United States

So I just got back from the computer shop...my computer is able to be reloaded but all of my material is gone..all of it. ( I feel like throwing up )
When we looked at "my music" the files are completely corrupted or just plain missing.

Yes, I keep notes on everything but it's a staggering amount of material that is now gone. And I am not the type to take 5 steps back to go one step forward. (If it's gone, it's going to stay gone as I really have no other choice.)

Buy a TB external hard drive (about 100$) and please back up everything you do or you'll have to suffer like I am now. (gritting teeth)

Learn from MY mistake, so you don't have to feel the feeling of loss on this level.

FYI I didn't reload my computer. It's junk anyway and without my music, it's just utterly repulsive to look at. I can do all of this from a terminal in the local library. Let the hackers destroy someone else's machine next.

That really sucks, Scott. I used to back up onto DVD-Rs, pain in the ass due to size.
Got a 500G USB drive (same size as my current computer's hard drive) and have been backing up to it. Asked my wife for a 1T USB drive for Christmas, so I'll have everything backed up twice.

Man I'm sorry to hear that Scott... had a near-death once before with my PC so I starting backing up a while ago.
Yeah it's a must do. And the files accumulate quickly so a TB will do.... For awhile.

I wanted to review a prac session and realized all my mp3 files were gone!

Luckily, I had them backed up on a thumb drive. I try to do that regularly but often don't.

Talbot

I bought 2 multi-terabyte external hard drives; one for each computer, and I back up all new files, every 5 hours worth of work, or 5 days, whichever comes first for those particular files.
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I simply back up the main folders which the work is in.
And I double-check the back-ups, as should you.
If they are super-important or irreplaceable, I back them up in 2 different locations; it takes almost no time at all to do so.
I cannot lose more than 5 - 8 hours of work.
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It's not a question of IF, but WHEN you will lose data.
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Also, while working on any new file, I periodically click SAVE every 2 - 3 minutes or so. It takes 1/2 second to save 5 minutes or work it doesn't even slow you down . . .

I looked into data recovery and found that Scott could possibly get his stuff back if he happened to have 1200.00 for 'white room' and extra for the labor. They can grab it at pretty much a molecule at a time.

Just damn...

I've thought of switching to an external disk and may eventually but the thumb drive does catch most of my key stuff.

Talbot

I'm over it already.

Everything I do is of this nature.

And I can do what I need to do if I have the tools to do the job.

It's just like the 7 or so tunes I wrote without Les are never coming back again.
I got all of the stuff I worked on with Les, mostly so I just have to be smarter next time and get an external drive to save the good stuff.

Otherwise, sh*t happens..that's life.

At least i am not missing a hand.. lol Or yet another head wound..that might send me back to ground zero.

My old lady has to leave the computer on for me, this new computer I can't even turn it on, much less back anything up.

My old lady has to leave the computer on for me, this new computer I can't even turn it on, much less back anything up.

Lynard does it have windows 8? If it does hang in there once you get use to it you'll like it! This computer I am typing on now has 8. It was a heck of a learning curve and one more thing for us old computer illiterates to master!

Oh, there's one other way I have my MUSIC saved, by the way.
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Most musicians who've been around s few years have probably lost a few songs because they didn't record them right away.
Right? Been there, done that?
Okay.
I bought a looper pedal (you know, you can record/playback your own harmonies, play lead to your own rhythm or bass, whatever . . .)
You can upload it to a computer.
And it has 99 memories.
And it has 6 hours of recording time.
Hmmm . . . 99 memories, 6 hours . . .

So, now, anytime I walk in the door with a new song going through my head, I plug in and record it right away. I don't even hook up an amp or anything, I just quickly record the idea of the song.
In the last year and a half, the looper has saved me about 15-20 song ideas.