About a week ago, my laptop died and I spent hours trying to resurrect it. I failed. So I spent several more hours. And failed again. Then I panicked. I feared I had lost spreadsheets and word documents and other files I wouldn’t even miss until I needed them. And hundreds of photos.
The kidney beds today at the Priory
In a state of hysteria, I called in PC Man. And, after a few days, PC Man brought my machine back to life and returned it to my bosom. PC Man is a marvel … and my hero (though I would never tell him; that would be too weird).
Breathe out.
Newly mulched beds and the rock border. Today at the Priory.
PC Man had to do a full operating system re-install but before doing so he backed up all my personal folders. Thank you PC Man.
Deer in the Priory grounds hotly pursued by gardener
All my files are safe and back where they belong but I’m now in the very lengthy process of re-loading various programs, migrating e-mails and trying to get everything back to how it was. It is sobering how important my laptop is to me. Often, I could happily smash it to bits with a breeze block but I didn’t half miss it when it was gone.
Breathe in.
After a gap of several years, there are ducklings at the Priory!
Stupidly, unlike you, I hadn’t been making regular backups of all my data. My last backup was in early February – so I truly did worry that I had lost hundreds of photos. Now I will definitely, absolutely, categorically make a weekly data back-up. Just like you do.
Breathe out.
The Anxious Gardener 
So glad you didn’t lose anything. I had recurring nightmares last year that I would lose the book and/or the images. When I was at university someone on my course lost their dissertation 3 days before it was due to be handed in – they had no backup. Being of a slightly more cautious and pessimistic nature I had several floppy discs deposited with family and friends, just in case. Generally though I’m a bit pants with IT. I’m fine if it does what it’s meant to but for all other situations I’m embarrassingly clueless. Now Wellyman has bought a shiny new camera too and I’m struggling with that. *sighs*
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Floppy discs, Lou? I don’t know what they are – must be before my time. Kidding – I remember working on PC’s where all the program loading was done from DOS. If you have any problems wiith your new camera, just shake it furiously and shout. Generally works for me. D
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Lovely pictures – do I spy a sea of forget-me-nots to put even mine to shame? Ours have been looking rather good this year, but not quite as consistently flowing as that… My organised husband is very good at backing up our data very regularly – just as well, or I’d be at risk too!
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I don’t know that they put yours to shame, Sara – but yes they are fmn’s. I introduced half a dozen plants about 5 years ago and they have finally created the look I was after. They do tend to smother all their co-bed-ees and so need regular thinning. But I am pleased with that blue, frothiness. D
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I’ve lost several computers over the years and none were backed up, but it hasn’t happened in the 3+ years that I’ve been blogging. It might be a little harder to take now. I have a small bonus coming up from work soon and I think you’ve convinced me to get that 2TB external hard drive I’ve had my eye on. I’m glad you were able to get everything back.
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I’d definitely recommend that you buy one, Allen. Mine is only 500GB – I shall need to buy a bigger one soon – and is a beautiful little silver, slim box that fits easily in my hand. The 1TB version costs about £50 over here. Dave
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Dave, if it’s any consolation, I’ve never made a back-up of anything, or only did so inadvertently. I’ve lost two computers already and all their photos. The current piece of equipment has only one USB port that works, and my newish cat has already spilled coffee over the keyboard – which, funnily enough, seems to have made the keys work better.
You seem to keep on taking so many matchless photos, it’s like you almost don’t need a back catalogue. But that’s a banal comment. It hurts massively to lose the stuff you’ve built up, I know. Talent such as yours could never be dulled.
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Hi Faisal, I like the idea that washing the keyboard with a mug of coffee makes it work better. Must try it. Thanks for the comment re my photos. IncreasIngly I use them as a reference to how things used to look, how plants have matured or to illustrate something or other I’m blabbering on about. The loss of such a big archive from almost six years of working at the Priory would be a terrible blow to me. (I hope your cat got a reward). D
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Despite working in an office I get very stressed with IT at home. Thankfully my sons are quite adapt at sorting things. I got a new laptop last week as my old was crashing mid blog post and just had had enough, luckily while I was away for the weekend my eldest just transferred everything across for me. I dont back up enough either!
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Hello Helen, the recurrent theme in these comments (and solution) is to have an IT savvy son (or daughter) it seems. Obviously over a certain age, computing is beyond most of us! D
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My memory card for my camera had masses of photographs on it last year which I was not going to remove “en masse” but sort from card to orderly files. But the photos on the card grew – then the card failed. I did get my photographs back eventually but just a thought that cards can hold a lot of photographs now – but they can also fail. Amelia
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Hi Amelia, I move all my photos from card to laptop almost on a daily basis. Not becasue I’m worried about the card failing (though thanks for the warning) but because I can’t truly see whether they’re any good or not until I can view them on a big screen. D
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I started backing every thing to the cloud…then it doesn’t matter if your machine takes a dixie, or gets stolen, your spreadsheets/photos/important files are safe, sound and sync-able across all your different devices!
ps. The tulips in your kidney bed are so pretty! I miss tulips!
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I have (and keep) too many photos to upload, I’m afraid – there are thousands of them! I only planted those tulips recently and very late so I was surprised they’ve put on such a good show. D
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Glad nothing was lost. You’ve reminded me, it’s time to back my last lot of photos up.
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I did actually lose some stuff including my brilliant free watermarking program. You now have to pay for it – $29 which seems very steep. I’m looking at alternatives. D
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I learnt that lesson the hard way a few years ago and annoyingly lost everything. My daughter with 3 years of uni work work also learnt it recently but with a lucky escape like you. Lovely image of the fallow deer being chased by a gardener! The garden looks wonderful, your hard work is evident.
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Thanks Julie. Deer get into the garden quite regularly but this is the first time I’ve actually seen them in the grounds. They are doing a lot of damage this year – nibbling roses and shrubs and ripping the bark of young trees. So not very welcome really. Dave
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I think we’re all guilty of back up failures! You must have been so relieved when PC Man managed to restore your hard drive. It happened to me several years ago so I’m quite good at backing up now but have currently got a macbook sitting in a drawer until the logic board is replaced – appointments at the Apple Store are like tickets into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory! The Priory is looking gorgeous in the spring sunshine – isn’t it great how the warm weather has brought everything out so soon!
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Hi Caro, I promise to be quite good too! The weather has been amazing but we had a real cold snap forecast for last night, and considering I’d planted out loads of tender stuff that was a worry. But I don’t think it was that cold after all Phew. Dave
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That was a gently nudge……will do ….
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OK Sue. We’ll say no more about it. D
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That was scary, my son is my PC man, he installed a weekly back up system that works automatically while we are having Sunday Lunch! Super header photo, by the way!
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That’s what I need to do too, Pauline. Automatic backups … and convinvce my son to become a PC Man. Glad you like the magnolia. D
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Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. We had a hard drive failure late last year and we lost loads of photos for good. We managed to retrieve some of the ones we uploaded online but a majority, 2008-13 period were gone. Not overly bothered really, you tend to overtake photos with having digital cameras but I also realised that we don’t have photos of the inside of our house before the renovation, now that I’ll miss.
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Eek. Like you, I take far too many photos and the vast majority are never used. But I do sometimes trawl through old folders and files and come across shots and think, “hmm why didn’t I ever use that one.” I used perhaps half a dozen of those recently in a post about butterfly conservation. My collection serves as a library and I often search out particular shots which I haven’t necessarily used before. And I should miss the continuos photo record of the past five or six years too. Certainly the change in the Priory is very marked over that time. D
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Glad to see the ducklings and feeling a little smug about doing my weekly backups. It’s been almost seven days since the last one…. give or take 6 months.
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Well, I’m glad I’m not alone. I’m not one to nag but after 6 months don’t you think it’s perhaps, maybe about time? D
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What is a kidney bed?
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That made me laugh, Lita. Sorry it does sound a little visceral doesn’t it? I named two of the borders the kidney beds simply because they are shaped like, well kidneys. D
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Scary but a lucky escape! Congrats on the ducklings too, it would have been dreadful to lose all your wonderful images.
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Your congrats might be a little premature, I’m afraid. I haven’t seen the ducklings for a day or so (there were only two). I’m hoping they’re OK and that another mallard in the old nestbox will hatch some soon as well. Fingers crossed. D
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Something very similar happened to me last year. I swore I would become the back up queen. And have I?…..
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Don’t worry, Elizabeth. There’s still time for us to become backup queens together. But a little less swearing please. D
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Thankfully, I live with my own PC Man. He’s saved my data countless times and I thank him regularly for it.
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I’ve told my 14 year old to abandon all hopes of being a nuclear scientist, brain surgeon or barrister and to concentrate on becoming a PC Man. But sadly the young can be very selfish. D
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I know exactly how you feel. I don’t know about PCs, but on my mac laptops I have an automatic back-up program that works seamlessly. I am sure there may be a PC version.
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I’m sure you’re right Ann. I must look into it. But doing it manually, I find watching the photo files etc being copied onto my external hard-drive oddly reassuring. D
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Frightening. Glad everything’s Ok now and back to normal.
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Thanks Elaine – almost back to normal but a backlog of posts to get out. D
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Whew… Glad you didn’t lose anything! I need a better backup solution, I keep running out of space on the backup drive and failing to notice. How wonderful to have ducklings again, and that long winding haze of forget-me-nots is lovely.
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You need to buy a backup for your backup, Janet. And then perhaps a backup for your backupbackup and then a backup for …. bored now. Haven’t seen the ducklings for a day or two – which is worrying but there is another duck sitting so …..? Dave
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Life without my laptop? Shudder!
A lesson for us all.
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Bob (Jane?), sometimes I hanker after a life without a laptop. But the reality does make me shudder too. D
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