Hard Drive Failure

Ebayorbust · #1 02-05-2013

Although having read about it, this is the first time in nearly 20 years of using PCs I have ever experienced a hard drive die on me.

Not a major disaster as all important stuff is backed up on an external drive. It is just the hassle of formatting a new 1TB HDD and then having to re-install XP (the PC is 6 years old), all associated service packs, updates and of course all the software.

Is this a fairly rare PC failing or have I just been lucky to avoid it until now?

Roscoe · #2 02-05-2013

I think everyone has at least 1 HD failure in their lifetime.

I now backup DAILY. Learned my lesson the hard way.

GreenBean · #3 02-05-2013

I go with Roscoe...

Happens at least once ( like a paypal limitation

)

I back up daily as well.

I do notice that our MACs are far better in respect to fizzing out.

Spits, touches word.

slim jim · #4 02-05-2013

It has happened before for sure. The freezer trick has actually let me recover files in the past. Then I discovered UFS and I didn't need the freezer any longer

GhostWhoWalks · #5 02-05-2013

LOL (inside joke)

You need 3 backups not just 1 guys!

Anyways yeah I had my laptop under a window once here (the sky view type of window, right under it was my sony), and it was raining very very badly here! Anyways I was doing a video of how hard the rain was and thinking "Oh sh!t! Did I close that window?" I had a bucket of water on my laptop! I had to remove the hard drive, and buy something special to plug it in just to get what was on it.

So anyways I had a backup of everything on 1TB 3 years ago. I took this TB to work once, and it just dropped, cause of my foot, it was laying on the desktop, and bam! Hits the floor I hear a clicking sound! I start to panic, life is over! I sent it to the US, to get it fixed, they told me $4,000 I didn't care. They still couldn't fix it so I paid nothing.

Lucky me I had some stuff that was very important saved on my ipod, (but yet if this gets stolen or lost you are screwed), and I would say put all important files in a zip file, and put a password on the zip file and upload it into your own emails and email it too your self! And never delete it, put it in a folder.

1 hard drive, 1 ipod/or 2nd hard drive, + 1 email = 3 ways. And write it on a DVD if you can for a 4th!

Also lucky me I had some stuff on CD's burned, emails, and ipod. But still sucks a lot! :(

Roscoe · #6 02-05-2013

I use 2 External Drive Backups 2TB. One is backed up Daily, the other is backed up weekly.

3?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostWhoWalks

LOL (inside joke)

You need 3 backups not just 1 guys!

Anyways yeah I had my laptop under a window once here (the sky view type of window, right under it was my sony), and it was raining very very badly here! Anyways I was doing a video of how hard the rain was and thinking "Oh sh!t! Did I close that window?" I had a bucket of water on my laptop! I had to remove the hard drive, and buy something special to plug it in just to get what was on it.

So anyways I had a backup of everything on 1TB 3 years ago. I took this TB to work once, and it just dropped, cause of my foot, it was laying on the desktop, and bam! Hits the floor I hear a clicking sound! I start to panic, life is over! I sent it to the US, to get it fixed, they told me $4,000 I didn't care. They still couldn't fix it so I paid nothing.

Lucky me I had some stuff that was very important saved on my ipod, (but yet if this gets stolen or lost you are screwed), and I would say put all important files in a zip file, and put a password on the zip file and upload it into your own emails and email it too your self! And never delete it, put it in a folder.

1 hard drive, 1 ipod/or 2nd hard drive, + 1 email = 3 ways. And write it on a DVD if you can for a 4th!

Also lucky me I had some stuff on CD's burned, emails, and ipod. But still sucks a lot! :(

GhostWhoWalks · #7 02-06-2013

Yes 3, what if your 2nd one that you update daily breaks on day 6 and the weekly one has nothing? Dude just update daily both of them!

Emails, ipod/memory stick, external Drives, 2 at least.

And yes 3 you can never be too safe! One I have in emails in case I need to get something when not home so I just get it from my emails. Like systems I played years ago

Roscoe · #8 02-06-2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostWhoWalks

Yes 3, what if your 2nd one that you update daily breaks on day 6 and the weekly one has nothing? Dude just update daily both of them!

Emails, ipod/memory stick, external Drives, 2 at least.

And yes 3 you can never be too safe! One I have in emails in case I need to get something when not home so I just get it from my emails. Like systems I played years ago

Yep, 3 is safer but I'm lazy.

If 3 HDs go including my laptop then I guess God has a plan for me.

I backup all emails with Thunderbird.

GreenBean · #9 02-06-2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roscoe

I use 2 External Drive Backups 2TB. One is backed up Daily, the other is backed up weekly.

3?

Absolutely.

My company is in the security industry.

3 is our bare minimum for back-up info.

If we lost info, we could face being sued if something goes wrong

Roscoe · #10 02-06-2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenBean™

Absolutely.

My company is in the security industry.

3 is our bare minimum for back-up info.

If we lost info, we could face being sued if something goes wrong

Wow, I assumed Ebay was your full time gig!

I know of one company that backed up all their data from tens of thousands of customers and then they would leave the data backup in their office, in the secretarys desk, lol.

About 5 years ago the office burnt to the ground and all data was gone.

They had no data on who owed money, who paid, etc... they took out a full page ad in the newspaper asking people to please pay whatever invoices they had received.

Surprisingly many companies responded and kept them open until they rebuilt the business.

Now they have SIX data backup protections. Crazy

rsot · #11 02-06-2013

Had this happen once for a laptop - I had to go to a shop that physical extracted all info from the HD. Cost me about $150-200...had to do it though :( Have to backup more often now

GhostWhoWalks · #12 02-06-2013

Roscoe - Writing a book on my life and once I had a problem, I was lucky enough that the hard drive on the laptop worked after that rain but the laptop was done but I removed the hard drive! So if anything happened I had backup of important stuff! I currently have 4 ways, 2 (1TB), ipod, and emails. My book about my life is like 100s of pages! and to re-write it all! It would suck, if anything fails cause you are lazy you'll remember our conversation on here and kick your self in the @$$! lol. Don't be lazy! Banks keep 2 sets of records, one in north america and another near Asian countries all banks in the world have 2 back ups, 1 where earthquakes never happened! And under ground! And another where no major weather problems happen! And they pay big bucks for it! Godaddy has some kind of a system like that also! If one fails it jumps on another cause they have a copy of it all! I always say. "Why risk it?"

GB - There is more too you then that coffee that you like eh?

Yeah they got 6 backups. I mean look if 1 pp, or 1 ebay goes down, you'll have 6 stealths also as a backup! I don't blame these people, they prepare themselves so it does not happen AGAIN!

You know that vault of food seeds they build a few years ago near Iceland? I emailed the people and said what if a meteor hits it or something bad happens like an earthquakes, bringing water waves, etc, but the seeds would still be safe but something else like who knows! They said it's a good idea!

Planes have 6 backups in case the breaks fail when they land! 2nd back up has 4 backups.

Better safer then sorry guys!

golden_monkey · #13 02-07-2013

I do daily image backups.

zoneout · #14 02-07-2013

Hard drives will fail. Not a question of if but when (and according to Murphy at the worst possible time). If you do not have a backup plan in place you are looking at one of the most miserable feelings you will ever experience next to a loved one passing away - especially if you keep everything on that drive - business info, pictures of the kids, etc.

Everyone needs to do 3 things to be safe:

1) Get a backup software - there are plenty around. Make sure it does a full image as well as incrementals. And make sure it creates an emergency disk so you can boot from your backup with having to scrounge for your OS disks. Hardware is cheap these days, backup to another larger drive that will allow for growth. If you know how to mirror drives thats good too.

2) Rotate your backups - so 1 week or month you use 1 drive then use another. Keep the unused drive somewhere safe. They sell fireproof safes, or have a friend keep it or bury it in the backyard in tupperware.

3) Most important step!!!! Test your backup. Last thing you want is for your PC to get fried only to find out your backups dont work either.

slim jim · #15 02-07-2013

this is also why i am hesitant to go with a strictly ssd setup. any problems with an ssd and your info is lost for good.

golden_monkey · #16 02-07-2013

yea I won't run an SSD just for that reason.

also , it wouldn't hurt to keep an EXACT machine laying around.. that you do your test backups on, such as images.

so if things really go wrong you can just unplug, reimage, move on with least possible downtime.

home file servers are also handy for syncing files such as music and pictures etc.

rsot · #17 02-10-2013

You cant do a physical extraction on a ssd?

GhostWhoWalks · #18 02-10-2013

Get a memory stick! You can drop it 100 times and still works! You can't do that with hard drives!

Just think about every time you guys dropped a cell phone. Out of it being 950 times in your hands it will drop at least once!

I got an old Nokia, I've had it for 5 years it's 2 colors only. It's all I need. I've dropped it 100s of times and still works fine. Now give me that new iphone 5 you got or that Galaxy and let me drop it! 100% of you will say "NO!" Same with a hard drive! Get many backups! Only takes a few seconds to plug, wait for it, drag items and bam done! Better safer then sorry!

rsot · #19 02-10-2013

The old school Nokia with greenish screen and black characters?

that can take such a licking...

GhostWhoWalks · #20 02-10-2013

Orangish + black with white writing and some brown too it! lol

Oh I just checked I got some colors on the game but so good of a phone!

I always drop this one in front of people and turn it back on and say "see it works, now give me that new iphone lets put it to the test" their reaction is always the same PRICELESS!!!! "NO!!!" lol

NOKIA 1208.
Also a good thing for most of you is getting those smart phones or whatever iphones they have storage on them, you can always put files on there and pictures etc. But if you drop it, the memory card is still good! If someone takes it or you lost it! It's going to suck!

rsot · #21 02-10-2013

If someone takes it or you lost it! It's going to suck!

Thats a huge problem with the smartphones with friends who go to bars and clubs and whoops! All gone

GhostWhoWalks · #22 02-10-2013

Yeah well someone having this kind of information wouldn't go to clubs/bars at all I would think.