It’s been a truism in our family that Christmas always brings a disaster: the car throws a rod, a roof starts leaking, termite damage suddenly appears. This time my computer crashed, and at such an importune time: I’m starting the serious edit of my third book. The hard drive can and will be replaced, but I’m going to have to pay $$$$ to recover my files. Before you ask, yes, I do have an external hard drive, but I don’t always remember to save things to it and all of my pictures never made it there. I was told that our homeowners policy may cover the recovery (after the deductible, of course!), so there is a little light here.
So, my dear friends, if you do not get messages from me on your blogs, please know that I have limited access to a working computer, especially for the time I need. I hope to be back soonest.
In the meantime. I’m giving you a picture of one of my Christmas camellia trees and its lovely pink blossoms to lighten the mood!
This is terrible! ((Hugs))
Things are looking up, somewhat. Stay tuned for an update!
How awful! Hope you can get it sorted!
Things are sorting! Stay tuned for an update!
Good to hear! 🙂
Perhaps it crashed in a hissy-fit over the picture of you posted earlier having a morning coffee… Hope all gets recovered… My computer has been playing up this morning.
I love where you mind goes, Bruce! I have a temporary fix, but it better be temporary!
I know the feeling. I get my car back after its collision with a deer early next week. But your post did make me save my current edit of The Perihelix to my dropbox 😀
Glad some good came from this. I am installing TWO back up external drives now!
Noelle that’s terrible. I hope you recover everything ok girl. Bee … 🙁
Thanks, Bee. The memory appears to be intact but it is going to cost buckets to retrieve it. 🙁
😔
That is grim. Not to be wished on anyone. Have a grand Christmas.
In a way it’s good it happened now if it had to happen, I can be distracted by the holidays!
Happy holidays
Oh no! When it rains, it pours. I hope the recovery works out for you…
Thanks so much for your good wishes. Hopefully this will be a good warning to others!
Oh no! This is not fun. I do not like these fairies. I hope the good elves can recover your files and you get to enjoy Christmas. Best wishes to you and yours.
Thanks, Norah. The guy who took the computer was a bit elvish – but he reassured me that all would not be lost, so I am hopeful. Merry Christmas, and back up your stuff!
Backing up is essential. I’m sure I don’t do it often enough, but now that I have Dropbox I plan to do it once a week, saving all the folders I have worked on. It’s a wonderful plan. It would work even better if I followed through. 🙂
Rats – that IS a Christmas disaster, but sounds like you’re finding some light in the mess. I wish you success in retrieving your words and photos. Your spirit is still up and running. That’s the most important thing of all. xo
It’s pretty hard to knock me down! I have a temporary fix which I’ll post about, Have a great Christmas!
Can’t wait to read about it!
From here I hope things start looking up.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Thanks, David. Things may not be looking up, but at least they’re looking horizontal!
Hugs and a Merry Christmas to you!
Noelle – that’s dreadful. Hope it all works out. Going over to save latest draft of next book on external drive right away.Good luck with it all.Jx
Yeah, Judith! I hadn’t saved a copy of what I sent out to my beta readers but one of them was nice enough to send it back to me right away!
So sorry to hear about your computer, Noelle! A writer’s worst nightmare. Hope it gets back in one piece. 🙂
Thoughts and prayers that your computer is up and running soon and that you’ll be able to recover all of those important docs and pix, Noelle. This has happened to me twice in the past year and a half. I’ve learned that when I’m working on a big project (i.e. book) to email myself a copy of the entire document to date every time I add to it. This saved me the last time my monster crashed. I too have an external hard drive, but recovering needed files takes forever. Wishing your and your family a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year! xoxoxoxo <3
I have some of the files saved but not all – got the file of my book that I’d sent to beta readers back from one of them. Computer came home today with a new blank drive – the other one is in a box to be sent to a company that recovers files with about a 90% recovery rate. Now if we can just get the leak in the roof fixed…
Merry Christmas! Will it be white?
My condolences.
I’m catching up here, Noelle, and I can see it’s not quite sorted yet. I hope it works out better than you expect. Although yes, I know what you mean about Christmas disasters. Only hoping this year’s (and especial 2016) is a bit better. Don’t worry about comments and have a good season (or survive as well as you can!)