I lost a story I was working on for 5 years. (recovered - whew!)

[writerterri]

I usually save it to a floppy when I work on it so it doesn't get lost in my pc forever for whatever reason. I went to save it and it gave me loads of problems. It asked me to change the document file name so I did and when I saved it it said there was an error and that it was going to save it and close the window. It did. Now it's gone. Not on the disc or in my history. Nowhere.

I'm devistated.

Any ideas of where it could have gone?

Please.

I may never write again.

[Clair Dickson]

Try doing a search for the file. If nothing else, search for documents modified in the past day or week or however long. There's a tiny possibility that the computer tried to save it elsewhere. (Not everything shows up in my history when there's a problem.)

My other guess is that the disk had a bad sector and when the computer tried to save it on that spot, it lost what it was doing.

Please tell me your only copy wasn't on a floppy. Floppy disks (like any storage medium) degrade over time. It's like writing your story in sidewalk chalk and hoping it doesn't rain. It may not, but soon as it does... yeah.

Writer's Law: Thou shalt have no less than THREE copies at any given time in THREE different places and mediums.

[Snowstorm]

Yikes. I'm so sorry. Have you tried a search of the floppy to see what is on the disk?

Is there a possibility that your computer saved a backup copy to your computer? Some computers are set up to hide back-up copies, and you may be lucky to find that it did. Try doing a search of your computer using the old name and the new one. There's lots of places for a file to hide in a PC.

Good luck.

[mdin]

That's horrible. Do you save a copy on your pc AND on the floppy or just on the floppy?

What program do you use to write? Word? Works?

You may have hidden temporary files on both your computer and floppy.

Even if it's gone, you may be able to take your floppy to a local file recovery expert who may be able to extract it. It'll cost some serious $$, but a true expert may help.

After you get your file back, you are going to go to gmail.com and register an email address. Every night after you write, you're going to email a copy of the file to yourself, and never erase the old emails, either. You get 7.3 gigs of free file space, which is about enough space for 3,000 novels, maybe more.

Floppy disks are less reliable than hard drives, so in the future I wouldn't trust either.

[writerterri]

Try doing a search for the file. If nothing else, search for documents modified in the past day or week or however long. There's a tiny possibility that the computer tried to save it elsewhere. (Not everything shows up in my history when there's a problem.)

My other guess is that the disk had a bad sector and when the computer tried to save it on that spot, it lost what it was doing.

Please tell me your only copy wasn't on a floppy. Floppy disks (like any storage medium) degrade over time. It's like writing your story in sidewalk chalk and hoping it doesn't rain. It may not, but soon as it does... yeah.

Writer's Law: Thou shalt have no less than THREE copies at any given time in THREE different places and mediums.

I searched documents and history. Where else is there to search?

I didn't know that about the floppy. I do have a copy on another floppy but it's so old.

[Matera the Mad]

Search for any file (*.*) that has a certain phrase that you know is in it.

You should never save only to a floppy! In fact, it is better not to save to a floppy at all, but to save it on the hard drive and copy it to the floppy.

Floppy disks are very easily corrupted. If you have been using the same flop over and over, it is all the more likely to go wonky. The complaints that you were getting when you tried to save it suggest that the disk already had a lot on it.

One day I found a floppy still in the drive in the Internet computer at work. After a little detective work, I decided that one of my less computer savvy colleagues had tried to save a web page on it. There was no usable data on that floppy, it was total gebberish and had to be reformatted.

Copy to the floppy!

There is free data recovery software that can recover deleted files, but if a file is corrupted in some way it takes a bit of geekness to get anything out of it.

ETA: Search the whole hard drive.

[writerterri]

Yikes. I'm so sorry. Have you tried a search of the floppy to see what is on the disk?

Is there a possibility that your computer saved a backup copy to your computer? Some computers are set up to hide back-up copies, and you may be lucky to find that it did. Try doing a search of your computer using the old name and the new one. There's lots of places for a file to hide in a PC.

Good luck.

Nothing shows up on the floppy. That's what wierd. It's started there and then it wouldn't save the changes I made. I tried what I could. It just didn't show up as me working it.

That's horrible. Do you save a copy on your pc AND on the floppy or just on the floppy?

What program do you use to write? Word? Works?

You may have hidden temporary files on both your computer and floppy.

Even if it's gone, you may be able to take your floppy to a local file recovery expert who may be able to extract it. It'll cost some serious $$, but a true expert may help.

After you get your file back, you are going to go to gmail.com and register an email address. Every night after you write, you're going to email a copy of the file to yourself, and never erase the old emails, either. You get 7.3 gigs of free file space, which is about enough space for 3,000 novels, maybe more.

Floppy disks are less reliable than hard drives, so in the future I wouldn't trust either.

I'll save the floppy. I was going to email it to my self after I saved it. UGH!

Thanks all!

[TheIT]

When you're looking, make sure your computer is also showing you hidden files. Also, I'm assuming you were editing with MS Word. Sometimes it'll save intermediate copies with a name which begins with "~" and the rest of the original file name.

Good luck!

[alleycat]

First, don't do anything stupid. You're upset and angry at the moment; it is really easy with a computer to screw up things even worse when you're upset or flustered.

So, slow down, take a deep breath . . . all might not be lost (although it isn't looking good at the moment).

[alleycat]

When you're looking, make sure your computer is also showing you hidden files. Also, I'm assuming you were editing with MS Word. Sometimes it'll save intermediate copies with a name which begins with "~" and the rest of the original file name.

Windows does at least try to save a copy of a file when something screws up.

[Snowstorm]

Terri, expand your search to your entire hard drive (likely C drive) including hidden drives (oops, files). I have a Mac now so I'm a bit rusty with PC stuff (Start button, search, then click your choices for C drive and anything else it'll check).

ETA: Keep in mind there's LOTS of places PCs hide files.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. :Hug2:

[Pagey's_Girl]

Go to Start--> Search--> All Files & Folders. It'll give you an option to search for a word or phrase as well as the file name. It'll also give you a bunch of advanced options. Try a word or phrase first, because Windows sometimes alters filenames when it auto-saves.

If you've been working on it regularly, there's still a good chance there's a backup file buried somewhere there.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[writerterri]

Go to Start--> Search--> All Files & Folders. It'll give you an option to search for a word or phrase as well as the file name. It'll also give you a bunch of advanced options. Try a word or phrase first, because Windows sometimes alters filenames when it auto-saves.

If you've been working on it regularly, there's still a good chance there's a backup file buried somewhere there.

Keeping my fingers crossed.


I did it. It wont even find a back up file. Wierd.


Does anyone know if it can be extracted off of the floppy? I think I have to call geek squad.

[Snowstorm]

I'm sorry, Terri, but that's out of my league. Good luck with the geek squad.

[writerterri]

When you're looking, make sure your computer is also showing you hidden files. Also, I'm assuming you were editing with MS Word. Sometimes it'll save intermediate copies with a name which begins with "~" and the rest of the original file name.

Good luck!


It gave me one of those weird ~w... when I first tried to save. It wasn't even under that file name which is why I think it wouldn't let me save the changes unless I changed the name of the file. When I did...poof! Gone.


I did a complete search on all files hidden and otherwise.

hmmm

[writerterri]

I'm sorry, Terri, but that's out of my league. Good luck with the geek squad.


Thanks!

[Joe270]

Terri, this may sound really stupid, but I know you're quite stressed right now.

Is there any chance you have a copy of an earlier version on another floppy? Then you haven't lost all of it.

[writerterri]

Terri, this may sound really stupid, but I know you're quite stressed right now.

Is there any chance you have a copy of an earlier version on another floppy? Then you haven't lost all of it.

I do. It's my much worse version. So, I'm forced to look at the bright side. It's just dim right now. I wrote some stuff on there when I was inspired. I like to write stuff and not look at it for months then go back when I'm sure I forgot what I wrote and revise with fresh eyes.


Thanks Joe! How's the ghost sitch? Gone yet?

[Rolling Thunder]

Word might have saved it as a ~WRL####.tmp file if you loaded it to the hard drive. Start WORD, select the 'open' command and look for a file that has the same date you lost the file. Have it look at the floppy, too. You might get lucky.

And if you're using Windows, do a search for a document using *.tmp as the file to look for. If you find ones with the ~wrl#.tmp names, open them with word and look at them.

[CACTUSWENDY]

Just go back and restore your computer to a day or two ago. It should be there. That's the only thing I can think of.

[Joe270]

Thanks Joe! How's the ghost sitch? Gone yet?

Nope. He's still there. I had to accompany the listing agent out there this morning because she's too scared to go there by herself any longer.

Okay, here's the next stupid question, have you checked this disk on another computer? It might be the drive, not the disk. Do other disks work in the drive?

[writerterri]

Word might have saved it as a ~WRL####.tmp file if you loaded it to the hard drive. Start WORD, select the 'open' command and look for a file that has the same date you lost the file. Have it look at the floppy, too. You might get lucky.

And if you're using Windows, do a search for a document using *.tmp as the file to look for. If you find ones with the ~wrl#.tmp names, open them with word and look at them.


Trying it... Can't find what you're telling me.


And no, joe I don't have another pc here. I'll try the library.

[Rolling Thunder]

Use Windows search and look for ~*.*, Terri. See if that works.

[writerterri]

Use Windows search and look for ~*.*, Terri. See if that works.


I think that's what I saw when it told me I couldn't save the file. I saw ~wl....tmp. But I can't find an option where I can look for that file. I have a search going on with those letters in my hidden files. This program is 9 years old. I don't seem to have a windows search installed.

I'll keep trying...

[Rolling Thunder]

What version of Windows and MS Word are you using?

[Joe270]

In an aside, is the anything Terri should absolutely NOT do? Like don't eject the disk, or don't turn off the computer? Anything that might make this file unrecoverable?

[writerterri]

What version of Windows and MS Word are you using?


Windows XP and office 2000

[writerterri]

In an aside, is the anything Terri should absolutely NOT do? Like don't eject the disk, or don't turn off the computer? Anything that might make this file unrecoverable?


I haven't shut off my pc but I did remove the disc because it told me to check the door like there was something wrong.

[Rolling Thunder]

K. Here is the MS Word 2000 Tech instructions for finding a lost doc. Start with the first one and work down.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316950/

[Joe270]

I don't know if removing the disk would do anything, in fact I doubt it. I'm only probing for some helpful 'don'ts' from our more tech savvy members. It might make a difference.

It might not. Nothing to fear right now, though.

If you have a thumb drive large enough, could you back up the entire C drive now, or is that a bad idea to do right now? I dunno, I'm trolling for any possible help.

[Matera the Mad]

What she should do -- clearly mark that floppy and not try to use it for anything until someone who knows how to recover data has had a chance to look at it.

What she should not do -- any cleaning up of "junk" files in case there are temporary files somewhere that contain recoverable material.

And please, please, everyone, learn how to use a file manager, even Windoze Explorer, to discover your file system at least a little bit. And never rely on one save, and never save to a floppy -- at least hot until you have saved to a known location on your hard drive.

ETA: Joe, a thumb drive big enough to take most peoples C:\ junk collection? You're talking 6-10 gigs min.

[writerterri]

I found something that contains all my temp files. Soo many. Now I have to narrow it down...

[Joe270]

ETA: Joe, a thumb drive big enough to take most peoples C:\ junk collection? You're talking 6-10 gigs min.

I can still back up my entire laptop C: on a thumb drive, but the only really large files are Quickbooks and a huge Excel collection. Writing doesn't take up much room, and I have few photos.

Glad to hear you're hot on the trail, Terri.

[Matera the Mad]

Well, I've seen a few drives. Some people have over a gigabyte of pure trash. There is no point in backing up dust bunnies, and it could take an hour -- not everyone has a fast new computer. Anyway, flash drives die too.

[DamaNegra]

I found something that contains all my temp files. Soo many. Now I have to narrow it down...

Crossing my fingers for you...

[Matera the Mad]

Now that you have something to play around wuth.... Sort files by date first, because you know (approximately) when it happened. Then the best thing would be to copy all files from that time range to another folder so that you don't have to look for them again and have a limited number to use fine-tuned searches on.

Handiest way to copy files without drag-and-OOPS:
In this case, first make a new folder on your Desktop. Open it. The window should not be maximized (filling the screen). Open another Explorer/My Computer window to where the files to be copied are. Move the two windows so that the empty-folder one peeks out from behind the one with the files to be copied or moved. Drag files from one window to another.

I know, that sounds like I think you don't know how, but there are lots of people who don't and everyone should. So maybe someone else gets a clue :)

[Clair Dickson]

Here's a helpful tip for anyone who works with removable media (floppies, flash drives, etc.)
If you don't drag files onto the computer, but work off your flash drive-- first know that this is dangerous-- but you can help protect yourself a little.

In Word, go to Tools-->Options-->Save. Find the check box for "Make local copies of files on network drives or *removable media*" The computer will work locally. If somethign does go bad, you have one more possibility of recovering the file. When my flash drive failed last August, it took all Temp files with it because the Temp files were ON the flash drive.

(For Office2007 users, go to Office Symbol--> Word Options (all the way at the bottom)) Um... think it's under Saving. Same check box. I'll check my laptop later.

[maestrowork]

I'm sorry Terri... it sucks.

But lessons learn:

a) always have backups. If the stuff is important, seriously, back the frak up of it.

b) don't work off a removal storage -- use them as storage, but not as a hard drive. Stuff like thumb drive, floppies, etc. are prone to corruption and failure.

c) don't rely on these removal storage as your primary data store. Not even external drives -- I have a few die on me before. Again, back up, and back up to multiple sources.

d) when something is gone or corrupted, DO NOT rewrite data over on the disc/drive. Seek professional restoration immediately. Your drive/disk could still be savaged using professional tools. I've saved many files before when drives died because even though the OS couldn't read it, the data is still there and professional "scrubbers" could restore those files. But if you overwrite the disk already, you're done.

[quickWit]

A) *cough* dork. *cough* :D

B) I'm confident if you follow the instructions in RT's post above you'll be able to recover the last version of your doc opened. Anytime a file is opened for editing a copy is held in a separate location on your hard drive just in case. You just need to find it, and that link should walk you through it.

Good luck. :)

[Priene]

You might also want to try your floppy disk in another machine: if you're lucky, it could be the floppy drive that's died.

[writerterri]

Praise the LORD! :hooray:

Did I say that too loud? I'm not sorry!


I found it!!! I found it! I found it!


It's on my screen as we speak! I want to save it to my computer and email it to my self. I probably should email it to myself first. Just highlight the whole 35G+ words and go from there.

Here's what I did. I got a stack of napkins for my leakage, got on my knees, prayed and searched. After 20 napkins and I don't know how many windows, clicks and searches I finally found a file number under the modification date. I plugged my floppy back in and did some other stuff and the title came back up on the A drive. !!! I got somewhere but no where. I went into my Start button, because God was speakin' to me, and ran the ~wrl***tmp file. Nothing. I hadn't given up hope but I decided not to shut off the pc because Joe said it would not be a good idea. I agreed with him though I was getting the divine message to do so and go to bed. This morning after praying again for wisdom I got three messages in my head.

Restart the pc.
Open run.
Put in floppy.
Type in the tmp file and run it.

Okay, that's 4 but I'm not perfect.

I heard a click!

And then the story popped up!

I'm still crying! I get a second chance!


Thank you God for the wisdom! 7x77!!!

I was crying so I couldn't read it, but it's the ms! I tried to look for my modifications and was so excited my comprehension wouldn't work. Do I care? NO!

My ms is back! I can go on with my life! I can go on with my day! I think I'll even do dishes!

Will someone please help me to learn to back up my files? I had a program I used to pay for that did it for me but I don't know how to back them up myself. I need to get more memory first, I think.

So, help me get this straight. Save it to my computer. Get a g-mail account. Email it to my account every time I work on it and that's what backs it up?

My heart and my stomach are both up in my throat.


OMGosh! I'm copying all my floppy's over to my pc and emailing them to myself.

Thanks for all your support, my friends!

[Perks]

YAY!!!!!

[Perks]

Mozy Home Edition (http://mozy.com/) will back up your stuff for free, but also, email it to yourself every now and again and put it on a pen drive too.

Scary stuff, but I'm so glad it worked out for you.

[Clair Dickson]

To back up your work--
1. Save it on the harddrive. It's best to work off the harddrive. It's what hard drives were designed to do.
2. Buy a flash drive (or 3) and drag the file from the hard drive (such as My Docs) to the Flash Drive that's plugged in. Repeated.
3. Attach the file to an email and send it to yourself (and/ or a friend)
4. If you have a CD burner, drag the file to the CD Drive. WinXp will pop up a little balloon telling you files are ready to burn. With a CD in the drive, you can follow Windows' instructions to burn a CD.

You don't NEED any back up software. To Back Up means, simply, to have more than one copy in case a copy or a storage device goes bad.

And YAY on getting it back. Now, don't EVER let this happen again. =)

[quickWit]

My heart and my stomach are both up in my throat.

Wow. Your head must look like a peanut up there.

Happy day, dorky. :)

[writerterri]

YAY!!!!!

I know, right?!!!

Mozy Home Edition (http://mozy.com/) will back up your stuff for free, but also, email it to yourself every now and again and put it on a pen drive too.

Scary stuff, but I'm so glad it worked out for you.

Thank you! What's a pen drive? I have a disc burner/reader drive (F) and a floppy drive (A) soon to be a grave yard.

To back up your work--
1. Save it on the harddrive. It's best to work off the harddrive. It's what hard drives were designed to do.
2. Buy a flash drive (or 3) and drag the file from the hard drive (such as My Docs) to the Flash Drive that's plugged in. Repeated.
3. Attach the file to an email and send it to yourself (and/ or a friend)
4. If you have a CD burner, drag the file to the CD Drive. WinXp will pop up a little balloon telling you files are ready to burn. With a CD in the drive, you can follow Windows' instructions to burn a CD.

You don't NEED any back up software. To Back Up means, simply, to have more than one copy in case a copy or a storage device goes bad.

And YAY on getting it back. Now, don't EVER let this happen again. =)

I won't! This is it for the floppy. I never had a problem until now.

So, the hard drive is the (C) drive right?

I never did under stand the dragging thing. At all. Ever. I just don't get it. I have a burner but I don't know how to drag. Only my butt.

What's a flash drive? Is it one of those memory sticks?

Wow. Your head must look like a peanut up there.

Happy day, dorky. :)

I'm sooo happy, peanut head. Hush up! Dork. :tongue

[Clair Dickson]

Flash drive = pen drive= USB membory stick= jump drive= thumb drive-- it's a type of storage that plugs into the USB port on your computer. Flat end sticks in.

C: is hard drive (almost always)

To drag... here's two ways to navigate.
1. Find your file. However you get to it (Double click My Documents or Double click My computer--> My documents )
2. Open a NEW window (double click my computer.) One window should have your file dispalyed in it, with everything else stored in the folder. The other should should the C: Drive, the F: (CD) drive, and any flash drive's plugged in.
3. To drag, click ONCE on the file HOLD the MOUSE BUTTON (don't let up!) Now, slide the mouse. You'll see the file drag from one spot to the next. Drop it where you want it.

Another way to navigate
1. Go to Start--> Programs--> Accessories --> Windows Explorer. In the left pane, you'll have folders and drive. You click the + and they open to show all the folders in side. The right side shows what's in the selected folder.
2. To drag, see above.

(You can drag and drop in Word, too, with text and pics.)

[DamaNegra]

That's great news, Terri!!!!! :) I'm so happy you found it!!

[Julie Worth]

In the future you might want to download Goggle desktop. This allows you to search your own computer just as you would the Internet. And it's far, far faster. As for backups, that's a must. I have a separate hard drive that automatically backs stuff up, another hard drive that I keep in my car, an 8-gig thumb drive on my keychain, and an Internet service that automatically backs up everything. I've never needed any of this, but I'm religious about it. I've heard too many horror stories.

[illiterwrite]

I'd still be worried about that file and the potential for corruption. Can you print the whole thing off, so you have a hard copy, just in case?

[Snowstorm]

Terri, although those above have great descriptions of how to do things, if you have a friend/relative who can show you how to click and drag and backup (copy) your files, you may benefit by being shown. You may need a few days to come out of the clouds and focus on what we're saying! I'm SO relieved for you.

[maestrowork]

Good news, Terri.


If you have Internet (obviously you do), try Dropbox (www.getdropbox.com). It's great. I use it every day.


Emailing the files to yourself is another good way to do. Or have multiple copies on different CD-ROMs, jump drives, etc. I do everything -- I'm paranoid about losing my important files (I can reinstall applications, but if the data is gone, it's gone) since I've lost important stuff before. Never again.

If you need to back up more than just a few files, you probably need to invest in a full backup solution with external storage devices and redundancy. Remember, just because you have ONE backup doesn't mean you're safe. My idea is that you should have at least two backups for redundancy.

[TheIT]

Congrats on finding the file!

At the very least, print out a couple of copies. If you've got a hard-copy of your work, you can always type it back in if necessary.

[Julie Worth]

If you need to back up more than just a few files, you probably need to invest in a full backup solution with external storage devices and redundancy. Remember, just because you have ONE backup doesn't mean you're safe. My idea is that you should have at least two backups for redundancy.

Exactly. An external hard disk is fine if your computer dies, but what if your house burns down or you get robbed? You need a remote backup for the worst case scenario.

[ChunkyC]

Just came across this thread ... congrats on getting your file back, Terri!

Some notes for future reference....

1 - When you open a Word document, it creates a temporary file on the same disk as the file you opened. This is really important for things like floppies that hold very little data, or on USB drives that are nearly full. The temporary file is roughly the same size as the actual file, so if the file you are opening is larger than the remaining free space on the floppy/USB, Word cannot properly create the temporary file. This leads to problems. Actually, using Windows leads to problems, but that's another story. ;)

2 - Word holds both the temporary AND actual files open until you close the file. This means, if you remove the floppy/USB stick while you have the file open -- EVEN IF YOU JUST SAVED IT -- you can crash your system and risk corrupting the files. Yup, more Microsoft Windows stability wonderful-ness.

Both of these are part of why it makes sense to work off the copy of the file stored on the computer's hard drive. The odds of a Word file being bigger than the remaining space on your hard drive is pretty remote. And you can't absent-mindedly remove the hard drive while working on your file -- unless you have hot-swappable drives, in which case you are probably writing your novel at the day job on one of your company's servers and will have much bigger problems than just losing your file if you yank a drive out of the machine hosting the online storefront. :D

As for backing up, sometimes using a USB stick or SD card is really the only practical thing. I have a little ASUS netbook with very little internal storage space, so I work off an SD card while away from my house. But I make sure I copy the contents of the SD card onto the hard drive of my desktop computer as soon as I get home. And I make sure to 'retire' the old SD card every few months and use a fresh one, thereby lessening the risk of one failing on me because of overuse.

[maestrowork]

Another thing: depending on the version of Word, you may want to turn on versioning. That would keep older versions (up to 5 or 10, I think -- you can configure it). They won't be your most current file, but at least they serve as some kind of backup if you really do corrupt your main file.

[Matera the Mad]

I am in the process of creating a webpage on how to copy files. No feces.

[writerterri]

I'd still be worried about that file and the potential for corruption. Can you print the whole thing off, so you have a hard copy, just in case?


That's on my list even though I'm not done with it. I need ink. Expensive stuff. Yanow?


Y'aller life savers! I'm going to set this stuff up and go with a back up server somewhere else as well. My pc just turned 4 and runs slow at times.

Thanks for all the wonderful wisdom!

[Carole]

Terri, ink cartridges really are expensive and I go through tons of ink with school. Do you refill your cartridges or do you buy new ones? Refilling myself has saved me a fortune. Each type of cartridge is different, but I can get a big refill kit for black ink for about $10 at Wal Mart and it refills my cartridge several times. The multi-color refill kit is about $15, and it also gives me several refills.

Although the kit doesn't say it is specific for my type of cartridges, I have refilled them enough to know that it still works. I just have to get creative with how I open them since these kits don't come with tools specific for mine. As far as I have found, ink is ink when it comes to ink jet printers.

[maestrowork]

That's on my list even though I'm not done with it. I need ink. Expensive stuff. Yanow?

Make a copy, then take the copy to Kinkos.

When it comes to having copies and backups of my work, I'm very paranoid and OCD about it.

[benbradley]

That's on my list even though I'm not done with it. I need ink. Expensive stuff. Yanow?
There's been this conversation in tech help before, but if you do a lot of printing, a laser printer will pay for itself quickly enough. Black-only ones are as cheap as $100 or less, and the laser cartridge prints thousands of pages before needing replacing. Printing with inkjet printers costs serveral times more per page.

Yeah, you can refill the things yourself, I've done that but they don't seem to do quite as well as new inkjet cartridges. I don't have a laser printer because, well I don't quite yet have a book manuscript to print out, and so I don't do that much printing.

As for saving and copying files and backups and everything, what everyone else said. Someone needs to write a "how to operate a computer" book or website (well, both - a lot of people who would need it don't surf the web much) that explains all these things in "plain language."

Also, computers could be better at these things, with version control and backups built in, enabled and running by defaut when the OS is installed. But that's a rant for another thread.

[Cassiopeia]

If I'm not mistaken you can take a USB stick aka pen drive, aka thumb drive, aka jump drive and go to kinkos or places like that and for a minimal amount of money print out the entire MS.

If you go to OfficeMax, or Office Depot and buy ink sometimes they run specials and I got two free 2 gig jump drives for free with each cartridge I bought. :)

I'm so glad you found it, Dorkgirl. I believe in miracles too. ;)

[Cassiopeia]

Make a copy, then take the copy to Kinkos.

When it comes to having copies and backups of my work, I'm very paranoid and OCD about it.I have paper copies, a copy on my laptop, my pc, on two out of three jump drives AND an external pocket drive.

I'm right there with the paranoia OCD when it comes to my work.

[Cyia]

I haven't seen this bit of advice on here, but an easy way to back-up files is to E-mail yourself a copy of your MS at the end of the day as an attachment. Even if your computer eats it, you can still download the attachment from your e-mail.

[Mythical Tiger]

I'm glad you didn't lose it. I guess that was a wake up call to always back it up^_^. Cheers for you and I'm happy for you.


~Sam

[beezle]

Man, I just read this thread from start to finish. It's the stuff nightmares are made of. Congrats on the recovery.

[writerterri]

Terri, ink cartridges really are expensive and I go through tons of ink with school. Do you refill your cartridges or do you buy new ones? Refilling myself has saved me a fortune. Each type of cartridge is different, but I can get a big refill kit for black ink for about $10 at Wal Mart and it refills my cartridge several times. The multi-color refill kit is about $15, and it also gives me several refills.

Although the kit doesn't say it is specific for my type of cartridges, I have refilled them enough to know that it still works. I just have to get creative with how I open them since these kits don't come with tools specific for mine. As far as I have found, ink is ink when it comes to ink jet printers.


I tried that. I was a black ink mess. I followed the directions excatacally. Nothing. Just leaky ink. I have a lexmark. I wish it would have worked. I know it's not laser so it must be ink jet.


And thanks everyone for the added advice. I think having it on the email makes the ms accessable from anywhere in the world. I will make a hard copy and have all my files backed up soon.

Any further info is great!

Thanks!!!

[ChunkyC]

If I'm not mistaken you can take a USB stick aka pen drive, aka thumb drive, aka jump drive and go to kinkos or places like that and for a minimal amount of money print out the entire MS.
Very true. It's getting amazingly simple to do stuff like that now. I work at an office supply store and one of our photocopiers has a USB port in it and will print jpg, pdf and doc files just by plugging the stick in. The copier scans the stick for file types it recognizes, they show up as a list on the copier's screen, you pick the one you want and away you go.

As for laser vs inkjet, the difference in cost per page can be huge. Monochrome lasers cost around 2 or 3 cents per page whereas inkjet can be anywhere between 10 and 20 cents per page. Print in photo quality and inkjets can hit 30 cents.

[benbradley]

I have paper copies, a copy on my laptop, my pc, on two out of three jump drives AND an external pocket drive.
I presume a "pocket drive" is just flash memory using some other connector such as is used in cameras and things. See all the different types on the pricewatch page below.

Here are thumb drives/jump drives/whatever you call 'em under "USB Flash Drives:"
http://www.pricewatch.com/flash_card_memory/

If you're saving WORD documents, get a few 1-gig drives (if you're buying retail, just get the cheapest you can find, maybe 4 or 10 gig by now), each will hold a few thousand novel manuscripts (really!). Be sure to rotate them each day so you have a running backup: put a letter on each one, and at the end of every day copy your latest files to a different one. Monday is A, Tuesday is B, Wednesday is C, Thursday is D, Friday is A again,... If you're extra paranoid, get one for each day of the week, and save to CD-R as well.

If you're saving your online movie collection, get a few 64-gig "thumb" drives. :)

[scribbler1382]

If you've got a cell phone, convert the manuscript to text and email/message it to your phone. Actually, you should probably keep a text version of it even if you don't have a cell phone with email/messaging. Text files are much harder to corrupt than Word files.

I use Dropbox, too. That way not only do I have an offsite copy, I have versioning, and every computer I have DB on syncs up automatically so I know I'm always working on the most recent copy.

Glad you found your work!

[Carmy]

Terri -- Yes, ink is expensive but most of the time we use black ink and the red and blue are left to dry up.

I recently printed off a document in red ink. It took a bit of getting used to when I did a read through but my black ink is still almost full.

[maestrowork]

I find that inkjets are really lousy for printing mss. etc. I think a writer should invest in a laser printer -- even a cheap one.... you can get something decent for $150 now. It's more cost effective. The inkjet ink is very expensive and doesn't last long. Laser toner cartridges are a bit more expensive but they last a long time (mine lasts about 5000 pages).

[Cassiopeia]

I presume a "pocket drive" is just flash memory using some other connector such as is used in cameras and things. well no, as far as I know it's an external hard drive. It's called a pocket drive because it's relatively smaller. Some just call it a portable hard drive. I've got one that is 500 gigs. I bought it at Costco. :D Western Digital makes it. It connects to a laptop or desktop via USB.

[ChunkyC]

well no, as far as I know it's an external hard drive. It's called a pocket drive because it's relatively smaller. Some just call it a portable hard drive. I've got one that is 500 gigs. I bought it at Costco. :D Western Digital makes it. It connects to a laptop or desktop via USB.
Definitely a standard hard drive in there. They're great, some even draw juice from the USB port, so there's no power adapter to cart around.

[maestrowork]

These pocket drives are so cheap now... you can get a 320GB for $180. That's $0.50 a GB.

I also got a desktop 1.2TB drive for $159. I couldn't believe the price. I'm using for backups and also data -- I just freed up about 10GB on my MBP.

[benbradley]

Okay, I looked, here's a "pocket drive:"
http://www.memorylabs.net/podrcoexes202.html
500 G, 5"x2.9" (smaller than a 3x5 card!) and a half inch thick, powered through USB. It's a "notebook" drive in its own little case with a USB connection.

Yeah, that'll hold a few novels and movies. And most of my LP collection, if I ever get around to recording it all.

[maestrowork]

Looks like laptop 2.5" drives with a casing.

[Cassiopeia]

These pocket drives are so cheap now... you can get a 320GB for $180. That's $0.50 a GB.

I also got a desktop 1.2TB drive for $159. I couldn't believe the price. I'm using for backups and also data -- I just freed up about 10GB on my MBP.Yes, I bought mine for $150.00 for 500 gigs on sale just after Christmas.

Mine draws power from the laptop.

[ChunkyC]

Looks like laptop 2.5" drives with a casing.
That's exactly what external/portable hard drives are, standard desktop or laptop drives in an enclosure with a USB interface. Prices have dropped enough now that they are a great deal.