anyone else touching their car. I feel the same way about my computers at home. I do not have those automotive skills but I can do my own computer repairs and back up my own data. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Heck, I really hate when the cable tv guy messes with my home theater and tv stuff. Something is always changed after he leaves and I have to try and figure out what he didn't reconnect.

[Aren Jay]

do a *.jpg search

[knine]

What!? Im still using burnt CD's i made 8 years ago with no problem :confused:




How bout an external harddrive!? That's the best way to back things up
......that would have made you 7 !!!!! :eek:

[Dr Caleb]

What!? Im still using burnt CD's i made 8 years ago with no problem :confused:

And I have burnt CD's that died in only a couple years. Depends on the manufacturer and handling.



At present, stated CD-R lifetimes are estimates based on accelerated aging tests, as the technology has not been in existence long enough to verify the upper range. With proper care it is thought that CD-Rs should be readable one thousand times or more and have a shelf life of several hundred years. Unfortunately, some common practices can reduce shelf life to only one or two years. Therefore, it is important to handle and store CD-Rs properly if it is necessary to read them more than a year or so later.

Real-life (not accelerated aging) tests have revealed that some CD-Rs degrade quickly even if stored normally.[1][2] The quality of a CD-R disc has a large and direct influence on longevity -- cheap discs shouldn't be expected to last very long. Unfortunately, branding isn't a terribly good guide to quality, because many brands (major as well as no name) do not actually manufacture their own discs. Instead they are sourced from different manufacturers of varying quality. For best results, verify the actual manufacturer and material components of each batch of discs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-R



How bout an external harddrive!? That's the best way to back things up

Better, yes. I'm Anal about data retention (it's my job to ensure data integrity on more than 100TB of medical data). My home system(s) have 2TB each, RAID 5 disks which are mirrored the same, and backed up to tape. But Hard disks are physical in nature, and will eventually fail. I like to have a Plan 'B'.

Like I said - I'm anal. ;)

[Aren Jay]

there is a much better storage medium.

it is called

Paper.

[magindat]

I recently had a meltdown myself when my mobo suddenly fried on me, I thought all my files were lost until I downloaded this program.....http://www.binarybiz.com/vlab/windows.html

It found ALL my files incl pictures, they only draw back is that you have to pay for what you want to retrieve (the more gigs you want recovered the more it's going to cost)

It will cost me around $150 for my accident........

If your MB fried, you should have just plugged the drive in as a slave on the new machine and went on with life.

[magindat]

And I have burnt CD's that died in only a couple years. Depends on the manufacturer and handling.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-R



Better, yes. I'm Anal about data retention (it's my job to ensure data integrity on more than 100TB of medical data). My home system(s) have 2TB each, RAID 5 disks which are mirrored the same, and backed up to tape. But Hard disks are physical in nature, and will eventually fail. I like to have a Plan 'B'.

Like I said - I'm anal. ;)

I feel you. I back up data for banks. Some of it is across-the-wire. My backups have backups at work, but there's not much at home that's that important.

I do, however, tend to 'cascade' backups. I run a 240G mirrored on my machine and throw the important stuff to a NAS HD. Periodically, I throw another SATA HD in the box and make a mirror, then remove and store. I collect the kid's stuff up on the NAS and burn a DL DVD once in a while.

As time goes by and machines get upgraded and data moves, this info will get picked up and laid down from time to time, keeping a reasonable back up always in the mix.

In other words, not nearly as anal at home as for work....

[ckadiddle]

RAID will keep the cockroaches from eating your data while it is stored.
:lol:

I crack myself up.



May only be funny to myself due to me being medicated today.:shake: