#%&* Computers!

[Beware_of_Italics]

WARNING: RANT!
I'm not allowed to here at home, so here I am for therapy. Much needed therapy.

So last night, and I kid you not about 60 seconds before going to bed, the computer crashed.

EVERYTHING was lost. Everything. Yes, I'm ticked that the GB videos I had saved over the years are gone, but far worse than that are the YEARS of pictures and video of my niece and nephew that are lost. Holiday videos with my brother and his wife as well.

Recently I backed up videos of the kids that were on this old, crappy computer of mine. I knew it would die soon, so I backed stuff up on a flash drive.

On the newer computer that crashed last night, I started deleting old stuff and uploading things to Photobucket just to save memory. THIS WEEK was the week I was to weed through the old videos and pictures of the kids to upload online. But oh no, the computer has to crash just days before I get to that point.

Talk about the Universe dishing out MEANNES!

And now I wish I had saved my stories one last time. They were very minor changes, but still... I wish I had saved them on that flash just once more.

AND I KNEW this was going to happen. All signs pointed toward it. Why else would I have been obsessed all of a sudden with backing up stuff? Just this week, on a Writer's Forum there was a post I never read which was titled "Back Everything Up."

Coincidence? I think not.

I am so incredibly upset about the the videos of the kids being gone forever. Even of my pets. This is YEARS of memories flushed down the toilet. I'm trying not to even think about what was lost. I've always been the one in this family that preserves all our memories via photos and video. I was just DAYS away from backing up the last half of those memories when the computer completely dies.

I WAS taking precautions and backing stuff up, but that takes time and I had no idea the NEWER computer would die sooner than this old one.



And we had Antivirus on this computer and everything. I don't care what anyone says. I still say these security cameras we have are what killed it. That, and leaving the computer on 24/7 for those cameras. I kept saying that, but everyone tells me I'm being ridiculous and that that's not it.

I doesn't matter now. What's done is done. But my heart is broken over losing those videos of the kids. Of the pets, too.

[Maria]

Lots of hugs sent your way Kristin.

[hawolleen]

Oh, wow, that just sucks. I have been there before and it took me awhile to get over the fact that I lost so much. I now backup everything as soon as it gets to the computer....If I download photos from my camera, it goes on disk; if the kids do a project for school, it gets saved and printed right away. I had mine go down last year right before vacation; first, a virus(my own fault) and then the hard drive. I still have the hard drive and know I can't get anything off of it, but keep it around "just in case". I am so sorry about what happened and it seems Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will" happened here. I always add a little to it, too; "right before you were going to do what needed to be done."

Hugs, Kristen, from me

[Beware_of_Italics]

Thanks. I'm pretty bummed about it and know I'll never recover from this. My niece and nephew are MY LIFE. They live 3 1/2 hours away and the only way I can really "connect" with them b/c of that distance is through those old home videos. I'M THE ONLY ONE in this family that chronicles those children's lives. (Our pets, too). Now it's lost forever.

It just figures that I back up the wrong videos and pics first. I never would have dreamed the newer computer would crash before this dinosaur that I'm typing on right now. It's the timing of this that feels like a knife in my gut. I mean, THIS WEEK I was going to back up all those memories from the newer computer. THIS WEEK!

That just kills my soul.

[Beware_of_Italics]

Okay, my brother just told us that he might be able to save those pictures and video. We can take the computer to him in Austin sometime and he'll transfer everything to an external hard drive or some old computer of his. (Something like that). From there they can be put on a disc.

I think what I'll do is invest in another flash drive with LOTS of memory. That way he won't have to bother with the cd for some of my stuff.

I only hope he won't see all those sexy Highlander pictures I had saved for future PhotoShop siggies.

I really, really hope he can save the day here. I'm still skeptical, but at least there's a little bit of hope. I won't believe it until I see it though.

And buying a new computer has come at a BAD time. Mom just spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on dental work, I need dental work, and Dad might lose his job. When it rains, it pours.

[*Jo*]

You get oodles of sympathy from me. Awww, sweetie. You were the first one to help me copy stuff for this board...
THIS is awful!!!!
Hugs. I am sssssssssso sorry Kristin.

[Liberdade]

Yes, leaving the computer on 24/7 might have been it. Depending on how long you've been doing that, it might have been some serious wear-and-tear on the hard drive.
Get a new hard drive, and put that in.
Man, that really sucks, about losing everything. I don't know the feeling myself, but I can feel your pain. All those memories...Hopefully, you can salvage the hard drive! Try putting that hard drive in a different computer. Maybe its another part in the computer that burned out.

[Beware_of_Italics]

I still say that's what fried it, too. No one will listen to me of course. I don't caer what they say. From now on, those cameras (and computer) are going to be turned off for some of the time. Mom likes the security cameras on at night and when we're gone during the day b/c of crime, so that I can understand. I guess during the day I'll just try using this old computer and leave the other off.

Anyway, so now we get a new computer home but NOTHING comes on the freaking computer monitor. It came with no startup disks, but says to just wait 20 minutes after plugging everything in.

It's been an hour.

Again, #$% computers! The stress level in this house right now could set off bombs.

And thanks Jo. You're so sweet.

[Liberty]

OMG *hugs* sorry you're suffering. Technically can be so unpredictable sometimes. I hope you're brother can still recover all of your photos and videos. *crossing my fingers*

I'm always a little paranoid that's why I never save anything on my computer, and the few things that I do I always back it up on a flash drive. I've had computer issues a few times.

[Amanda Rose]

All is not lost! If you bring it to a computer tech they might be able to get those files and such that you need when they hook your computer up to theirs. When my computer crashed the guy was able to recover the files I needed.
Don't give up yet!!!

Wish you the best of luck!!!!