theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • running
  • Recipes
  • NaBloPoMO
  • Contact
  • Privacy
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy policy

Floored

June 7, 2010 filed under: f*ck that, I can't make this shit up, my so-called life

{via}

Ok, seriously you guys, I never thought something like that would ever happen to me. I am usually sooo good about this kind of stuff. I am talking about backing up my computer.

A few weeks ago, I decided to reformat my laptop hard drive, because it was starting to run real slow and there was a lot of stuff that just needed to be taken off the laptop. I backed everything up to my external hard drive (which pretty much holds all my files dating back to 2005) and I was already contemplating buying a second external hard drive for further backup. Then I started the reformatting.

Everything went smoothly until I tried to reconnect the external hard drive to transfer the settings and some stuff back to the laptop: the external hard drive wasn’t recognized.
I tried to stay calm, because I mean literally like 2 hours before it was working fine.

Isn’t this always how it happens?

I was pretty sure that it couldn’t really be that big of a problem, since I didn’t do anything to the hard drive between the backup and the reformatting, so I didn’t worry too much about it.
I was too busy with my travel plans to take care of it then, so when I got back last week, I decided I would send in the hard drive to a data recovery service for evaluation. I figured it would be a piece of cake to make it accessible again.

The good news is: I was told it can be fixed and all files will be recoverable.
The bad news is: They want $1200 from me.

$1200!

I mean, seriously? Is that what it costs to have your memories restored?

I am completely speechless.

I thought it would be a couple of hundred dollars. Maybe! It took me a day to get over it, but  I had already made peace with the fact that I had to invest a little bit of money to get my files back. Looks like I have to invest a little bit more than that.

But $1200… that’s like another flight to Europe … or… a new laptop that I was planning to buy some time soon. Argh!

I am devastated. And I am not sure what to do.

Do you think it’s worth it?

14

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    June 7, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    Eeeek! That’s a lot of money to fix it :/ I’m not sure what to tell you. On one hand it’d be nice to have all of your old stuff back. On the other hand you could get a new computer for less than that. I guess it’s really up to you…it depends how valuable everything on your computer is. Good luck!
    .-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Everything’s coming up roses =-.

    Reply
  2. Maribeth says

    June 8, 2010 at 1:00 am

    Okay, I would get a second opinion. I would try to find a reputable place to do the work much cheaper, then buy the new laptop with tons of space on it.
    Having a lot of fun here. We are having a grill party tonight! I love that so much.
    I had this dream. (you will laugh!)I dreamt that when I woke up I was listening to everyone speaking German and I understood everything! I learned to speak all German in my sleep! LOL! Then I woke (in real life)to find my German is not as good as Uschi’s 4 year old grandson, Anton! lol!
    .-= Maribeth´s last blog ..Monday =-.

    Reply
  3. Irene says

    June 8, 2010 at 3:25 am

    I would also say go and get a second opinion, that’s a hell lot of money! But if you have a lot of valuable memories on it like pictures or saved emails I would probably get it done…pics are irreplaceable. I lost a whole lot of them (still old-fashioned printouts) together with all my letters from that year back in 1999 because I put them in a box and send them home to Germany after my au pair year. The box never made it here and all of them are lost now. I am still sad when I think about it!
    I would offer my hubby to help if you weren’t at the other end of the world, he is pretty good at doing stuff like that, I could ask him if he has a good idea what to do…

    Good Luck with it!

    Irene

    Reply
  4. kim says

    June 8, 2010 at 3:35 am

    OMG! sh*t! i would DEFINITELY get a second opinion as well. maybe check craigslist or the like for someone who offers this kind of service? a neighbor? only after having checked into all the options out there would i even consider thinking about spending that kind of money. what about the manufacturer of the hard drive? didn’t you get a western digital as well? check with them to see what they might offer… maybe there’s even still some kind of warranty on the harddrive? either way, i am crossing fingers and toes for you to find another solution!!!

    ((hugs))
    .-= kim´s last blog ..my beauty spring favorites =-.

    Reply
  5. Emily Jane says

    June 8, 2010 at 5:53 am

    That is SUCH a lot of money… and scares me so much… I’m awful for not backing up my computer, too, and last year I thought I’d lost everything (when a metal BRACELET fell inside the tower and fried the motherboard…thankfully the hard drive was okay!!) If there are pictures on there you have no copies of that mean a lot… it may be a tough pill to swallow to get fixed… but if it’s mostly music and stuff that could be replaced, I’d get a new one? Maybe? I’m sorry this happened!!
    .-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..2 Years. Or 7, depending on where you start =-.

    Reply
  6. Jen says

    June 8, 2010 at 7:28 am

    I’d suggest a second opinion. Can you take the hard drive to other places and get some quotes to compare prices? Shopping around often works for me.
    .-= Jen´s last blog ..Weekend Update =-.

    Reply
  7. ute says

    June 8, 2010 at 9:43 am

    holy bananas. That is crazy. If that is the final price I would say “no”. Dear god in heaven!!! INSANE! Sorry love I hope you find a solution!!!

    Reply
  8. sizzle says

    June 8, 2010 at 10:03 am

    You could spend that money on so much other stuff. I suppose it’s all about what you value, right? What you can’t get back on the hard drive. I agree with the others- get a second opinion.

    Reply
  9. Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks says

    June 8, 2010 at 11:12 am

    I put pretty much all my digital photos on my external drive. I would be devastated if I lost them. Personally, I’d shell out the cash. But, as others have suggested, I’d also seek out a second opinion and/or try to negotiate a lower price.

    Reply
  10. Marie says

    June 8, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    Oh Noooo!!
    But yeah this is the price..shocking huh?
    We had the same problem beginning of this year & we decided to leave it this way..since it is soo expensive…but some day we will get our stuff back :((

    Reply
  11. Stefanie says

    June 9, 2010 at 6:20 am

    That’s insane! I would say it all depends on what is on your external drive and how important those files are for you.

    Maybe you have a geek friend who can help you out with recovering your files. Have you tried googling your issue? Maybe there is a self-help tutorial or a not-so-expensive software?
    .-= Stefanie´s last blog ..I am a runner. =-.

    Reply
  12. Karen says

    June 9, 2010 at 10:37 am

    Oh wow, that is so much money. I would also suggest to either find out if anyone you know could help you recover the files without having to pay as much, or getting a second opinion.
    I had no idea this type of thing was so expensive but I hope I will never need to use a service like that because I always back up files (mostly pictures, they’re the most important to me) on my external hard drive and a DVD (I never rely on just one medium).
    .-= Karen´s last blog ..Ask and I’ll answer =-.

    Reply
  13. LiLu says

    June 10, 2010 at 8:57 am

    I’m with the second opinion crowd. Or throwing-a-plea-out-on-Twitter. $1200 is RIDICULOUS.
    .-= LiLu´s last blog ..I Might As Well Get Him A Love Fern =-.

    Reply
  14. terra says

    June 12, 2010 at 12:42 pm

    Oh wow – that’s a tough dilemma. I’d absolutely get a second opinion. That just seems ridiculous! $1200 just seems CRAZY expensive!
    .-= terra´s last blog ..On the fence, in the middle, and picked last for dodgeball too. =-.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

Shop

Disclosure + Privacy

All content, unless otherwise specified, is original content written and created by me. Stealing is rude. If you want to use any photos or other content, just send me a note and maybe we can work something out. Be sure to credit and link back, if you do take any information from this blog and post it somewhere else. Thank you!

Now, let’s be friends!

Please check out my disclosure + privacy policies.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Archives

  • ▼2021 (6)
    • ▼January (6)
      • Tuesday Topics | What I learned about myself during the pandemic
      • January Link List
      • One Little Word® for 2021: Trust
      • Tuesday Topics | My favorite book(s) of 2020
      • Things I wanted to do in 2020
      • Goodbye 2020, hello 2021.
  • ►2020 (118)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (8)
    • ►September (10)
    • ►August (8)
    • ►July (7)
    • ►June (6)
    • ►May (5)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (5)
    • ►February (10)
    • ►January (13)
  • ►2019 (142)
    • ►December (10)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (10)
    • ►September (11)
    • ►August (10)
    • ►July (13)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (8)
    • ►April (10)
    • ►March (10)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (12)
  • ►2018 (145)
    • ►December (8)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (8)
    • ►September (7)
    • ►August (12)
    • ►July (9)
    • ►June (11)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (13)
    • ►March (12)
    • ►February (12)
    • ►January (13)
  • ►2017 (152)
    • ►December (10)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (12)
    • ►September (10)
    • ►August (13)
    • ►July (12)
    • ►June (13)
    • ►May (12)
    • ►April (9)
    • ►March (11)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (12)
  • ►2016 (153)
    • ►December (18)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (11)
    • ►August (11)
    • ►July (10)
    • ►June (12)
    • ►May (13)
    • ►April (12)
    • ►March (9)
    • ►February (11)
    • ►January (7)
  • ►2015 (141)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (10)
    • ►September (12)
    • ►August (12)
    • ►July (10)
    • ►June (11)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (13)
    • ►March (11)
    • ►February (7)
    • ►January (6)
  • ►2014 (198)
    • ►December (19)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (18)
    • ►September (12)
    • ►August (11)
    • ►July (14)
    • ►June (17)
    • ►May (13)
    • ►April (17)
    • ►March (18)
    • ►February (15)
    • ►January (14)
  • ►2013 (162)
    • ►December (11)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (15)
    • ►September (15)
    • ►August (7)
    • ►July (9)
    • ►June (11)
    • ►May (10)
    • ►April (13)
    • ►March (21)
    • ►February (14)
    • ►January (6)
  • ►2012 (211)
    • ►December (12)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (17)
    • ►September (14)
    • ►August (13)
    • ►July (14)
    • ►June (19)
    • ►May (18)
    • ►April (18)
    • ►March (20)
    • ►February (22)
    • ►January (14)
  • ►2011 (187)
    • ►December (16)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (19)
    • ►September (20)
    • ►August (7)
    • ►July (19)
    • ►June (19)
    • ►May (9)
    • ►April (12)
    • ►March (11)
    • ►February (13)
    • ►January (12)
  • ►2010 (140)
    • ►December (13)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (11)
    • ►September (12)
    • ►August (5)
    • ►July (8)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (10)
    • ►March (14)
    • ►February (12)
    • ►January (12)
  • ►2009 (139)
    • ►December (12)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (8)
    • ►September (9)
    • ►August (8)
    • ►July (6)
    • ►June (8)
    • ►May (12)
    • ►April (10)
    • ►March (13)
    • ►February (12)
    • ►January (11)
  • ►2008 (138)
    • ►December (12)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (7)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►August (10)
    • ►July (8)
    • ►June (12)
    • ►May (14)
    • ►April (13)
    • ►March (9)
    • ►February (8)
    • ►January (7)
  • ►2007 (145)
    • ►December (11)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (13)
    • ►September (10)
    • ►August (9)
    • ►July (10)
    • ►June (9)
    • ►May (14)
    • ►April (12)
    • ►March (10)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (8)
  • ►2006 (152)
    • ►December (11)
    • ►November (30)
    • ►October (16)
    • ►September (14)
    • ►August (17)
    • ►July (13)
    • ►June (10)
    • ►May (2)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (12)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (10)
  • ►2005 (150)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (16)
    • ►October (2)
    • ►September (15)
    • ►August (16)
    • ►July (10)
    • ►June (14)
    • ►May (16)
    • ►April (13)
    • ►March (16)
    • ►February (10)
    • ►January (13)
  • ►2004 (29)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (2)
    • ►October (1)
    • ►September (4)
    • ►August (2)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (5)
    • ►April (6)
…

All Rights Reserved ©theinbetweenismine.com 2004-2021

Copyright © 2021 · Wildflower on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok