|
Diploid
Cuban



Registered: 01/09/03
Posts: 19,274
Loc: Rabbit Hole
|
OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk
#7903810 - 01/19/08 10:10 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
First some background:
This is how I backup my system: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/7847023#Post7847023
One of the games I like to play is BioShock. I bought it a few months ago. It turns out the developer includes a (sort of) root kit to implement their copy protection scheme. Well, I want nothing to do with that, so I installed a clean copy of XP with all the updates, then I installed BioShock and imaged the partition.
When I want to play, I restore the BioShock OS partition and when I'm done, I restore my usual OS partition; the one I'm using now.
Now the story:
I got home this afternoon and decided to hit the bong and play BioShock. An hour into the game, the system hangs. Grumbling at the crappy game (it turns out it wasn't the game's fault) I restart the system.
To my horror, I hear the dreaded Click of Death coming from one of the disks. When the OS failed to boot, I knew which disk it was.
For those who've never had the pleasure of hearing it, the Click of Death happens when a disk goes insane and repeatedly tries to recalibrate the read/write head, but instead of recalibrating, it just flies all the way to the stop and makes a noise like a marble dropped on concrete. Over and over again. It's a catastrophic, unrecoverable failure.
Just so you understand what this means to me, my data is like a child to me. It's some 30+ years of accumulated memories, music, email, pics, software, documents, and all the rest. Losing it would really hurt and it's why I'm so paranoid about backups.
I calmed my stondeded self knowing that everything except the last day or so is in the archive. Only thing is that, although I tested this when I designed the system, I've never actually lost a disk and had to restore with my disaster recovery plan.
OK, so I pull the physical disk, put it in another machine and confirm it's dead. Then I head down the road to Tiger Direct and an hour later a new disk is installed and ready to go.
I boot off the Acronis CD, recombooberate the partitions, and start the restore. Ten minutes later I have the OS restored.
I restart the system and hold my breath waiting for the Blue Screen of Death or a fire or explosion or something and was rewarded with the XP boot screen. Woohoo! I started breathing again!
My heart rate is almost back to normal. The rest of my child is being restored as I type this. In three more hours, everything should be as it was. I might even play BioShock again tonight.
There IS a God.
-------------------- Republican Values: 1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you. 2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child. 3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer. 4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.
|
Seuss
Error: divide byzero



Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 3 months, 8 days
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#7904673 - 01/20/08 03:34 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
Ouch. With all the talk of backups on the forum recently, I had just last week gone through all my stuff to make certain it was working as I had described it. Glad all turned out well for you. The worst part about backups is not knowing how good they are until you need them.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
|
Annom
※※※※※※




Registered: 12/22/02
Posts: 6,367
Loc: Europe
Last seen: 1 year, 3 days
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#7904695 - 01/20/08 03:54 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
fieewww. Glad you are a believer now I've never had a disk failure. It's one of the worst things that can fail.
I also use Acronis, but never tested it.
>It's some 30+ years of accumulated memories, music, email, pics, software, documents, and all the rest.
Put your email, pics and documents online on a reliable server.
I lost all my high school documents on one stupid day in my life. Shit happens, but I don't want to have that feeling again.
|
Visionary Tools



Registered: 06/23/07
Posts: 7,953
Last seen: 1 year, 11 months
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Annom]
#7904763 - 01/20/08 05:43 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
|
|
No nanotechnology, copy protection on par with starfuck, and hard drive faliure? I think your child is trying to tell you something, daddy.
--------------------
|
Diploid
Cuban



Registered: 01/09/03
Posts: 19,274
Loc: Rabbit Hole
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Annom]
#7905574 - 01/20/08 12:22 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Put your email, pics and documents online on a reliable server.
30 years worth? It won't fit. The music and pics/home movies alone are 300 GB! I've looked into online backup companies, but for what they charge, I can buy a new hard drive every few months. It's not worth it.
What I have done is take some extremely important key documents and a few irreplaceable pics and videos, zipped them up, and emailed them to my gmail account for off site storage, just in case all else fails, like an airliner crashes into my computer room. 
After this experience, though, I may set up a USB drive to make a once a year master backup of the primary backup and store it in a safe deposit box. Then in the most unlikely of disasters, I'd still be able to recover most of the data.
-Paranoid Diploid
-------------------- Republican Values: 1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you. 2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child. 3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer. 4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.
|
PhanTomCat
Teh Cat....



Registered: 09/07/04
Posts: 5,908
Loc: My Youniverse....
Last seen: 15 years, 2 months
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#7911244 - 01/21/08 06:50 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Diploid said: There IS a God.


>^;;^<
-------------------- I'll be your midnight French Fry.... "The most important things in life that are often ignored, are the things that one cannot see...." >^;;^<
|
DieCommie


Registered: 12/11/03
Posts: 29,258
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#7911316 - 01/21/08 07:00 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Diploid said:After this experience, though, I may set up a USB drive to make a once a year master backup of the primary backup and store it in a safe deposit box. Then in the most unlikely of disasters, I'd still be able to recover most of the data.
I keep an extra harddisk with backups at school in case my whole computer (with a RAID 5) gets destroyed or stolen
|
tak
geo's henchman




Registered: 11/20/00
Posts: 3,776
Loc: nowhereland
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: DieCommie]
#7929138 - 01/25/08 10:07 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
I don't backup shit. I lose drives almost monthly.
I wish i could even begin to replace my lost data, I don't even know where to begin.
Maybe i will buy a new drive today
-------------------- The DJ's took pills to stay awake and play for seven days.
|
hillbilly32
Stranger


Registered: 07/02/07
Posts: 68
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: tak]
#7933750 - 01/26/08 05:02 AM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
|
|
Go get yourself an external HDD (their cheap if you know where to look) and just save everything on there. Doesn't clog your OS up with random shit either.
|
Irradiated_Feces
doomedgeneration


Registered: 07/11/03
Posts: 4,278
Loc: Great White North
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#8600603 - 07/06/08 12:23 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
I once lost a 6 hour long television feed to hard drive failure. It was about 4am on a Monday morning, had been working for almost 16 hours, the feed had all come in and I had the whole show nicely packaged for 3 hours then I start the render and all the sudden.... fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
one of the drives goes down - the one that had my project file. It would start back up and stay online for about 20 seconds after reboot, not nearly enough time to copy anything off it. Tape backups did me no good due to an issue with timecode synch. I frantically tried to start recutting the 6 hours of footage, at almost 5:30 in the morning now (did I mention it was going to air at 9am?) the majority of the show ended up going to air as a raw feed. Worst drive failure moment ever, but there was no backup option available to me in that situation.
I've had 2 other hard drive failures with work related material, I've learned my lesson now. Beware of LaCie.
|
poke smot!
floccinocci floofinator



Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 5,248
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk *DELETED* [Re: Irradiated_Feces]
#8600629 - 07/06/08 12:34 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Post deleted by poke smot!Reason for deletion: x
|
Irradiated_Feces
doomedgeneration


Registered: 07/11/03
Posts: 4,278
Loc: Great White North
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: poke smot!]
#8600887 - 07/06/08 01:57 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
@ it's good to see your sense of humour didn't get blowed up.
|
Asante
Omnicyclion prophet


Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 87,647
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#8603538 - 07/07/08 09:35 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
I use a RAID 1 backup system (realtime backups on a parallel drive)
It slows the box down a bit but the peace of mind is priceless.
-------------------- Omnicyclion.org higher knowledge starts here
|
Diploid
Cuban



Registered: 01/09/03
Posts: 19,274
Loc: Rabbit Hole
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Asante]
#8604346 - 07/07/08 02:20 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
RAID is not a substitute for backups. Consider what would happen if your registry got hosed, of if a trojan started scribbling garbage all over your file system or if you accidentally overwrote something. RAID will faithfully overwrite your data with garbage if directed to by the software.
-------------------- Republican Values: 1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you. 2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child. 3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer. 4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.
|
Bully
CheapShot-SinisterStrike

Registered: 07/30/04
Posts: 3,229
Loc: Pennsyltucky, USA
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#8604512 - 07/07/08 03:15 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Diploid said: RAID will faithfully overwrite your data with garbage if directed to by the software.
  
Ive just learned... external is the way to go.
|
slackophage
Misanthropist



Registered: 11/16/06
Posts: 1,112
Loc: Seattleish
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: Diploid]
#8604575 - 07/07/08 03:36 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
This'd be a good time to mention the last ditch trick I learned while working at a used computer store. This is only for drives that you've already given up on. Sometimes it lets you fire the drive up one last time and recover data from it.
If a drive gets the Click Of Death, or the motor seizes up, it can sometimes be recovered with the Whack Of Life. Set the drive on a sturdy table, next to a test system with a chassis panel removed and appropriate cables hanging out. Grab the drive with one hand, then slam it down hard, but perfectly flat on the table. Hook it up to the test system, trying not to move the drive at all.
If it fires up, there's no telling how long it'll run for, and will probably be the last time, so get everything off of it as quick as you can. I dunno why it works, but I've used it for years now. It doesn't work often, but the few times it does makes it worthwhile.
|
poke smot!
floccinocci floofinator



Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 5,248
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk *DELETED* [Re: slackophage]
#8604955 - 07/07/08 05:14 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Post deleted by poke smot!Reason for deletion: x
|
Irradiated_Feces
doomedgeneration


Registered: 07/11/03
Posts: 4,278
Loc: Great White North
|
Re: OMG: Backup Method Validated, Almost Lost All My Data To Dead Disk [Re: poke smot!]
#8607738 - 07/08/08 10:57 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
I just went out and bought myself a 500gig external. All this crashing drive talk made me think I should probably backup this $3K project im working on.
|
|