Crashed Drive - Final Update

[AAFO_WSagar]

Dear Mr. Sagar,

We regret to inform you that, despite our best efforts, we are unable to recover any complete files or directories from your hard disk drive. We have concluded, after thorough examination and numerous data recovery attempts, that the platter surface became excessively damaged after the crash due to prolonged spinning in a failed state (immediately following the head failure). We feel that we have exhausted all possibilities in attempting recovery on your drive.

Your drive will be returned via UPS Ground, unless you specify otherwise or there is not current billing information on file for your case.

Your patience and understanding in this case has been greatly appreciated. We also appreciate the opportunity to attempt recovery of your disk, and hope we can be of assistance if you ever need data recovery in the future.

Sincerely,
George E. Zollner
Data Recovery Support Specialist
ESS Data Recovery, Inc.
www.essdatarecovery.com

I'm completely bummed!

I can't even believe this is happening..

I emailed all of you who contributed to the drive recovery fund, it is my understanding that, if they can't recover data, I don't pay....

Most of you responded very kindly telling me to keep the donations placed toward the drive for whatever site related expenses I deemed necessary.. For those of you who responded, I will, indeed, do this as expenses are mounting!

If anyone who did not respond, or if anyone else wishes to change their minds, and ask for a refund, I will completely understand and abide by your wishes...

Man, I can't believe that those pictures are gone.. I'm not even sure what all was on there!.....

I now have two one terabyte systems, set to raid -1 which mirrors the two 500gb drives in each of the housings.. I have the two other 250gb drives which I'd previously filled, backed up onto one additional 500gb drive...

Once the 500 (x2) raid housings are full, I will transfer one disk to a safe place, the other to a single housing and work from that for image use..

Knocking on wood, this lost drive thing will never happen again!

Man I'm bummed!



I need a and a

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

PS.. the drawing for the Mueller print will still take place, those of you whom I owe a print to, I will get out soon....

Thanks again for all of your generosity in helping ease the initial shock of all this... I still can't belive this is the final outcome!

Worst of all I think, I have some really really good shots of Gerry Beck taken on the last day of shooting... he was doing a speaking role in the cockpit of his airplane.. gone...

[wingman]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Boy, that really sucks... Really scary to think of losing that much material.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Boy, that really sucks... Really scary to think of losing that much material.

Well it was a 320gb drive.. I thought it was 500.. irrelevent since it was not full..

Brand new drive, I'd opened it and started putting stuff on it around April.. so ALL of the april snow out session and then the subsequent may final shooting day... with the exception, just out of luck and the fact that I was using the shots, the A2A session with the planes was NOT lost..

Nor was the Gary Thompson/Stearman session, as the drive crashed the night before.. But MOST of my stuff from PRS is lost also...

I had some really good jet stuff with that 300 I tried..

The ONLY way to do it (store stuff) now that I've been through this is to never think that you have one TB when you have two 500gb drives.. You have one 500 and a backup.. Whether you do it manually, (load to both drives) or as I'm doing with these two Iomega raid drive housings (managed to get them REALLY cheap) at the very least... data needs to be on TWO separate drives.. burning it all to dual layer DVD might be a good idea too but REALLY time consuming.

I will, however, be MUCH more careful with my precious data on a daily basis..

I need to get a larger portable drive to fit in that little speedy housing I have. I think I have enough flash memory to make it through a day.. I SHOULD be dropping each disk into the portable as the day progresses so I leave the field/event with two copies of the stuff I shot.. Then drop it onto the raid/mirrored drives at home base and that *should* give me pretty event long data security.. Unless someone comes into my hotel and walks off with my drives.. god..

There is no peaceful place to put one's mind in all this!

Oh well. Stress can kill ya, I'm going to do my best to not think abouut those shots any longer, they are gone... the donation drive proved to me that this site, and myself personally, have a LOT of supporters!

That's worth more than all the images in the world and Neal, I know you know I mean that!

Wayne

[T. Adams]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Right now I put it all on DVD's ASAP, then by the end of the year it will be on a seperate HD. I know DVD's may not last forever, but they will last until the end of this year!!

[wingman]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

I'm running mirrored RAID drives on my home PC, and try to be good about putting everything on CDs or DVDs, though I always seem to be behind on that -- it truly is time consuming.

Anybody know anything about the longevity of CD-Rs vs home recorded data DVDs?

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Right now I put it all on DVD's ASAP, then by the end of the year it will be on a seperate HD. I know DVD's may not last forever, but they will last until the end of this year!!

Probably the very best plan.. though with shooting 8gb cards, that puts me into the quite a bit more expensive dual layer DVD's if I want to keep any kind of continuity and they record pretty slowly..

I'm already hard pressed to get everything downloaded in the evening and take any time for a bit of R&R with the MANY available evening activities..

Used to stay at Stead 24/7 during the week, missed it all, including ANY sleep for the week usually (hard to sleep in with all the music in the air as soon as dawn arrives)

Now, I still don't get much sleep but prolly have a lot more fun at night!

Nothing like laying out in front of Parker's hangar late at night waiting for a big file upload session to complete..

Nice to remember but makes me wish I could have afforded a couple UNR journalisim interns!

[Jason S.]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Probably the very best plan.. though with shooting 8gb cards, that puts me into the quite a bit more expensive dual layer DVD's if I want to keep any kind of continuity and they record pretty slowly..

I'm already hard pressed to get everything downloaded in the evening and take any time for a bit of R&R with the MANY available evening activities..

Used to stay at Stead 24/7 during the week, missed it all, including ANY sleep for the week usually (hard to sleep in with all the music in the air as soon as dawn arrives)

Now, I still don't get much sleep but prolly have a lot more fun at night!

Nothing like laying out in front of Parker's hangar late at night waiting for a big file upload session to complete..

Nice to remember but makes me wish I could have afforded a couple UNR journalisim interns!

Hey Wayne, I know the Costco here in AZ has the 100 pack blank DVD-R’s for around 35 dollars. You can store tons of stuff for relatively cheap on these, and they are also the ones that can be printed on. I’ve been using them for my team videos and data backup without any problems.

[sierra fox]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

I just got a dual layer DVD drive. Does this require dual layer DVD's?

Thanks

Anthony

[T. Adams]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

I just got a dual layer DVD drive. Does this require dual layer DVD's?

Thanks

Anthony

No, it does not.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

I just got a dual layer DVD drive. Does this require dual layer DVD's?

Thanks

Anthony

Yes and no... yes if you want to record 8gb no if all you want to do is record the 4gb's... 8's are way more than double the cost of the 4's and record much slower.... truly a mixed blessing being able to use them.

[wyhdah]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Wayne,

I have a Dual Pentium server raid five capable. It is just sitting. I was running a unix based SCO operating system but I could put it online and I think, with some help, I could change the OS and maybe store some files online. Is that something you would be interested in?

[jarrodeu]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Man, that really sucks.
I have a Wovlerine 40GB portable harddrive(very slow) and before reno I will have a Sanho 40GB Hyperdrive(much faster) I figure it being cheaper than buying a bunch of cards. Right now I have 2 Sandisk 4GB cards.

Jarrod

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Man, that really sucks.
I have a Wovlerine 40GB portable harddrive(very slow) and before reno I will have a Sanho 40GB Hyperdrive(much faster) I figure it being cheaper than buying a bunch of cards. Right now I have 2 Sandisk 4GB cards.

Jarrod

Jarrod,

I almost hate to say how many gigs I shoot at RENO!! My 8gb cards hold just over 300 shots with raw settings... it adds up REALLY quick!

Getting them stored had never been a problem. I've been messing with computers since about mid 90's, this is the FIRST drive that has ever let me down. I was, rather, complacient due to this fact! I don't think the voltage in the socket I was plugged into was very reliable (shared with a heavy AC unit) and I was handling the drive while it spooled up.. both bad from what I've learned..

Wayne

[sierra fox]

Re: Crashed Drive - Final Update

Speaking of RAW, do you guys do any converting and post processing on site with your laptops? I just got a new LT and am hoping i'll be able to tweak some images in the evenings.

BTW, i only have PSE 5.0 on the laptop and am wondering if i should install CS. The only fear i have is that the processor wont be able to handle CS.

Anthony