Like a phoenix

[loaded_march]

Since my last post, I got swamped at work, which, as usual, leaves me wiped out when I get home.  The amount of energy I have left is based on accrued interest, and I'm owing a fair bit to the pool, so I stare at my computer for a while, click a few links, and go to bed.

Very recently, there was a lovely lull at work, where I said something I haven't said in years -- I'm bored.  Not the bored where my job was dull and unengaging (which it isn't even on a bad day), but the bored where I've run out of work and I'm not entirely sure what I should do with myself.  Huzzah!  I get to go home with a surplus of energy to pay back the energy fund, and maybe get some writing done.  I know I owe a gluten-free, refined sugar-free brownie recipe, which I will post as soon as... well.  As soon as I get off my damn ass and get the hastily-jotted recipe card out of the tin.

But, yeah.  I can't have nice things.  My computer died.

Again.

That makes it twice in less than six months, and three times in just over a year.  In the last two crashes, I lost substantial chunks of writing stuffs, and, of course, the backups failed both times.  I even used different backup strategies!

Anyway, the frequency of the crashes and the symptoms were similar enough that I did the only thing possible: I bought a new hard drive, took my laptop apart, and replaced it.  I reinstalled most of the software I had before and from an old, old backup, have most of my files, but I'm sad to say that I lost four months of original fiction and fanfiction that wasn't also copied to my thumb drive.

Which was a depressing amount.

The long and short of it is that, after a period of mourning (and reorganizing my files into something that didn't look like I just shoved everything in the same folder and called it good), I wrote 3K of what might possibly be a Big Bang fic for aftercamlann.  I'm testing to see if it has legs before I sign up, though.

How has everyone been?

Comments

[amalthia]

That's rough losing your harddrive and all the data on it. :(

What back up methods are you using? I ask because if I'm doing what you're doing, I'm going to need to find something better. So far I've mostly been relying on Dropbox and I sync my data to my external drives once every other month. If you aren't already doing this, have you considered moving your writing folder to Dropbox, or some equivalent of Dropbox, so that your work is synced in the cloud?

Good luck on the big bang story and with your new harddrive!

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

For some reason, I don't trust the Cloud, but I may have to reconsider considering all this bullshit with failed drives.

[amalthia]

I wasn't comfortable using Dropbox at first either. I started with small things to test it out before working my way up to larger files and things I did not want to lose. I do store my fanfiction writings on Dropbox but if I was doing original writing I'd review the service contract to make sure they can't claim my work because they are hosting it. It may not hurt to ask around and see what other writers use for cloud backup.

Normally drives should last at least 5 years, it sounds like you've been exceptionally unlucky with hard drives lately.

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea about reviewing the service contract. Another option is, well, I suppose I could use my Google Drive, but I've never been comfortable with that, either!

Not just lately, I'm afraid. I have a box of hard drives that have pooched in one way or another. One of them dates back to the era of the parallel port connections -- does that date me? In any case I don't think I've had a hard drive that's lasted more than a year or two before it stands up, waves with a psychotic glint in its eye, and dies.

[amalthia]

I've been replacing my hard drives about every 3 years, but that's because the portable hard drives are becoming more affordable and the last time I replaced them was to upgrade to USB 3.0 connections.

I have a box of hard drives too, some of them date back to late 90s early 2000s. The hard drives are the one thing I don't tend to give away because I had data on them.

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

I wish I could make it to the 3 year mark just once... *dreamy sigh*

But, yes, I don't give away my hard drives either. I really should recycle, but I'd rather make sure the data is unrecoverable first. A bit hard considering some of the hard drives will no longer talk to my computers, so, yeah, well. I'll take them apart eventually.

[geekslave.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I'm so sorry you lost so much work! *hugs*

Good luck with the potential big bang story.

Stacey

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Thank you!

[matchboximpala.livejournal.com]

Seriously, that is the worst luck.

I use an external hard drive, too, but like amothea, I also use Dropbox, mainly for the six years of fanfic I have collected. I can't imagine what I would do if a computer crash wiped all of that out.

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

Both the Timebase (WIFI hard drive), an external hard drive, and a WIFI hard drive failed me on separate occasions. I'm not sure why I'm having such bad luck with hard drives. But like I mentioned to amothea, I'm going to have to reconsider my reluctance to use the Cloud to backup my shit from now on.

[side-steppings.livejournal.com]

What with not actually having a laptop at the moment all my stuff is scattered across two external hard drives, a USB drive, and google docs which is a bit of a nightmare to be honest!!

That's bad luck to have that many crashes though!!! Hope you sort it, and we'll all join you in mourning for the potential fiction!!

Yay for ACBB though! I love your Big Bang fics so I'm excited to see what you come up with :) I'm signed up as a cheerleader at the moment as until I have a laptop of my own I can't commit to writing but hopefully I'll be able to!

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine keeping track of everything when they're scattered that much! I hope you do manage to swing a laptop and are able to sign up for ACBB!

[velithya]

That is awful :( Not just the crash and losing your computer but losing four months of stories :( I hope that you have enough notes/memories that you can recreate some of what you've lost :|

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

Some of them I can reproduce, though it's on the order of vague ideas than actual details. I had a lot of files that sketched out outlines of stories that I'll never be able to get back.

I try not to think about it.

[velithya]

auuuuuuuuuuuugh

. . . that's probably a good policy, yes. :|

[repna.livejournal.com]

Ouch! I'm terribly sorry technology keeps giving you the finger. Especially, as the mighty Frodo noted,



Here's hoping your new found boredom gives you writing wings, and all will somehow be good. Still sucks though.

And yes, sorry, but until you install an ironclad "I'll tell you if I didn't back up and verify your stuff last night with a blaring siren and annoying music"-double-backup system, the cloud is going to be your best bet. Make sure to use something with double authentication though, so stuff won't be so easily stolen.

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yeah, I know. We've been here before. You'd think I'd learn my lesson, but, noooo.

I'll look into what's available, cloud-wise, this weekend.

[rotrude.livejournal.com]

Sorry about your computer; that's a pain. I've got WIPs on One Drive, but some other things have no cloud back up so I understand you and yor loss.

I hope your (maybe) acbb develops a chest and arms and a head.

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

At least I didn't lose absolutely everything. That would've killed me.

How is your ACBB going? Settled on an idea yet?

[rotrude.livejournal.com]

Everything would have been terrible and worthy of a sob or twenty-two.

Erm, I have 3.2k of one and 1k of another and I'm horrible at decision making?

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

Wow, nice! How do you decide on which idea to go with, in the end? I notice you usually have a list of options. I'd just want to write them all, personally!

[rotrude.livejournal.com]

I thought I'd write two finished first chapters and run with the one flows better. The list is a series of story ideas I'd like to do (and don't necessarily know how to, like the Eliger one). I must say the final two are the ones that I'm really feeling and I'll be sad to let one go!

[narlth.livejournal.com]

I feel the having nothing to do at work. I mean that's a good thing as tech support that means nothing broken but we literally watched Sharknado whilst on night shift.

Oh man that's such bad luck, hopefully that should be your last disaster. I second people about cloud storage. If it's security that worries you then on most things you can opt into duel authentication.

I would be excited if you did write for acbb, so I hope your muse behaves :D

[loaded-march.livejournal.com]

I rarely have nothing to do, so it's a weird, disembodied feeling. But I jinxed myself because that ended super fast.

I'm planning on looking into cloud storage this weekend, because, the sooner, the better, right?