[GCW]

I feel like I'm in a spherical song.

[ben]

awful, am feeling for you.  Keep us updated...

is it like Schrodingers cat quantum theory, in that the data actually exists in two states on the hard drive, one retrievable and one not.. and by trying to recover it off the drive it falls into one of the states..  you just need to advance science by a couple of decades and work out how to retrieve the data from whichever state you please

probably not funny at this point in time 

[Monolith]

Sorry for such self indulgent whining team.

So, my man has confirmed a motor failure. He showed me some exposed platters with typical faults and gave me an anatomy of the system. It's going to the lab either today or tomorrow. He told me that if there's a ring scratched into the disk it's a write off. I was under the impression that this would just indicate a bad sector but obviously not.

Thanks for all your suggestions/support etc guys, just got to wait and see.

[GCW]

Data isn't necessarily written in one section, it can be more scattered.  This unfortunately means that unlike a CD, it can fuck the whole thing.

Good luck with it though.

[andy popp]

I really feel for you Tom; especially all the waiting and uncertainty.

My ancient PC, loaded with hundreds of files, literally blew up (noise, smoke, everything) on Tues: IT man at work told me this afternoon that all my files are readable. Hoping for a good outcome for you.

[SA Chris]

I keep checking in this thread hoping for some good news. Hang in there.

[Jim]

hope you get it sorted beast

[slackline]

Whats the prognosis Tom?

[Monolith]

Just now


"Unfortunately on this occasion it has not been possible to recover your
data. A matching part was found however it was rejected when it was
replaced into the hard disk assembly. The new donor head assembly was
immediately, suggesting that there had been a head crash damaging the
surface of the platter. Unfortunately it is not possible for any data
recovery company to recover data under these circumstances.

Although little consolation to you, there are no fees charged, even for
the part which was ordered in. If you would like your drive back please
contact me and arrange a time for collection. I am happy to speak to you
about the process of recovery and answer any questions you may have."


Though utterly soul destroyed, it's time to man up and rise from the ashes.

[GCW]

Bit of a shitter, really sorry to hear that.

[SA Chris]

Bugger.

[slackline]

Arse 

[tomtom]

That's fucking grim man. My best wishes.
1 get an extension, use the above as some evidnece if need be
2 when I've lost work and re-written it from scratch, it's always been much better.. So some good may come out of this after all...

(its no consolation but I left my lab notebook on the train on monday - 2 months of useful notes/thoughts/ideas gone.. It happens.. )

[Jaspersharpe]

Oh no.

[Nibile]

dammit Tom.
be strong.

[nik at work]

Fuck, gutted for you. Good luck with the phoenix like rise from the ashes.

[Will Hunt]

Shitting hell. Sorry to hear that, Tom
 

[butterworthtom]

That is devastating. I hope your tutors can be sympathetic to your situation and give you an extension and make some compromises etc. 

[Falling Down]

Gutted for you Tom...

if it's any comfort, in my experience, doing things the second time around and even from memory is surprisingly quicker and easier than you might expect.  I lost a massive chunk of my Phd thesis in similar circumstances and once I was immersed in the rewrite, it was all still there buried in my head and what came out was probably of a higher quality than the first 'final' draft.  Keep the faith!

[Monolith]

Thanks guys.

On the one hand, my head has been thinking, wow, that's three years of work down the drain + photos from Italy etc etc.

The other side knows there is a job to be done and this must be surmounted. I will never ever make the same mistake. Ever ever ever.
I really need to pull more out of the bag than I can express, but I will and it will stand up in court. Thanks for all the advice and sympathy along the way. I look forward to buying you all a beer after a day at the crag come the end. Keep crushing brethren.

[Jim]

shit mate, sorry to hear this

[Bubba]

Fuck me, what a nightmare

All power to you for the rewrite, and respect for manning up where many would give up.

I'm checking my backup strategies again....

[account_inactive]

Sorry to hear that Tom.  All the best

[andy popp]

Shit Tom, was hoping for the best.

[SA Chris]

just ordered a backup hard drive from Amazon. Paranoia set in.