Please stop reading this blog right now. Just stop reading it and then back up your entire hard drive. I’m so serious.

“What? Even if it crashes, the guy will just transfer my old stuff into the new one.” Nope- do NOT count on that.

It is my living nightmare. A few weeks ago, my computer just froze up. I tried to get to the task manager but couldn’t. I tried to restart but couldn’t. I did a hard-boot and when it started back up, it got stuck infinitely in the start up cycle.

I had a technician come to the house and he diagnosed it as having a bad hard drive. The error was telling him it had overheated. Oh, don’t worry- nine times out of ten we’ll just move your stuff to an external hard drive or a destop in your house. (he said)

Alas, he nonchalantly sucked on his pen and said, “it doesn’t look good. I’m only getting like 10 to 15 files and then it stops.” I was sort of in disbelief.

So, he said not to worry he’d take it home where it could have more time. But then he didn’t call me for a couple of days. Then explained he had been on vacation. Then a half hour later said it was going to be impossible to retrieve any of my data.

I don’t know what possibly happened in that time for him to think it was impossible. He tells me, “they have mail away services you can use but it’ll cost you thousands”.

So, he flippantly hands it back to me while checking his texts and heading out to his car in his sockless feet and orange surfer shorts.

I am left alone with a malfunctioning piece of metal that somehow contains all of the precious photos of my children, the last remaining photo of my deceased father, the only visual of his very elegant handwriting, all of my gallery work, all of my home business work, contracts, tenant issues and important evidence for an upcoming court case. But I cannot get it out.

So, as Sockless Shortsman told me to do, I googled “data retrieval” and “hard drive recovery” and found a bazillion places, all with similiar stock photography of keyboards and the usual list of services. I read through them all. They all sound the same.

Then just to be sure I type in the name of the one with the lowest prices, the guarantees, the most information.. but I type “complaints” at the end… and google provided me with hundreds of complaints about this business. People saying they were ripped off, their data held hostage, their harddrives never returned. Then google showed me a video from a newscast in Los Angeles which you can see right here:

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/investigative/Data_Recovery_Scams_20090727

Go ahead. Watch it.

Scares ya, doesn’t it? Just a little bit. Think you are still safe? Think again. Even online backup services have consumer complaints.

So, I basically researched the consultant in the news clip thinking that they probably stand the best chance of being honest if they have been in business 20 years and featured as experts in the field on a Los Angeles newscast.

I traced the name of the TV station and the brief mention of their company. They are ITS from Chatsworth, California. (That’s the Valley, folks, ohmahgawd!)

I contacted them today and after filling out an online inquiry, received a quote based on the general approxiimation of the quantity of data I have to be retrieved. They have sent me back a job number and shipping information. I am emailing with the owner, the guy from the news himself.

I am going to pack up this valuable hunk of information and send it off to them. I am so hoping they can get my info. I mean, if data can be retrieved from burned up or flooded hard drives surely they can get mine back, right? right?

I mean, will I see my dad’s face again? Will I see my son as a smiling little baby playing with a fluffy kitten ever again? I am counting on them.

Take a moment and think about what you have stored on your computer. Would it upset you to lose anything? If so, please back it up now. Back it up online and back it up to an external device. Please.

I will keep you updated on the condition of the hard drive and this process as part of one of my consumer reports. Let’s hope it works. Please. I have so much on there. What a fool I am.

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