I dropped my Macbook last night... =( [Archive]

selsabeela

Jan 27, 2008, 02:21 PM

and I opened it right away to check if everything was OK, and it was.. the only thing I noticed was that all my sticky notes were gone and it was acting like I never used it before, you know with those help stickies to tell you how to use it.. of course I was super pissed because I had important things written on there like passwords and important meetings.. anyway so I got over it, turned off my computer and went to sleep..................

..........and this morning I turned it on to find that ALL MY FILES PICTURES MUSIC PRESETS BOOKMARKS ....EVERYTHINGGGG is gone!!!! :eek::eek::eek::(:(:(

What can I do?!?!? This is horrible I feel like my whole life is erased.. I mean ALLLLLLL my pictures for over a year, I deleted them from other locations because I thought this computer was never going to do this to me!!! I am flabbergasted!!!

*cries hysterically*

Eidorian

Jan 27, 2008, 02:22 PM

1. Always have a backup
2. Are you sure you're accessing your home directory?

trainguy77

Jan 27, 2008, 02:23 PM

Your supposed to back up no matter what computer you use. It sounds like your HD might be dying. Go into disk utility and see if its SMART status is verified or not.

Luis

Jan 27, 2008, 02:24 PM

Try restarting in Target Mode and copy what you can to another computer (if it's not too late).

Quillz

Jan 27, 2008, 02:25 PM

You should have made backups. It sounds like you did, and then you deleted for no good reason.

taylorwilsdon

Jan 27, 2008, 02:26 PM

selsabeela

Jan 27, 2008, 02:34 PM

How would you be able to boot in but everything was magically gone? Something doesn't add up. Are you sure you are in the right account? A drop doesn't make "SOME" files disappear, its an all or nothing deal. Over time corruption can ruin some files, but it wouldn't delete JUST your bookmarks and photos etc.

Yeah, I don't really get it, I mean let's just say everything is gone, but the only files still on there are a folder that I had made on the desktop and kept a few miscellaneous photos and files on... besides that ONE file, everything else all other folders are gone and or empty...

selsabeela

Jan 27, 2008, 02:38 PM

Your supposed to back up no matter what computer you use. It sounds like your HD might be dying. Go into disk utility and see if its SMART status is verified or not.

Yes it says smart: verified.... so does that mean it's dying and it'll lose more things or what,, what should i do now.. =(

selsabeela

Jan 27, 2008, 02:41 PM

Oh wait here's an correction, my programs such as Word, Adium, Firefox, ect things i installed are still there

selsabeela

Jan 27, 2008, 02:43 PM

You should have made backups. It sounds like you did, and then you deleted for no good reason.

I never made any backups

Galapp

Jan 27, 2008, 02:47 PM

at this point there isn't much you can do =\
next time make backups...

heatmiser

Jan 27, 2008, 02:55 PM

Time to start with the backups. Get an external. Carbon Copy Cloner. Tell it to sync drives each time the external's plugged in. Easiest way to do this. You can also get 2gb of free storage from Mozy, and use that to sync your most important stuff. I've got it tied to my schoolwork folder.

wentwj

Jan 27, 2008, 02:56 PM

This doesn't make sense, MacBooks aren't etch-e-sketches. If your operating system files are there, your other files should be too. Are you sure you aren't logged in as a different user for whatever reason?

I find it VERY hard (read: impossible) to believe that all of your operating system files remained intact, yet all of your MP3s, and files and things disappeared. Have you made sure your files are gone? For whatever reason my girlfriend thought she lost all her MP3s, but her iTunes library just got directed to a different folder somehow.

AndImAPC

Jan 27, 2008, 03:57 PM

Return the Macbook and get a Windows XP Pro notebook instead. Much more reliable (do a search), and as a bonus the case isn't full of data-destroying magnets.

J@ffa

Jan 27, 2008, 04:02 PM

Return the Macbook and get a Windows XP Pro notebook instead. Much more reliable (do a search), and as a bonus the case isn't full of data-destroying magnets.

Can I get a WTF?

bjett92

Jan 27, 2008, 04:04 PM

Return the Macbook and get a Windows XP Pro notebook instead. Much more reliable (do a search), and as a bonus the case isn't full of data-destroying magnets.

I wouldn't call Windows XP more reliable than OS X, but maybe thats just my opinion.
Can I get a WTF?
And this person's too.

If you have leopard, use Time Machine. You need to keep a backup.

DJAKO

Jan 27, 2008, 04:06 PM

Can I get a WTF?

Yes you can. WTF

masse

Jan 27, 2008, 04:13 PM

I don't see a problem. You dropped it and it didn't break. Be happy :)

Concorde Rules

Jan 27, 2008, 04:22 PM

I don't see a problem. You dropped it and it didn't break. Be happy :)

He lost data and photos, I'd be pissed too.

But being a sensible individual I have 3 copies of EVERYTHING important

Layer 1:
MBP Internal 160Gb - System/Apps/regular files/films
eSATA External 200Gb - Concorde+Photo Libraries

Layer 2:
eSATA 500Gb - back up using Carbon Copy Cloner

Layer 3:
Firewire 320Gb - using Chronosync

Done every week at minimum or when I come back from an important shoot.

Backups cost ~ £200 at time of buying (get the same for £100 now)

So cost isn't prohibitive when you have a £600+ MacBook with important files on it :)

ayeying

Jan 27, 2008, 04:26 PM

lets stop saving our money by not buying an external back up hard drive. Its not worth if especially if you have a lot of important files (irreplacable pix, movies, music, work stuff, homework). Same reason you buy insurance for your car but you never get into an accident or anything happen for the life of the car.

Concorde Rules: I think your method is a little excessive for the average user. I use a single hard drive for back up using time machine, but I also have another external drive just incase the back up drive fails. The chances of both back up drives and internal drive failing... maybe when an earthquake crushes all the drives and laptop.

shoulin333

Jan 27, 2008, 04:50 PM

I deleted them from other locations because I thought this computer was never going to do this to me!!!

Apple created Time Machine for a reason, one storage place is never enough if files mean anything to you.

We all learn lessons the hard way sometimes, sorry to hear though man.

weckart

Jan 27, 2008, 04:52 PM

I smell troll, particularly after the "humorous" entry mid-thread but on the offchance that the OP is just unusually dim, try entering *.jpg in Spotlight to see if the pictures have not just been moved to some hidden folder somewhere.

What about Trash? Full? Empty?

gothamm

Jan 27, 2008, 05:30 PM

My theory is as good as anyone else's but:

maybe you computer is developing its own conscience as predicted in films such as iRobot. You probably pissed it off and it went ahead and deleted most of your important data. it has feelings, you moron :mad:

trainguy77

Jan 27, 2008, 06:21 PM

Yes it says smart: verified.... so does that mean it's dying and it'll lose more things or what,, what should i do now.. =(

Try repairing the disk in disk utility. Also http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/ might work?

gazfocus

Jan 27, 2008, 08:51 PM

Has anyone got a link to where I can get Carbon Copy Cloner? It sounds like a very useful program.

djinn

Jan 27, 2008, 08:53 PM

Has anyone got a link to where I can get Carbon Copy Cloner? It sounds like a very useful program.

http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html

Muzzway

Jan 27, 2008, 08:53 PM

Return the Macbook and get a Windows XP Pro notebook instead. Much more reliable (do a search), and as a bonus the case isn't full of data-destroying magnets.

First post, eh? (nice username) :rolleyes:

gazfocus

Jan 27, 2008, 09:01 PM

http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html

Thanks. Will hopefully work well with my NAS

iMacBook

Jan 27, 2008, 09:14 PM

This thread has spoke to me.

It has told me to start using Time Machine even though I have no idea if it even allows me to use it to put everything back to normal.

xraydoc

Jan 27, 2008, 09:42 PM

This thread has spoke to me.

It has told me to start using Time Machine even though I have no idea if it even allows me to use it to put everything back to normal.

Good for you. And, yes, it'll let you restore everything should your computer's (main) HD die.

djinn

Jan 27, 2008, 10:39 PM

This thread has spoke to me.

It has told me to start using Time Machine even though I have no idea if it even allows me to use it to put everything back to normal.

What do you mean back to normal? I used Time Machine to restore my MBP as a test and it actually did it very nicely. Just select the option after the install is done to restore and BOOM, done.

dannyjames

Jan 27, 2008, 10:57 PM

what if when the hard drive was dropped there was a portion of the disk that got scratched (creating a bad sector?), which happened to cross across the portion of the disk that these files were in? I don't know how hard drives work, but if they are like CD's then just imagine a scratched cd, you can access some of the data but not all of it.

But, to play my own devils advocate, haven't all the Apple laptops in the last two years had accelerometers built in so that when the laptop was dropped the reading head locked into position (or was it that it retracted) to avoid scratching the platters?

Now, to completely speculate, what if the way the data on the disk is written from in inside edge of the disk to the outside. Then the system data would be at the inside edge (since it would naturally be the first data on the disk) and everything else would be toward the outer portion where maybe a scratch occurred? Again, I'm completely pulling this idea out of thin air so someone please tell me if I am wrong.

ntrigue

Jan 27, 2008, 11:08 PM

Can I get a WTF?

Here it comes...WTF!

trainguy77

Jan 27, 2008, 11:52 PM

What do you mean back to normal? I used Time Machine to restore my MBP as a test and it actually did it very nicely. Just select the option after the install is done to restore and BOOM, done.

You don't even need to do a install. You can restore before you start the install process.

KingYaba

Jan 28, 2008, 12:05 AM

lets stop saving our money by not buying an external back up hard drive. Its not worth if especially if you have a lot of important files (irreplacable pix, movies, music, work stuff, homework).

I purchased a Mercury Extreme because I wanted to "stop saving" my $. Interesting how it was the external drive that failed on me with all my files. So what now, stupid Yaba, you need to back up your back up!?

I have since then gone with the tried and true medium of DVD/CD and my various flash drives that have never failed me.

Jiddick ExRex

Jan 28, 2008, 12:20 AM

I purchased a Mercury Extreme because I wanted to "stop saving" my $. Interesting how it was the external drive that failed on me with all my files. So what now, stupid Yaba, you need to back up your back up!?

I have since then gone with the tried and true medium of DVD/CD and my various flash drives that have never failed me.

In this case you clearly haven't understood the concept of backing up, which isn't very complicated:

If you have an external drive and you make a copy of your internal drive on the external drive, you have a backup of all your files.

If you have an external drive, make a copy of a selection of files from the internal to the external, you do not have a backup of all your files.

It's not that difficult you see, because if you run into the problem of a failed backup drive and you say: "Dang, well at least I still got all the files on the main computer", then you can return your backup drive and get a new one, or buy a new one if the warranty expired.
If it happens and you say: "Dang, what is this? Why is all my important files gone, even though I only had one set of them on the external? I just don't understand it...", then you need to sit down and think about the choices you made when you didn't make a full backup of the all of a sudden important files!

Moral: a backup means you have TWO copies, not one. If you have only one set of files on the backup drive, then you did something wrong. Failing to realize this will get you in trouble, as you said it did.

cowm007

Jan 28, 2008, 12:23 AM

Can I get a WTF?

Amen! Oops, I mean WTF.

DGaio

Jan 28, 2008, 12:43 AM

Maybe when you dropped it, those files slipped out of the macbook and are scattared all over your floor and you didn't notice.

Now seriously, if you were to loose some files like that you'd probably have lost everything. I don't think it was to clear, but if you had your Macbook on at the time you dropped, maybe it reverted to some restore point or did a reset of some kind, if that's the case try restoring it to the very new point you can find and see if you can get some of those files back.

Quillz

Jan 28, 2008, 12:51 AM

I never made any backupsThen it's your own fault. You should have made backups. Never assume "it will never happen to me."

akm3

Jan 28, 2008, 01:02 AM

I never made any backups

:eek:

akm3

Jan 28, 2008, 01:05 AM

For the record, a backup isn't TRULY a backup (in my opinion) if you also don't have off-site backup.

So: Your actual data on the computer, your back up of that data on an external hard drive or optical disk, and another backup somewhere offsite.

Some people additionally make sure they have different media backups: one backup on a hard drive and a second on optical, for example.

My friend runs a hard drive restoration company and has a great motto:

There are two kinds of people. Those that backup, and those that will.

billandy

Jan 28, 2008, 05:41 AM

have you turned file vault on? this could cause instant damage to your user files if it's not being closed properly. and is your macbook the latest one with the disc motion sensor to protect your data in such scenario? if your answer's no to this question, then you should really back up on a frequent basis! well, or if you're rich, get a new mba 64gb ssd.

Concorde Rules

Jan 28, 2008, 07:44 AM