jason | Failure! Failure!

Originally published at .... You can comment here or there.

I was presenting at the Learning & Teaching Office’s faculty conference today. I’ll upload the podcast and PPTs for it in a bit; you’ll understand why I’ve not done it yet in a moment.

I get into RCC 204, open my laptop and FIZZpopBlort! Whoshing air from an over burdened fan. Funny ping of death beep. And nothing. But the show must go on. Dead laptop. NO tech support. Not even a conference organizer about. Rule #1: Always have a backup. My presentation was on CD, so I got another puter, and away we went.

Presentation went very nicely. Everyone was polite, and there were interesting questions… but my mind was a bit torn… what about my data?

Over the next 4 hours I was trying to get the computer to boot into ‘target mode’ so that I could use it as a hard disk. It would not boot up otherwise.

I got about 3 minutes to get data off, then it would die. Over and Over. I lucked, finally into about 10 full minutes where I could get the rest of it off. Then it died and would not return.

Three weeks left on the warranty. New logic board and harddrive in a couple of days.

I’m presently using my iPod for all my computing. I’ve got my desktops convinced that my iPod is /user/jason/*

Wheeeee….

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounding cynical about the value of data? :) I don't know what's important to others... I don't worry about pictures or things like that... but student marks, my course development documents, unplublished books and papers, and 10+ years of email archives... those are useful to me as an academic and educator. Give me $1000000 and I'll retire and we can forget about backups, but until then the show must go on.

Failure! Failure!

Re: Back up Back up Back up