Hi, all;
this is more a warnning than just a bad luck story.
I keep four of my computers running with two hard disks, one with system files and programs, the other with ordinary data. All of these four computers compose my home network, so if some data is actually priority data, I keep it in a CD/DVD and in more than one data HD (I had some CD ROM disks unable to be read, so...).
There is a fifth computer, the one I use to access internet, and it is the only exception to the rule: it has one single 6GB hard disk. Yeap, an old device, instead working. All I need to be saved after being downloaded is copied somewhere else in the other computers, but the main mail data (income and outgoing messages) plus some not priority data are kept in the same hard disk. In some circumstances, recently downloaded priority data is kept in this computer for no longer than a day, mainly when the other computers are turnned off at the moment the download happens.
Yesterday (feb. 14th), it took me a few hours to download the HP48G AUG (telephone line, 56Kbits tops...), and as it was late in the night, I simply turned the computer off and let the copy of the HP48G AUG file to be made today morning (feb, 15th). What a surprise seeing the scandisk plane cyan and yellow image after turning the computer on today morning... and automatically running surface scan!
When the surface scan was closed to the last 4% of the surface area, two bad-cluster indication arose and all of the last 15 areas made the surface scan to slow down considerably. Then I heard some different noises and felt worried about what was going on. When the first of the last four small squares was being scanned, the hard disk shriek loudly and then sounded as if something was being scratched. I turnned the computer off, waited for a few seconds and turnned it on again. The noise was then louder, and the harddisk was no longer being detected.
I removed it and tried another computer: same results. I tried some soft taps with the palm of the hand and with a small rubber hammer and did not get better results. Yeap, I know, it is neither scientific nor technical, just a desperate tryout... Yes, you can blame me. Preferably with a small rubber hammer...
Well, let's exhume the corpse and see if we find something. Believe me, I have neve seen something like that: one of the heads was simply unstick from its arm, and part of the surface of the corresponding disk had scratches all over. Total loss.
The bigger losses were definitely the e-mail contents, some kept since October 2004. Most of the other data, unfortunately not all, had a copy somewhere. And, of course, the HP48G AUG file, that took me some hours to download, and was not backed up.
I know that the head being unstick is a hard-to-happen misfortune, but if I had an additional data-only hard disk, I´d not loose these files and info. After that, when preparing my new hard disks for this computer, I´ll take some time to periodically make a copy of the e-mail files and folders...
This did not happen to a friend of a friend of mine. This happened with me. And I hope it helps you, guys, to consider backing up data more frequently.
Cheers.
Luiz (Brazil)