Ugh....it's all gone :(

adversus · Jan 2, 2011

Mozy.com

$5.99 per computer, unlimited backup space. I use it on both my laptop and desktop for disaster recovery (i.e. I'm robbed or the house burns down and my local backups are gone).

I've restored from there and it's pretty seamless. You can also have them fedex you a DVD or hard drive for a cost if you can't download the backups.

adversus · Jan 2, 2011

erose86 said:
adversus said:

Mozy.com

$5.99 per computer, unlimited backup space. I use it on both my laptop and desktop for disaster recovery (i.e. I'm robbed or the house burns down and my local backups are gone).

I've restored from there and it's pretty seamless. You can also have them fedex you a DVD or hard drive for a cost if you can't download the backups.

Click to expand...

$5.99........ a *month*?

Yup.

el_shorty · Jan 2, 2011

psyclop said:
If the file are only deleted and you can still acces the drive, this should fix it
EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard - Recover deleted, lost or formatted files and more...

I 've recovered 90% of a drive formated by mistake with this software, it's user friendly.

I also used this software when one of my 1Tb hard drives crashed a few months ago, I was able to recover about 95% of my files.

psyclop · Jan 3, 2011

el_shorty said:
psyclop said:

If the file are only deleted and you can still acces the drive, this should fix it
EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard - Recover deleted, lost or formatted files and more...

I 've recovered 90% of a drive formated by mistake with this software, it's user friendly.

Click to expand...

I also used this software when one of my 1Tb hard drives crashed a few months ago, I was able to recover about 95% of my files.

As far as I'm concerned , this is the best user friendly recovery software, that I've used so far.

photorookie12 · Jan 3, 2011

What recovery software did you try?

el_shorty · Jan 3, 2011

photorookie12 said:
What recovery software did you try?

EASEUS Data Recover Wizard

KAikens318 · Jan 3, 2011

Despite my best efforts and a LOT of different data recovery programs and visiting 2 local computer shops, it is a total loss. All 6,000 photos are gone. He had overwritten all the data as soon as he deleted the old stuff so that is that. I told the hubby that just means that he will have to watch our son more so that I can go out and rebuild my portfolio that he lost.

vtf · Jan 3, 2011

KAikens318 said:
Despite my best efforts and a LOT of different data recovery programs and visiting 2 local computer shops, it is a total loss. All 6,000 photos are gone. He had overwritten all the data as soon as he deleted the old stuff so that is that. I told the hubby that just means that he will have to watch our son more so that I can go out and rebuild my portfolio that he lost.

:gah:is all I can say. I am really at a lost for words.

arcooke · Jan 3, 2011

Everyone keeps telling you to bring it to a local computer shop. Don't. It's a waste of time. They're going to use the same type of recovery software you're already using. Local shops aren't data recovery experts. There are companies out there that specialize in data recovery and this is NOT a cheap service.. you'd be looking at tens of thousands of dollars.

BKMOOD · Jan 3, 2011

Sorry about your troubles. Another reason why I still shoot film. Short of my house burning down, I've always got my negatives...

pgriz · Jan 3, 2011

For some reason, the word "IDIOT!!!!" seems to be appropriate. Maybe it's just me, but I cannot fathom the lack of interest and care on his side to ensure that no important data be erased....

pbelarge · Jan 3, 2011

Loosing a family member, a very sick child, etc...is devestating, loosing photos can be depressing, but is definitely something one will get over.

Think positive and move forward. Negative feelings never get the job done.
I am not saying I do not feel sorry for your photo losses, but I am sure you will be able to move forward and use your talents to make new images.

I would think the end of a marriage is a lot worse, which is just bad timing for you...

nonamexx · Jan 3, 2011

I agree. It's a huge loss. And I do feel for you.

Still having that many photos, you *OUGHT* to have put them in archive-quality CDs or DVDs and kept them in a dust-free container. I think you will do so in future. But no use crying over spilt milk.

nonamexx · Jan 3, 2011

pgriz said:
For some reason, the word "IDIOT!!!!" seems to be appropriate. Maybe it's just me, but I cannot fathom the lack of interest and care on his side to ensure that no important data be erased....

A few points occur to me.

1. The person who is interested in the data should have held on to the hard disk until it is ensured that the data is safely transferred over. I don't blame anybody for this. It's just an unfortunate accident.

2. External hard drives are very unreliable media for backup anyway. Especially the consumer grade USB drives with no external power supply. I've had one fail on me within 6 months of purchase and had to get a replacement (luckily still in warranty). Since then I am chary about using them and would rather use two of them or put the more important data in a CD or DVD.

3. 6000 photos! Why keep them all in a single medium? If the 6000 photos had been spread over 20 or 30 CDs even the loss of one or two wouldn't have hurt as much. And I know by experience that CDs are far more reliable than hard disks. DVDs are another issue though.

4. I don't think we should judge either the OP or her husband here. It's a personal thing which the OP has deemed fit to share on the forum. Sympathy is fine, but getting judgmental is not.

I am sharing my thoughts here so that people in future might use more reliable backup media.

dylanstraub · Jan 3, 2011

I have some computer experience but not specifically in this area. If your husband (who I imagine is in the dog house right now) reformatted the drive it will make it that much harder to recover your work. As for taking it to a store I would recommend you don't pay any money UNTIL they check the drive and give you something in writing explaining how much they expect to retrieve. This is a very specialized task and I'll bet Best buy would have sent it out to an expert. Check online for any services that do this kind of work as you may save yourself some money. What you want (when you have some extra money) is a network attached storage unit. For a two drive system they start out around 200.00. In the mean time get yourself a dvd burner drive for the computer so you can back up your work. It's not the best solution but it'll work in a pinch. You should expect to pay around 40.00 for the drive and blank dvd's are pretty cheap these days. Also look for a drive that's bundled with software like Nero or Roxio etc. That will save you a bit of money. Shoot me a pm if you have any questions about anything I said. Also, did you have almost the entire drive filled up? And if so how much data is on there now?