I am flipping out! My son crashed my computer and my files are gone...

nitaworm · Aug 8, 2009

I am feeling faint. I believe I have an old backup, but I have lost at least a week of work on my detailed outline of my new manuscript. I want to faint... I am banning my computer from the kids -- its on lock down. Ok, I am going for the chocolate now ---

Has anyone else experienced this? Please share, it may make me feel better...

Lisa Cox · Aug 8, 2009

Don't you have some kind of auto-recovery thingy?

drksideofthemoon · Aug 8, 2009

nitaworm said:
I am feeling faint. I believe I have an old backup, but I have lost at least a week of work on my detailed outline of my new manuscript. I want to faint... I am banning my computer from the kids -- its on lock down. Ok, I am going for the chocolate now ---

Has anyone else experienced this? Please share, it may make me feel better...

Unless the hard drive is completely fried there is a good chance that your work can be recovered.

Williebee · Aug 8, 2009

Are you ON the computer that crashed? If so, is there another one you can use while we put together the plan and the tools to help you out?

And, if so, don't turn the crashed computer back on until you're ready to do the recovery work.

Handy Recovery has a free trial version (30 day) that should help you out. Last time I used it the trial meant that you could only recover 10 files at a time.

Before you start, sit down and think about the DATES and TIMES the files you want were last saved or opened. This will help you find them if/when the names have been corrupted.

HEY MODLY FOLKS? The OP might benefit from a thread shift to the Tech side. Come on over, Nita... we have cookies.

vroth · Aug 8, 2009

If it is fried, and you can't recover your files...I know exactly how you feel. Last year I didn't backup nearly as regularly as I should have and I lost about 150 pages. The only thing I can tell you is that when you lose stuff, and then try to reproduce it, it can come out much better the second time around when you are forced to start from scratch. I know that doesn't sound comforting at the moment, but after you have eaten chocolate, watched a crappy movie, and maybe cried a little, you can get your determination back and kick more ass the next time around. I believe in you. :Thumbs:

Chances are, there's a way to get it back. I think Best Buy (?) has a hard drive recovery service thingy, if you have a PC, and the apple store can do the same thing, if you have a mac.

Cyia · Aug 8, 2009

Not sure how a system crash affects temp files, but if your PC has an auto-save feature, there should be some trace of it left there.

scarletpeaches · Aug 8, 2009

On my last laptop, the motherfuckerboard fried like Old Sparky and the machine just wouldn't switch on. However, I managed to get the hard drive out and the files were still on it. So there may be hope, depending on which part of your computer went wrong.

Come on over. I'll share my chocolate.

STANDARD REMINDER, FOLKS - BACK EVERYTHING UP NOW.

Jacquelyn Hyde · Aug 8, 2009

Ouch. At least it was only a week's worth. That's still a major "#@%!!!" moment, but less of a "#@%!!!" moment than not having the majority of your work on an external flash or hard drive.

This only happened to me once. I think I was only thirteen, so what was lost was mostly fanfiction and 100 pages of a really bad novel. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing that all that evidence was destroyed. It still hurt at the time.

Barb D · Aug 8, 2009

WHAT crashed? If it's the hard drive, here's something to try:

Disconnect the hard drive from the computer. Put it in the FREEZER for a few hours. Take it out, and as quickly as possible reconnect it and get the files off of it. You seriously only have a few minutes until it warms up. We were fortunate that it was winter when this happened to my son's computer, and we were able to do put the whole computer outside on the carport and have a little more time. (If your freezer is big enough, you might be able to get the whole CPU in there.)

Then hie thee to an Apple store and buy yourself a MacBook.

dgiharris · Aug 8, 2009

I learned to never let anyone under the age of 25 use my computer. Teenagers are the absolute worst when it comes to downloading stuff from pretty much anywhere.

I remember those sex commercials from the 80s, your not just sleeping with person X but every person person X has slept with.

Teenagers get around online more than *insert naughty sexual reference*

anyways, personally, I think it is a wise investment to jump on Craigs list and get a second computer for your own personal use.

Similarly, there is no excuse not to own a backup drive, they are dirt cheap. I got a 120GB backup external drive for like 100 bucks a year ago. Lord knows what you can get now for the same price.

Anyways, I do hop eyou recover and once you do, get that backup external drive along with a separate computer for the kiddies

Mel...

icerose · Aug 8, 2009

Don't give up on your files yet as others have said. Enlist the help of a techy pronto. It's amazing what they can recover.

AnonymousWriter · Aug 8, 2009

Don't give on retrieving the files. You can probably still do it.

Get someone technical in to see what the problem is and go on from there.

Good luck. And back up your work next time!

Darzian · Aug 8, 2009

I don't think you've lost all that work. Can you answer some questions?

1) What exactly crashed? Was it the operating system? Was it a piece of hardware? If so, do you know what hardware component is damaged? If it's not the hard disk, then you can likely easily recover your work.

2) What is your operating system, and what version of MS Office do you use? 2003 or 2007?

3) What happens when you turn your computer on now?

Don't give up hope just yet! Ms Word has an auto recovery feature and you might be able to get back most, if not all, of your work. But it depends on exactly what went wrong. There are quite a few techies on AW and we might be able to help you out.

chocowrites · Aug 8, 2009

I know exactly how you're feeling. A few weeks ago I lost about 15,000 words of my novel (the file just went poof! when it crashed). But I managed to rewrite all of it in two days since I remembered most of it, and I think it was the better the 2nd time around.

Good luck on retrieving your file!

dnic · Aug 8, 2009

Yikes. I can relate. My hard drive died on me earlier this summer and I lost pretty much everything. The only back up I had was a year ago. So yeah, had to start over numerous projects.

TheAntar · Aug 8, 2009

news for ya

Unless your son spilled a coke all over your laptop or dropped your computer out of a fifth story building, he didn't crash your computer.

A virus or infection of any kind won't have actually changed your files or altered in any way your data. The absolute worst case scenario from a virus is that your computer won't launch correctly into windows. In that case, your files are still in tact, you just need a second computer (ALWAYS have a second computer in the house) or if you dont have one, go see a tech shop and explain. Tell them which files are important. Once they are backed up you just get them to reinstall windows and yer back in business. Probably cost about $100 and life goes on.

Now if your kiddo spilled a coke on a notebook, DO NOT POWER IT UP. Leave it unplugged. Remove (or have someone remove for you) the hard disk and plug it into that second computer.

All that other stuff about putting hard drives in freezers etc is all nonsense unless your hard drive is actually PHYSICALLY damaged/malfunctioning, which does happen, but doesn't happen as a result of a son's misuse of your computer.

In future, give the kid his own computer. And if you got yourself a mac, stuff like this wouldn't happen to you anymore.

ChristineR · Aug 8, 2009

I concur, there is a very good chance your files can be saved, but first, stop using that computer! Most likely the files (pieces of files, actually) are still there, but marked as free or reusable space, so if you use your computer you're risking overwriting your files. The earlier you stop the more likely it is that the files can be reconstructed.

Williebee · Aug 8, 2009

And if you got yourself a mac, stuff like this wouldn't happen to you anymore.

Because Mac's repel soda spills, except MacBook Pros. They use frickin' lasers.

Actually there have been a couple of viruses that will alter files, although usually it's just renaming into gibberish and altering the file structure. And, in my book, not launching correctly into Windows isn't the "worst case scenario". Worst case is the little bots and trojans that harvest your files and launch them around the planet.

Had a user that used to keep his credit card numbers and passwords on his monitor, written in sharpie on the sides of the screen. When we got him a new monitor and told him not to do that again, he kept them all in a file on his desktop, and "My Documents" folder, called "my passwords".

He never met a pop up window he couldn't click on...

A.L. Wright · Aug 8, 2009

Aw, I'm sorry about your computer. My hard drive crashed last summer. (It was a Macbook. Yes, it's possible for them to crash.) I paid someone to try to recover the files, but sadly they couldn't do anything, so I lost everything except for a couple of really old stories on my flash drive and one in my e-mail box.

My suggestions for the future: Don't let other people use the computer you write with if at all possible (especially teenagers) and use either an external hard drive or an online service to back-up files. (I'm currently using mozy.com, which will give you 2 GB of space for free.)

Matera the Mad · Aug 8, 2009

The big fat question: eggzackly what is the problem? Are the files no longer in "My Documents"? Are some files missing or all docs? Or did you lose your profile (have to log in all new and have a new empty mydocs)? Or what? Is everything else working? Did the desktop change (wallpaper, icons...).

If you know any local geeks who might have a bootable operating system on a CD, give them a holler. DON'T let anybody talk you into a total wipeout and reinstall, whatever you do.

Chasing the Horizon · Aug 8, 2009

A.L. Wright said:
(It was a Macbook. Yes, it's possible for them to crash.)

Of course Apples can crash. They use the same brand hard drives as many PCs (Toshiba, at least in the models I've taken apart). What makes Apples better is the fact that they don't get viruses. They're not soda-proof either (though IME they are somewhat soda resistant).

So, all us Mac users should go back up our files now too.

Oh, and you should definitely have your own computer reserved for writing. Everyone knows that if they touch my writing computer I'll beat them to death with it.

Phaeal · Aug 9, 2009

I'd hire one of those geeks that make housecalls to see if some magic could be worked to recover the files.

There are various online depositories for your work, such as Dropbox. But what I do is send my files to both my email accounts every single day when I'm done working. That way I have copies saved off computer, which I can also access from wherever I can find another computer to hop on.

Then there are thumbdrives and other external storage devices, including good old floppies/CDs/DVDs.

I also make paper copies, which I keep in two different locations. After some terrible losses, I have stood like Scarlett O'Hara on the hill and declared, "God as my witness, I'll never lose data again!"

nitaworm · Aug 9, 2009

I was not on the computer that crashed when I sent the message. I just ordered a new computer...sigh... (there goes more of my advertising budget)

I tried to recover the files several ways, and when I left and came back to restart it I got the dreaded - blue screen, then nothing -- totally unresponsive except for the dreaded message on the screen.

Then I took it to best buy to try to recover the files and they could only recover a few files. Unfortunately manuscript files damaged :rant:

I am now on a borrowed computer, ranting and ordering my new computer. I have an old laptop that I am using to write on now, and I run a backup after I type every page. I don't even want to connect to the internet on that one, because it has very limited space so the virus protection software I have on it is outdated.

I was using MS 2003, the new computer I get will have 2008.

Sad part is, I AM A TECHIE (although my pc administrative tricks are very rusty -- I design large database structures now -- sigh...a skill that isn't helping me out very much right now). I remind my kids (and DH) to use smart surfing practices and they think I don't know what I am talking about. Before the kids used my computer I never, ever, ever got a virus. They started using it last year and I got 3 - while using virus protection software.... :rant:

I am going to be sick ... more chocolate please ...

As far as my work is concerned ... I don't even want to start typing... I've been spending the last few days reworking the last part of my extremely detailed outline before I sit down and revamp it...

I also just invested in an external drive, and printed out what I have so far, so I don't lose it. Did I mentioned I emailed it to myself now --- oh this won't happen to me again...

... and just like some of you all said, my re-work is much, much, better

I still need more chocolate...

Darzian said:
I don't think you've lost all that work. Can you answer some questions?

1) What exactly crashed? Was it the operating system? Was it a piece of hardware? If so, do you know what hardware component is damaged? If it's not the hard disk, then you can likely easily recover your work.

2) What is your operating system, and what version of MS Office do you use? 2003 or 2007?

3) What happens when you turn your computer on now?

Don't give up hope just yet! Ms Word has an auto recovery feature and you might be able to get back most, if not all, of your work. But it depends on exactly what went wrong. There are quite a few techies on AW and we might be able to help you out.

backslashbaby · Aug 9, 2009

EDIT: Awww! I just saw your update. Well, much chocolate to you!

I agree with the tech gurus here... unless your hard drive itself failed badly [and they do], they are probably still there. Good news, I hope

Mr Flibble · Aug 9, 2009

I'd hire one of those geeks that make housecalls to see if some magic could be worked to recover the files.

Or marry one

Basically unless your HD was so screwed it actually went up in flames, someone, somewhere can get the data off it. Computer forensics guys can get just about anything off of a HD unless it's physically in five or more peices. My HD was actually smoking, and I still got all my writing files back ( all I lost was my wallpaper. *Sniff* I'll never get those nudie pics back*Sniff*)

So try someone else to recover your data. Ask around, get a recommendation, find someone good. If you want, I'll check with the Old Man, see what program he used to recover my data.

ETA: Old Man says find an IT guy with the program NTFS Get Data Back. They shouldn't charge too much, as it doesn't actually require much work - just waiting for the programme to run, which can take quite a while. Also, there are companies that specialise in data recovery.

My Old Man is willing to do this for anyone this side of the pond who needs it.

I am flipping out! My son crashed my computer and my files are gone...

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