Last Monday my MacBook of six years would execute its last and final command: Me closing out a single web page window. The screen froze, and what I knew as my digital life came to a blur then blackness. Then the “clicks of death,” or in other words the sound of my hard drive physically failing.Before I knew of the official fate of my computer’s hard drive, I could only think of one question: How could I have not backed up my data? I was so angry with myself seeing that this was the second time I lost my data on this computer, believe it or not! Everyone around me seemed to lend encouraging words of hope on retrieval, but deep inside I knew my data had dissipated into digital space.
Tuesday it was confirmed: My hard drive failed and there was nothing I could do in terms of retrieving my lost data, aside from spending $1,300 to have my hard drive sent out to be physically extracted by specialists. Spending one thousand three hundred dollars for the “possibility” of retrieval? Of course nothing could be guaranteed, even when spending an exorbitant amount of money. One might as well get a new computer! I started coming to terms with the situation real quick. My data is precious and my memories, finished and unfinished works were all living there, but spending $1,300 on a possibility was undoable, and just plain outrageous.
Reconstruction
It’s crazy how technology becomes an extension of the human mind. It is a place where we store our memories translated into digital images, our trains of thought, numbers, names, everything. I can’t even remember telephone numbers anymore (!) because my phone does it for me! Losing these pieces of information can be devastating, so the process becomes really that of rebuilding. Reconstructing the external limb.
I saw this as an omen to begin anew. To continue my digital life with a clean slate, of course while systematically backing up everything, every inch of the way. I’ve become very forgetful to the practice of backing up, especially when things are working fine. This time I researched and strategized a new way of backing up, resorting to what’s called a “cloud backup.” I found this to be an easy and reasonable solution for me. Instead of plugging in an external hard drive every time you want to backup, your information will be automatically backed up via the Internet every day. You sign up and pay a monthly fee that is extremely cost-effective. And if and when your hard drive fails (because it is inevitable), you have the option of being sent a new hard drive complete with your data already on it, or a downloadable disk. Problem one solved and totally worth every penny!
So the part about “might as well get a new computer,” well that’s just what I did! My old computer, technically still in working condition, was, well, old. I could have just bought a new hard drive for a couple of hundred dollars to replace the old one, but I really wanted a new laptop, and I think it was time. I’ve had my MacBook since my freshman year of college, so the years certainly took a toll on it not looking so new anymore.Thursday after much thought, I went on the Apple Store website and purchased a new (refurbished) MacBook Pro for $899! I am so thrilled with it, and it totally makes the sting of losing all of your data not as bad. Long story in a phrase: I LOVE MY NEW LAPTOP, ‘nuff said!
Bottom line: I will never let the issue of losing my data consume my life again (for real)! I now know that hitting “save” in Word, or backing up once every eight months aren’t enough. Always back up and show some TLC to your computer every now and then!
