Back Up, Back Up, Back Up!

This is not your typical lost data story. I was a good girl and I kept my files on the network drive just like the company recommended. The only thing I put on my hard drive was junk files - things that wouldn't bother me if the hard drive crashed. But not on the network drive. The drives are backed up and even my PC has a local back up program. Can you see where this is going?

On Wednesday, August 25, I accessed my work from the network drive as always. I kept copies of my time report and my daily activities there. Since I was going to be out on August 26 for surgery, I saved everything and did the usual end of day sign out routine.

I returned to work on Wednesday, September 1 and accessed the drive through my 'Favorites' and got an error message. Thought nothing of it -- figured the network was down or something. Eventually, I went into File Explorer and accessed my private network drive from there. Ah ha! They moved me to a new server. Fine, fine. Whatever.

Not fine! On that drive were two folders: /windows and /log. That's it. Nothing else. I opened a ticket. Turned out the data wasn't migrated from the old to the new server. Thankfully, they kept archived data for 30 days, so the ticket should take care of that.

Thursday, I went home early. My surgery wore me out after half a day. Friday, September 3, I had to go to the ER and ended up not returning to work until October 5. I checked the drive and nothing changed. I checked the ticket and it was closed! According to the ticket, the problem was resolved. My foot! I immediately contacted support and explained the ticket wasn't resolved.

He asked for permission to remote control my PC. By all means. I watched him do all the things I had attempted. He passed the ticket to a specific group. I kept checking on the ticket and emailing the contact. I heard stuff like it's past 30 days so it may not be archived. Well, hey, I reported the problem within five days of the last time it worked! Why wasn't it properly resolved while I was out?

If you work for support or have worked for them - don't get me wrong, I am married to a guy who has worked in it and managed it. I've lost serious data here.

Lesson learned? I should've backed up the data onto my hard drive. If I had, then all would be cool. What are the chances of losing the network data AND hard drive data? Wait, don't answer that.

Back up early and back up often.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl's notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

---

10 Tips to SPEED Up Your PC

1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any... Read More

Some Thoughts on Choosing a Flash MP3 Player

Flash mp3 players come with an exciting array of features,... Read More

Occupational Therapy and PDAs

Occupational Therapy Made EasierMedical downloads for the pda have improved... Read More

Quick System Restore with ASR Backups

ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the... Read More

Simple Overview Of Computer

Computer is an electronic machine work on the instructions of... Read More

The Benefits of the New Firefox Browser

You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0... Read More

Favorite Things To Do With Home Technology

Save money. Save 10-15% on utility bills per month. Work... Read More

Registry Tools Demystified

Not sure what Windows registry is or how it works?... Read More

5 Steps to Removing PC Clutter

It's hard enough as it is these days to get... Read More

How to Protect your PC from Spyware in the Cyber Age

Wouldn't you be shocked to find that your personal sensitive... Read More

How Do MP3 Players Work? Digital Audio Technology Revolutionizes Music Enjoyment

Millions have enjoyed recorded music since 1877 when Thomas Edison... Read More

Consumer Electronic Information: The Basics of the DLP Projector

Projectors have come a long way in the past few... Read More

Buying A PC Flat Screen Monitor

For six years, my Samsung PC 13.8 inch SyncMaster conventional... Read More

Is DVD Storage An Attractive Alternative For Your Computer Backup?

If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More

Repairing A Corrupt .RAR/.ZIP Archive

Step 1:Open WinRAR and browse to the folder with your... Read More

Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 4 of 5)

Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More

Use Your Computer For Your Entertainment Needs

By using your computer today you can find a lot... Read More

Dynamite Comes in Small Packages - Tiny Personal Audio MP3 Players Pack Powerful Music Enjoyment

MP3 players are Hot! Playing music has come a long... Read More

Put Order and Information into File Names

Unless you place your faith in internal search engine software... Read More

Selecting the Perfect Big Screen TV

Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to... Read More

Cisco Certification: A Survival Guide To The Cisco Cable Jungle

One of the most confusing parts of beginning your Cisco... Read More

Digital Cameras: How Many Pixels Do I Need?

With the bewildering number of digital cameras on the market,... Read More

How I Started Working With 3D Modeling Programs

So I'll start from the very beginning.One day I was... Read More

7 Reasons NOT to Take Your Laptop on Holiday!

Heading off on vacation soon?Then perhaps you're tempted to take... Read More

How to Place Home Theater Speakers

You have your television and home theater receiver; you just... Read More

Bios Term

BIOS - Basic Input Output SystemThe central processing unit of... Read More

Freezing - Time To Warm Up Your PC

Freezing is also known as crashing or hanging. It's frustrating.... Read More

How To Increase Computer Speed And Performance - Great Tips & Tricks

Many computer users are worried about their computer's performance. After... Read More

Why Using an Ad Blocker Can be a Bad Idea

Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More

Font Organizers Review, Part I

Do you know how many fonts are currently installed on... Read More

D2X Digital SLRCoolpix 8800 Actually Refers to Two Nikon Cameras

Addressing a D2X Digital SLRCoolpix 8800 search, this article provides... Read More

Cisco Certification: What To Expect On Exam Day

Cisco Certification: Taking Your First Certification ExamYou've studied hard; you've... Read More

Toshiba Wins Hollywood Support for the HD DVD format

What led them to this choice, as all four studios... Read More