Back up your data!

Go on.  Do it right now.  I can wait....

You think I'm kidding don't you...  I almost hate to admit it, but this month we became those people.  You know, the friends of a friend who suffered that thing that everyone is afraid of, but which you never want to believe could actually happen to you?  Well as of this month we've become the people who serve as a warning to everyone else about the importance of regularly backing up your data, because you never know when something will happen to cause you to lose it.  Of course the kicker was the fact that we had backed up our data, on an external hard drive that usually does nothing more than sit on the shelf next to one of our computers, where it stays out of the way yet is fully accessible over our network.  Plus, we'd spent the last 3 months talking about how we really needed to reinforce this backup system by investing in some sort of RAID array, so that if one drive fails, at least you have a back-up copy on a second drive.  (But then we're good at that - talking about things, but never actually getting around to doing them).

And then one day in early January, the hard drive fell.

Not far, either - not even two feet to the floor below, but next thing you know, Poof! That's 8 years of data gone...  pictures, files from old computers, more pictures, and even some music.   Actually, I remember it being more of a THUD!  It really didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time - until we heard that ominous ticking sound when we tried to start the drive up to see if it was okay.  (FYI - that's always a bad sound for a hard drive to make.  Do not let it continue to run when you hear that sound!).

Anyway, to spare you all the agonizing details, I'm happy to say that we were able to get our data back, thanks to the lovely (but not inexpensive!) people at ReStoringData.com.  And we are now the proud owners of a RAID array and a portable hard drive, both of which might very well end up living inside a very well-padded, waterproof, and fireproof (but breathable!) box!  (I am also looking into online storage options - I'm losing my trust for physical storage options!)

K, now that you've read this, GO BACKUP YOUR DATA!!   :)

(public service announcement over - we now return you to our regular scheduled blogging)