Most of us remember the old joke about Jesus and Satan in a computing competition (details available here). At the last moment, the power goes out. When it is restored, Satan has lost his data and Jesus completes the task. Why? Because Jesus saves (his data before the power outage).
And I have been forced to teach my daughter this lesson. Two weeks ago, she started having trouble with her laptop. Every so often, something would result in her Windows system configuration being corrupted. And she was unable to even boot an OS to perform a system restore. So I was forced to break out the repair disks, boot from the Windows install media and recover system files (and the boot sector) by hand. I am so very glad that I remember how to do this. I am even more glad that this data is readily available on the web.
So after the last failure, we bought our daughter an external had disk. We then moved all of her personal files to the external drive. Now she had a place to store her data in case her laptop’s disk drive failed.
Everything worked quite well – until the external drive failed. OK, failure isn’t exactly what happened. Actually, my daughter dropped the hard drive and then stepped on it. She heard a crack and then realized had what happened. But it was too late. She could no longer access the drive. And she had an important paper to turn in to her professor.
Of course, she should have backed it up. But she didn’t. So it was time for the backup plan: use some tools to get the data back. I told my daughter not to use the computer lest she overwrite any data that remained on the hard drive.
So I had to get to work in order to recover data on the laptop and recover data on the external drive. Getting back the data on the laptop was fairly simple. I used Recuva. I was hoping that I could open the app ad just recover the data. But I had done a disk defrag since the first event. So I was hopeful that the sectors we needed weren’t overwritten. F0rtunately, they weren’t. But I had to do a deep scan o recover most of the files. I think a got about 98% of her files. And at first blush, she had all the important files that she needed.
So it was on to the external drive. And it was a mess. Recuva could do nothing with it. So it was time to move on to an industrial solutions. I tried to use a trial copy of the Ontrack tools. Their trial allows for analysis and recovery of one file. Fortunately, she only had one file she really needed. After spending eight hours assessing the drive, it looked like we could recover anything – including the one file.
So I recovered the one file. And checked out the pricing of the tool. And the full-feature tool was between $199 and $499. This may be chump change for a business. But I can’t afford that much money just for some miscellaneous files.
But this episode has taught me that I need to have a more robust series of tools. So I’m off to the Internet to do some additional research on file recovery tools and services. Do any of you have some recommendations?
-Roo
Month: February 2010
Windows Weekend
I’ve been running Windows 7 since January of last year. But over the past few weeks, I’ve been getting the notices that the Windows 7 release candidate that I was running would expire at the end of February. So it was finally time to buy the upgrade licenses and installl the GA code.
But over the past few months, I’ve also started to have some weird system problems. Specifically, the video driver I have been using has started to abort. And in a few instances, I’ve even had a few BSOD troubles. So it was with a little trepidation (and a sliver of hope) that I decided to upgraded two of our systems here at the bat cave. And as much as I hate to do clean installs, that is the path that I chose.
It was a good choice. The install went extremely well on my system. I booted from the install media, installed into a new directory and the system installed flawlessly. Yeah, it took a few hours to reinstall some applications, but the system is running wonderfully well. And my sliver of hope was rewarded as all of my video driver issues have been resolved. They may reappear. But I’ll keep my eyes open and make sure that I document all of the restore points I will be setting.
Unfortunately, my wife’s upgrade did not go as well. I tried to boot from the install media – but I couldn’t get the prompt to “press any key” to boot from CD/DVD. I went into the BIOS and changed a whole heap of settings. But I still couldn’t get the system to boot from the Windows 7 installation media.
So I asked my wife if she was having trouble with her CD/DVD combo drive. And after a few minutes, it became clear that the trouble was with the hardware itself. There was no way to boot from the drive because the system didn’t recognize the drive at all.
So I started feeling a little stuck. I really didn’t want to plunk down the cash as Cindy is between jobs. So I decided to build a bootable flash drive from the installation media. I followed the steps outlined on the “Into Windows” web site (details here). From the resulting flash drive, I could boot and install Windows 7 on my wife’s system.
Once I could boot from installation media, I had no trouble reinstalling the GA code on Cindy’s system. Her install went well, with a few minor hiccups where I needed to remove the flash drive before a reboot. But the overall process was much faster than installing from optical media.
Once I got the system installed, I migrated all of her apps and turned the system over for her QA. Everything was great – until she noted that Outlook wasn’t working as it was supposed to work. I worked to configure Outlook and utilize all of the PST files that she had acquired over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, I had deleted a couple of the PST files. So it was time to break out Recuva and get back the files I had eliminated. After a few stumbles along the way, I got the files restored and I got Outlook properly configured.
The entire upgrade process (with all of the fits and starts I encountered) took less than a day. And in the end, I had increased the stability of my systems. So while I was reluctant to spend the money, I must admit that it was money (and time) well spent.
-Roo
It’s Time for a System Upgrade
I’ve been in systems work for almost thirty years. And in each of those years, annual budgets have always included upgrades to pre-existing systems and technologies. For some companies, that refresh cycle is every thirty-six months. For some companies, it is extended to every sixty months. In my case, that cycle has been 90 months.
Basically, it is now time to replace the ICD that has been in my chest for over 90 months. First, I am so thankful for the men and women that work at Medtronic. Second, I am so very thankful for all the investors that have set aside their own savings in order to invest in research and in patient care. Third, I am thankful for the doctor that selected an exceptional device. Finally, I am thankful to my family for always supporting me throughout this phase of my life.
But I am now transitioning from first-time ICD recipient to lifelong ICD recipient. It’s now time to set aside the things of youth and settle into treating my ICD as part of my normal day-to-day existence.
In fairness, it really has been part of my routine for seven years. Indeed, it took me six months to get past the weirdness of relying upon tech for my continued life. But once you get past the mental barriers, living with an ICD is like living with any other routine care. For some people, this means routine blood testing. For others, it means routine medication. For me, it means that I can call my self “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
And it is quite interesting to note how this tech has evolved. When I started with my implant, I had to see the doctor every six months. About three years ago, I received a small “reader” that collects telemetry and sends it via a modem. The latest revisions of these device us secure, wireless communications to download data in real-time and then send it to a remote monitoring site (kind of like household monitoring). And if problems are noted, updated therapies can be immediately downloaded to the device.
It’s all quite interesting – and a little bit disconcerting. I am now subject to the security of wireless communications and firmware that can be revised on the fly. It’s all very cool. But if I were someone important, I might be concerned that someone could p0wn my heart!
Nevertheless, I find myself more interested than fearful. And I’d love to see firmware mods with really cool features – though I can’t think of practical uses. But I can see a mod where I can tap on my ICD and have it emit some kind of tones/music. Maybe wolf-whistles or something similarly inane.
But as I consider this as a pivot point, I am starting to view what else I can upgrade during this transition point. First, I need to reconsider whether it is time to jump back into IT leadership. I stepped back from that as I didn’t want others to depend upon me when I was concerned about my own “longevity.” Those times are over. So I’m considering changing back into a management track.
Second, I really need to step up and become an even better spiritual leader for my household. I can’t remember the last time I seriously witnessed to someone in my sphere of influence. That really needs to change. I must confess my selfishness and plead for the strength to witness my convictions.
Third, I really need to wrestle with God to determine what his plans for my life are. I am restarting so many things. As a middle-aged man, I was watching my household dwindle. But now that Cindy and I are helping our daughter to raise our grand-daughter, my expected life roles are different than I anticipated. I love my grand-daughter even more than I can express. But I really need God to empower me to be the kind of influence that my daughter and my grand-daughter really need. So I’ am re-dedicating myself to the task of becoming a family leader once again.
But rather than prattle on, I’ll close this post out very simply. I covet your prayers. The surgery is scheduled for March 3, 2010. I may live tweet before and after. But that will depend upon how out-of-it I feel and whether I can smuggle my phone into the hospital with my stuff. Maybe I can talk to the doctor and see if he tweets. It would be quite cool to have some kind of live stream.
But between now and then, I covet your prayers. Pray that I will become the man that God wants me to be. Pray that my heart is young enough to listen to what God wants rather than just requesting his blessings on what I want.
-Roo
It's Time for a System Upgrade
I’ve been in systems work for almost thirty years. And in each of those years, annual budgets have always included upgrades to pre-existing systems and technologies. For some companies, that refresh cycle is every thirty-six months. For some companies, it is extended to every sixty months. In my case, that cycle has been 90 months.
Basically, it is now time to replace the ICD that has been in my chest for over 90 months. First, I am so thankful for the men and women that work at Medtronic. Second, I am so very thankful for all the investors that have set aside their own savings in order to invest in research and in patient care. Third, I am thankful for the doctor that selected an exceptional device. Finally, I am thankful to my family for always supporting me throughout this phase of my life.
But I am now transitioning from first-time ICD recipient to lifelong ICD recipient. It’s now time to set aside the things of youth and settle into treating my ICD as part of my normal day-to-day existence.
In fairness, it really has been part of my routine for seven years. Indeed, it took me six months to get past the weirdness of relying upon tech for my continued life. But once you get past the mental barriers, living with an ICD is like living with any other routine care. For some people, this means routine blood testing. For others, it means routine medication. For me, it means that I can call my self “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
And it is quite interesting to note how this tech has evolved. When I started with my implant, I had to see the doctor every six months. About three years ago, I received a small “reader” that collects telemetry and sends it via a modem. The latest revisions of these device us secure, wireless communications to download data in real-time and then send it to a remote monitoring site (kind of like household monitoring). And if problems are noted, updated therapies can be immediately downloaded to the device.
It’s all quite interesting – and a little bit disconcerting. I am now subject to the security of wireless communications and firmware that can be revised on the fly. It’s all very cool. But if I were someone important, I might be concerned that someone could p0wn my heart!
Nevertheless, I find myself more interested than fearful. And I’d love to see firmware mods with really cool features – though I can’t think of practical uses. But I can see a mod where I can tap on my ICD and have it emit some kind of tones/music. Maybe wolf-whistles or something similarly inane.
But as I consider this as a pivot point, I am starting to view what else I can upgrade during this transition point. First, I need to reconsider whether it is time to jump back into IT leadership. I stepped back from that as I didn’t want others to depend upon me when I was concerned about my own “longevity.” Those times are over. So I’m considering changing back into a management track.
Second, I really need to step up and become an even better spiritual leader for my household. I can’t remember the last time I seriously witnessed to someone in my sphere of influence. That really needs to change. I must confess my selfishness and plead for the strength to witness my convictions.
Third, I really need to wrestle with God to determine what his plans for my life are. I am restarting so many things. As a middle-aged man, I was watching my household dwindle. But now that Cindy and I are helping our daughter to raise our grand-daughter, my expected life roles are different than I anticipated. I love my grand-daughter even more than I can express. But I really need God to empower me to be the kind of influence that my daughter and my grand-daughter really need. So I’ am re-dedicating myself to the task of becoming a family leader once again.
But rather than prattle on, I’ll close this post out very simply. I covet your prayers. The surgery is scheduled for March 3, 2010. I may live tweet before and after. But that will depend upon how out-of-it I feel and whether I can smuggle my phone into the hospital with my stuff. Maybe I can talk to the doctor and see if he tweets. It would be quite cool to have some kind of live stream.
But between now and then, I covet your prayers. Pray that I will become the man that God wants me to be. Pray that my heart is young enough to listen to what God wants rather than just requesting his blessings on what I want.
-Roo