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Ejecting the external hard drive while downloading large files to it was accidental, and fatal (unless data recovery software or Terminal commands become more helpful).
Immediate thoughts after the crash:
- Work. All essential files are safe on internal drive. Last backup on internal parental drive is a few months old. Last backup on parental external drive is a few weeks old. Expected loss: 0GB/25GB.
- Music. All files lost at the exception of 6GB current playlist. Last backup on parental drives is a few weeks old. Expected loss: 4-8GB/120GB.
- Film. All files lost at the exception of 7.45GB current watchlist. Last backup on parental drives is a few months old. Expected loss: 20GB/100GB.
- Pictures. All files lost at the exception of Flickr uploads. Last backup on parental drives is a few months old. Expected loss: minimal.
- Other stuff (software, random stuff). All files lost. Last backup on parental drives is more than a few months old. Expect loss: quite serious, but nothing essential.
It’s basically like starting it all again from a relatively distant point in time, which actually has its appeal, if the transaction costs of reinstalling stuff and replacing the backup drive remain low enough. It will be a pain to reinstall and download identical files again, but not that much:
- All work files are safe right now. The only folder that is externally stored while not saved on the internal hard drive is also safe on a backup-of-backup hard drive (and remains downloadable).
- Essentials are recoverable online. It must be the first time I have to rely on the (vast and effective) potential of Gmail and Flickr as large-scale external backup solutions.
- Trivia has been irremediably lost. My recent collection of random pictures, quotes and other forms of Internet memorabilia has left this world and all others. How much do I rely on their possession?
Very little seems to be the answer, due to little reliance on personal possession, reasonable use of online storage, and a continuous stream of interests with little time to delve into past things anyway.
Lessons:
- Shit happens.
- Two external hard drives, or a partition, could help.
- Episode is quite liveable.
The most annoying thing is to lose organised collections of pictures of summer trips, which were already like a life bracket. There’s no trace of them now, it just makes them even more surreal. Next work backup on Monday.
