Some days are just a disaster.
Sep. 22nd, 2014 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feng_shui_house*sigh* The 'puter was getting REALLY full, so I decided it was time to do another save to external drive of the photos I'd taken since last June 6 and delete them from the memory hog Iphoto.
...Mmm... yeah. You see where this is going. I deleted the photos before I saved the copies. And I deleted the copies at the same time. That was about 8 hours ago.
I googled for data recovery software. Narrowed it down to 3 that were well-rated & said they'd work on my old mac.
Turned on the newer mac & got to one of the companies. It didn't say the system requirements, so I hung around for their 'live chat' with a fellow by the name of Rampal. Slow, slow, slow. I assume he was hunting up the answers to my very basic questions A)will it work on my system? B) will the free download actually retrieve files or just list ones it can retrieve? C) Do I have to install it on the computer with deleted data or can I download it on my other computer and put it on a CD to run it? D) If I must install it on the computer where I'm trying to retrieve deleted files, will it overwrite what I'm looking for?
Eventually I was told, yes, it'll work on your system. The free download will only locate retrievable files, but once you pay, you'll get a code and can put that in without having to reinstall or redo the search. Yes, you must install it on the computer you want to use it on, and no, it won't make any difference in retrieving files.
SO, ok, I downloaded it. And then I couldn't figure out how to install it, tried three times, wound up with 3 DMGs, went back to the live chat-- closed. Leave a message with your name, etc.etc.etc.
Went back and tried again, stumbled across the installation secret. Installed. Ran the search.
Got bored, put in The Hot Rock on the other computer. Search ended right at the same time that Redford is walking down the street grinning, with the diamond in his pocket. Search was TONS of stuff. Clicked to get to just jpgs, and there were thousands. There was an unselect/select box next to each. Every one was selected. I deselected one at a time (no mass selection techniques worked) all the things that were far too small to be my photos (at least not in usable size) THAT TOOK FOREVER.
Finally hit the restore button and got the 'pay me'. Went to the website and paid ($130 including shipping & handling on a DVD which SAYS you can also use it to retrieve files even if the computer is having problems starting), and got the code. Put the code in.
Do not try to restore to the computer, or you'll lose data!
I'd got it down to less than a CDs worth, so I put in a blank CD.
Nope, it refused to acknowledge the CD.
SO, I plugged in my backup storage and it saved. SO FAST, I thought, oh, no.
Yeah. It saved truncated, unusable, garbled copies. *SIGH*
I went back and tried again.
SAme thing.
I went back to the beginning (It had saved the search, so that was quick) and let it save EVERYTHING.
That didn't take too long. BUT then I had to manually delete all the non-me stuff. And then open things in preview to try to find out which were actually usable.
Turns out it did pretty good on the thumbnail files, but the real pics? *sigh*
So... now I had 3 copies of everything. I was at least able to mass select after sorting by size to remove all the icons, etc. that had piled up. THen I dumped all my swatch fabric photos (I've got small versions of them saved on Ipernity, don't need large), and then I went through,
one
by
one
checking them out. Very very few of the full size were any good. Some would at least open enough of the photo I could SEE it, for art purposes. But most were gray, gray with weird color bars, bits of other photos, posterized bars, or combinations.
So. Eventually I culled down to the few, the sad, the not quite entirely unusable (weeping at the loss of the bird (including baby mourning dove, and the American redstart) and butterfly and sewn projects pics, but oh SO GLAD I hadn't been to the park with lots of nice photos to lose).
I renamed the CD that I'd been going to use for saving directly from the restore program, and tried to copy over the salvaged pics.
Computer told me to insert blank CD. I DID! Computer didn't care. Computer wouldn't eject disk. I thought, maybe I've gone INSANE and took the disk out? Tried to put in another one. Nope. IT'S THERE.
Remembered I'd once dug out the info on last resort disk ejection & saved it where I could find it.
Did that. Ejected the disk. Put the SAME disk back in, renamed it again. And this time it was willing to work.
*sighed*
Decided since the other puter was on, to put on another movie. Had collection of Alec Guinness flicks. Put in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets'.
WOULD NOT WORK. Would not STOP. Would not go forward, backward or sideways. Just kept showing barely moving pixelated silvery & random colored squarelets while it produced pained cheeping squawks. WOULD NOT QUIT program. Would not let me get to any of the menu control bars (top or bottom).
Finally remembered force quit shortcut. Command/Option/Escape. Got the CD out. Tried another one to reassure me it was just a bad CD.
God, my fingers are so sore from all this clicking!
On the bright side, 3 people bought fabrics printed with my designs while all this was going on. Almost $7 commission. Now, how many REALLY GOOD sale days like that (most *months* I average $38) would I need to pay off the $130 data recovery software? I don't know, I can't math today. Obviously my brain is rotted or I wouldn't have screwed up in the first place.
...Mmm... yeah. You see where this is going. I deleted the photos before I saved the copies. And I deleted the copies at the same time. That was about 8 hours ago.
I googled for data recovery software. Narrowed it down to 3 that were well-rated & said they'd work on my old mac.
Turned on the newer mac & got to one of the companies. It didn't say the system requirements, so I hung around for their 'live chat' with a fellow by the name of Rampal. Slow, slow, slow. I assume he was hunting up the answers to my very basic questions A)will it work on my system? B) will the free download actually retrieve files or just list ones it can retrieve? C) Do I have to install it on the computer with deleted data or can I download it on my other computer and put it on a CD to run it? D) If I must install it on the computer where I'm trying to retrieve deleted files, will it overwrite what I'm looking for?
Eventually I was told, yes, it'll work on your system. The free download will only locate retrievable files, but once you pay, you'll get a code and can put that in without having to reinstall or redo the search. Yes, you must install it on the computer you want to use it on, and no, it won't make any difference in retrieving files.
SO, ok, I downloaded it. And then I couldn't figure out how to install it, tried three times, wound up with 3 DMGs, went back to the live chat-- closed. Leave a message with your name, etc.etc.etc.
Went back and tried again, stumbled across the installation secret. Installed. Ran the search.
Got bored, put in The Hot Rock on the other computer. Search ended right at the same time that Redford is walking down the street grinning, with the diamond in his pocket. Search was TONS of stuff. Clicked to get to just jpgs, and there were thousands. There was an unselect/select box next to each. Every one was selected. I deselected one at a time (no mass selection techniques worked) all the things that were far too small to be my photos (at least not in usable size) THAT TOOK FOREVER.
Finally hit the restore button and got the 'pay me'. Went to the website and paid ($130 including shipping & handling on a DVD which SAYS you can also use it to retrieve files even if the computer is having problems starting), and got the code. Put the code in.
Do not try to restore to the computer, or you'll lose data!
I'd got it down to less than a CDs worth, so I put in a blank CD.
Nope, it refused to acknowledge the CD.
SO, I plugged in my backup storage and it saved. SO FAST, I thought, oh, no.
Yeah. It saved truncated, unusable, garbled copies. *SIGH*
I went back and tried again.
SAme thing.
I went back to the beginning (It had saved the search, so that was quick) and let it save EVERYTHING.
That didn't take too long. BUT then I had to manually delete all the non-me stuff. And then open things in preview to try to find out which were actually usable.
Turns out it did pretty good on the thumbnail files, but the real pics? *sigh*
So... now I had 3 copies of everything. I was at least able to mass select after sorting by size to remove all the icons, etc. that had piled up. THen I dumped all my swatch fabric photos (I've got small versions of them saved on Ipernity, don't need large), and then I went through,
one
by
one
checking them out. Very very few of the full size were any good. Some would at least open enough of the photo I could SEE it, for art purposes. But most were gray, gray with weird color bars, bits of other photos, posterized bars, or combinations.
So. Eventually I culled down to the few, the sad, the not quite entirely unusable (weeping at the loss of the bird (including baby mourning dove, and the American redstart) and butterfly and sewn projects pics, but oh SO GLAD I hadn't been to the park with lots of nice photos to lose).
I renamed the CD that I'd been going to use for saving directly from the restore program, and tried to copy over the salvaged pics.
Computer told me to insert blank CD. I DID! Computer didn't care. Computer wouldn't eject disk. I thought, maybe I've gone INSANE and took the disk out? Tried to put in another one. Nope. IT'S THERE.
Remembered I'd once dug out the info on last resort disk ejection & saved it where I could find it.
Did that. Ejected the disk. Put the SAME disk back in, renamed it again. And this time it was willing to work.
*sighed*
Decided since the other puter was on, to put on another movie. Had collection of Alec Guinness flicks. Put in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets'.
WOULD NOT WORK. Would not STOP. Would not go forward, backward or sideways. Just kept showing barely moving pixelated silvery & random colored squarelets while it produced pained cheeping squawks. WOULD NOT QUIT program. Would not let me get to any of the menu control bars (top or bottom).
Finally remembered force quit shortcut. Command/Option/Escape. Got the CD out. Tried another one to reassure me it was just a bad CD.
God, my fingers are so sore from all this clicking!
On the bright side, 3 people bought fabrics printed with my designs while all this was going on. Almost $7 commission. Now, how many REALLY GOOD sale days like that (most *months* I average $38) would I need to pay off the $130 data recovery software? I don't know, I can't math today. Obviously my brain is rotted or I wouldn't have screwed up in the first place.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 03:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 04:04 am (UTC)Oh, well... maybe tomorrow will be a better day, brain-wise. :^)
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 03:31 pm (UTC)OH, well, today will involve a nap at some time. :^)
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 03:35 pm (UTC)I think the software is overpriced if that was the best it could do.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 03:43 pm (UTC)So I just chose one at random, and hoped. Which is all you can do, once you've messed up that badly.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-25 09:57 pm (UTC)Also, if you paid for it by credit card, can you claim a refund?
no subject
Date: 2014-09-25 10:22 pm (UTC)I don't think I could ask for a refund- I did get the download, and it did function, just far less successfully than I'd hoped.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 07:59 pm (UTC)You don´t deserve this, not at all!!!!
*HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2014-09-23 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-09-25 09:57 pm (UTC)I'm amazed you're still sane.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-25 10:25 pm (UTC)