What went wrong today ...

I'm a day late, but this is worth telling :eek: Yesterday, out of the blue, two of my hard drives (I have quite a lot) gave up the ghost; not entirely, but they're unreadable. I'll try to recover them - so far, so good.

But it turns out that in the last couple of months, I completely forgot to do the manual backups those drives usually get and need (they don't run permanently, so it's no real help to automate backups on them). Which means that in the worst of cases, I'll lose all RAW files stored after December 25th, 2019. Everything. Luckily, I have copies of all *posted* images in the cloud (or at least over 90%).

It's so easy to forget the obvious in the face of the pressing or oppressing. This time, that fact may bite me in the behind ...

M.
 
I'm a day late, but this is worth telling :eek: Yesterday, out of the blue, two of my hard drives (I have quite a lot) gave up the ghost; not entirely, but they're unreadable. I'll try to recover them - so far, so good.

But it turns out that in the last couple of months, I completely forgot to do the manual backups those drives usually get and need (they don't run permanently, so it's no real help to automate backups on them). Which means that in the worst of cases, I'll lose all RAW files stored after December 25th, 2019. Everything. Luckily, I have copies of all *posted* images in the cloud (or at least over 90%).

It's so easy to forget the obvious in the face of the pressing or oppressing. This time, that fact may bite me in the behind ...

M.
Hope the recovery will work out well. Losing raw files, oh my, if that would happen to me I think I literally might cry.
 
I'm a day late, but this is worth telling :eek: Yesterday, out of the blue, two of my hard drives (I have quite a lot) gave up the ghost; not entirely, but they're unreadable. I'll try to recover them - so far, so good.

But it turns out that in the last couple of months, I completely forgot to do the manual backups those drives usually get and need (they don't run permanently, so it's no real help to automate backups on them). Which means that in the worst of cases, I'll lose all RAW files stored after December 25th, 2019. Everything. Luckily, I have copies of all *posted* images in the cloud (or at least over 90%).

It's so easy to forget the obvious in the face of the pressing or oppressing. This time, that fact may bite me in the behind ...

M.
That sounds a bit unlike you Matt. Not that I’m any better. I was obsessive about backup and used to pay loads for that software Synchronize! Pro. Now I’m not very good at all which is why my laptop automatically backs up remotely to Amazon servers every hour. It’s like that because I’m crap at doing local backups. There must be set it and forget it software for Linux/ Chronebooks, no?
 
That sounds a bit unlike you Matt. Not that I’m any better. I was obsessive about backup and used to pay loads for that software Synchronize! Pro. Now I’m not very good at all which is why my laptop automatically backs up remotely to Amazon servers every hour. It’s like that because I’m crap at doing local backups. There must be set it and forget it software for Linux/ Chronebooks, no?
It's me and my determination not to waste energy that's to blame. It's not that working solutions aren't available. But having all those disks run permanently would suck up quite a bit of power, and additionally, those drives make noise and produce heat, both things I don't like (the heat, again, being mostly due to energy wasted). And while I appreciate cloud storage for some things, I want stuff like my RAW files on-site, and only there. I'll have to ramp up my discipline and patience and try harder.

Just now getting ready to order new HDDs, new housings and storage boxes, as well as preparing for the recovery (though it'll have to wait for a couple of days or even weeks - I have major exams to correct, that has the highest priority now). For the time being, everything is safely stored, nothing's physically destroyed. I have hope.

As for solutions, I'll simply do daily backups from now on. It's a two-minute affair to arrange this, and I can trigger it (semi-automatically - confirmation after deploy) right after pulling the RAW files into storage. It's super-easy. All the more embarassing that I simply failed to do this up to now. After doing that, I can switch off most storage - which, in most ways, makes the solution even more secure. I'm also planning for disc rotation (physical hard-drive swapping, with redunancy) for the RAW file target drive - one drive in physical storage with "last month's" backup. I'm almost done with planning and arranging this stuff ...

Something to serve as a heads-up: I think I ran into this also because I hardly ever throw things away but use older discs to oblivion - which is exactly what happened this time. It's *not* a good idea to do this with critical files. It's no big deal for stuff that's transitional (or stored in the cloud as well anyway - work related stuff and cloud account mirrors), but for things I want to put away and clear the sources thereof, it's tantamount to juggling eggs. Things *will* smash and you'll end up with one hell of a mess - it's just a question of when.

M.
 
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We’re renovating an older house, scheduled to move in a month. Last month is for the details and a lot is going wrong. Today I was over to check on some stuff and dropped my trustworthy iPhone 7 Plus. Face down on the delivered tiles for the new house. Until today it was still going strong, as long as I attach it to a lifeline twice a day. Well, I’m typing this in landscape mode as not all of the touchscreen is responsive. And I’m swiping up tiny glass particles with my finger. So finally time for an upgrade. I seriously considered the SE, but the photographer in me won, so I ordered the 11 Pro.
A new camera after four years a new phone after almost five years a new house after 20 years. Maybe my wife (together for 35 years) should get worried. Or rejoice. I’m not that great to be around today.
 
Well I went for a Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker. Work started giving away coffee so I only need to make it a few days a week now and I like ice coffee in the summer. So now I can make 2-3 days worth at once. We'll see how it goes.
I make a few days worth of iced coffee with a Kuerig. It amuses my wife.
 
I should relate my last couple days' trial upgrading my smartphone, as it's pretty funny. I ordered from B&H, which came with free expedited shipping, to my house. But the particular shipment method was FedEx 2-day, with physical signature required, arrival on Wednesday. Unfortunately I was at work all day Wed, so I put a note on my door kindly asking the carrier to swing by my work address, which is quite close to my house. But I put the note on the front door, and when I arrived home Wed I found the "missed you" notice stuck to the back door, which leads into the garage and isn't regularly used. I tried calling FedEx, which resulted in approximately 20 minute hold times to be told that I couldn't do anything about the delivery over the phone and it would be attempted again sometime between 12-8PM on Thursday (of course, working again all day!). But they did tell me the FedEx courier would be at a pickup point till 4:30. I got off the phone at 4:02... but the pickup point is in the larger town approximately 45 minutes away. Sigh.

The FedEx website was apparently broken, so while my idea was to have the package held for pickup somewhere, it would never let me complete the request. I finally tried downloading the app, and by contrast it worked! I set the package to be held (again, 45 minutes away), where it would be available from 11 AM Thursday.

So Thursday I arranged to take a long lunch, and left at around 11. When I arrived at the Walgreens pickup counter, I was informed the truck hadn't come yet and it usually came between 12-2PM. I waited around a little, but had to head back to work (another 45 minute drive). After calling (another 15 minutes) I was told the package wasn't guaranteed to arrive at the pickup spot till 8PM (despite the 11AM time I got yesterday). A fruitless 1-1/2 hours of driving, except that I picked up lunch for the crew.

I got the notification that the package was delivered around 2PM, drove up after I got off work at 6, and finally got the phone around 7PM Thursday. A lot of hoops for a shipping method that is pretty impractical for a household where everyone is at work all day!
 
For the second time in three days. We have to be on guard in our home because the rioters/looters have been reported to be targeting the area I live in. The police came through the area three hours ago and had all businesses close down. I find it sad that the worst of people are taking advantage of an already high tension situation and doing damage.
 
Today I left the house for a walk with my Voïgtlander and returned with fewer pictures than I left with. In the Schrodinger sense, you know, where a closed box both contains and doesn't contain photos until it's opened up?

Yeah, I was over halfway through a roll of Lomo Color 100, with some nice golden hour stroll phots already recorded... But got suspicious today when the rewind spool would only barely move when I advanced a frame. I figured, it's got a lot of slack, right, so I tightened it up... But no. I'd taken some good shots this morning too, but I exposed up to 36 and beyond... And sighed and cursed myself and opened it up to see it hadn't advanced at all from loading. Had to sink the leader deeper into the advance spindle.

I haven't done that since, oh, 2014 or so. These are the things that kept film photographers humble.
 
It's me and my determination not to waste energy that's to blame. It's not that working solutions aren't available. But having all those disks run permanently would suck up quite a bit of power, and additionally, those drives make noise and produce heat, both things I don't like (the heat, again, being mostly due to energy wasted). And while I appreciate cloud storage for some things, I want stuff like my RAW files on-site, and only there. I'll have to ramp up my discipline and patience and try harder.

Just now getting ready to order new HDDs, new housings and storage boxes, as well as preparing for the recovery (though it'll have to wait for a couple of days or even weeks - I have major exams to correct, that has the highest priority now). For the time being, everything is safely stored, nothing's physically destroyed. I have hope.

As for solutions, I'll simply do daily backups from now on. It's a two-minute affair to arrange this, and I can trigger it (semi-automatically - confirmation after deploy) right after pulling the RAW files into storage. It's super-easy. All the more embarassing that I simply failed to do this up to now. After doing that, I can switch off most storage - which, in most ways, makes the solution even more secure. I'm also planning for disc rotation (physical hard-drive swapping, with redunancy) for the RAW file target drive - one drive in physical storage with "last month's" backup. I'm almost done with planning and arranging this stuff ...

Something to serve as a heads-up: I think I ran into this also because I hardly ever throw things away but use older discs to oblivion - which is exactly what happened this time. It's *not* a good idea to do this with critical files. It's no big deal for stuff that's transitional (or stored in the cloud as well anyway - work related stuff and cloud account mirrors), but for things I want to put away and clear the sources thereof, it's tantamount to juggling eggs. Things *will* smash and you'll end up with one hell of a mess - it's just a question of when.

M.
It is possible to have too much money ...

I do not think it's possible to have too many good friends, too much good health, or too many backups ...

Sorry to hear about your simultaneous disk crashes!

SYNCBACK works very well ...
 
It is possible to have too much money ...

I do not think it's possible to have too many good friends, too much good health, or too many backups ...

Sorry to hear about your simultaneous disk crashes!

SYNCBACK works very well ...
I was able to recover the overwhelming majority of my files (I lost perhaps a couple dozen) - almost a year back ;) Mine was an old post ...

But you're right, of course. I have set up weekly nested double backups on-site (again) - and have even been expanding the scope. Complacency in this regard is too much of a risk.

I use a OpenSource tool called FreeFileSync - works a treat.

M.
 
I was able to recover the overwhelming majority of my files (I lost perhaps a couple dozen) - almost a year back ;) Mine was an old post ...
I got misled by the post immediately above mine, sorry. 24/7 painkillers don't help. That will be the case for the rest of my life.

Glad that you got most of them back. All too often it's a total loss :( :shakehead: .

SYNCBACK is also freeware.
But you're right, of course. I have set up weekly nested double backups on-site (again) - and have even been expanding the scope. Complacency in this regard is too much of a risk.

I use a OpenSource tool called FreeFileSync - works a treat.

M.
Glad that it's all working now.

I have an internal backup drive, an internal 'housekeeping' HDD and five external HDDs - 2 powered and 3x 2.5" portables.
 
I was able to recover the overwhelming majority of my files (I lost perhaps a couple dozen) - almost a year back ;) Mine was an old post ...

But you're right, of course. I have set up weekly nested double backups on-site (again) - and have even been expanding the scope. Complacency in this regard is too much of a risk.

I use a OpenSource tool called FreeFileSync - works a treat.

M.

A wise Nerd and computer guru once explained to me the real reason why backups are not merely "a good idea" but actually mandatory. He said: "There are only two kinds of computers, and they are not desktop and laptop, or Mac and PC - there are computers which have already broken down, and those that are going to."

Once one understands this, one develops workable and effective backup strategies as a matter, literally, of survival ;)
 
A wise Nerd and computer guru once explained to me the real reason why backups are not merely "a good idea" but actually mandatory. He said: "There are only two kinds of computers, and they are not desktop and laptop, or Mac and PC - there are computers which have already broken down, and those that are going to."

Once one understands this, one develops workable and effective backup strategies as a matter, literally, of survival ;)
Back when almost all of my computers were GNU/Linux machines (as recently as 2017), daily backups were a matter of a simple script run at startup or otherwise manually whenever I felt like it (several times a day, sometimes). The script was a two-liner, and access to the command line was always possible (I had Yakuake running - a pull-down terminal emulator). Plus my NAS understood rsync - it was all good. I have two NAS systems in a serial backup configuration - so one backup actually meant two backups (still does - or again, rather; only I'm up to three layers now because there's also a set of HDDs I sync before offloading to the first NAS).

Because of increased dependence on the M$ cloud for work, I went back to Windows a couple of years on all frequently used systems (so, basically, all ...). All the elegance and ease went away once more, but credit where credit is due, Win10 at least performs well even on frugal iron and, once you're wrapped your head around it, performs pretty reliably (after over 15 years of Windows misery in that regard, that's impressive). But of course, it was entirely my fault not to look into alternatives for my beloved routines in a timely fashion. I'm wiser now - as one always is after suffering from one's own mistakes.

M.
 
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