You reap what you...

So...for anyone who thinks (like I did) that their hard drive is immortal and that backing up their files is too much like unnecessary hard work,this is for you.

My 12 year-old Dell Compaq Presario died last week...
It had 12 years work on it.
I never backed it up...
Included on the drive were over 70 tracks that I'd produced,in wav and mp3 form...all the project files associated with the tracks...hundreds of vst's...my own patches and settings for said vst's...an almost infinite library of percussion one-shots...vocals and vocal fx bounce downs...resampled bass work...everything from the last 12 years...gone.
Also 5 new tracks which were in the pipeline...gone. (sorry Ess)
Not to mention 60 gigs of original artwork and vids...gone.

But the biggest kick in the balls,which I only realised yesterday,is the loss of videos,audio and photographs of a loved one who's no longer around. I never even backed them up ffs. Irreplaceable...and gone.

This isn't a sob story...my own laziness and complacency finally caught up with me...you reap what you sow...

Back up your files.

Also,if anyone has been good enough to download any of my old tracks from the last 5 years...any chance of a copy for posterity?

Thanks,
Mart

[Dan Michaelson]

I got a ton of your music Mart, probably not all but i bet at least 50 - 70 percent over the last 5+ years (even back when KTA was more than an acronym). Let me know how you might want me to get it to ya cause it would be a big file transfer and I got to round em all up. I, unfortunately, have felt the pain you are feeling more than once. Ended up getting a few of those mega drives and copying everything to it every so often. Even then, one is bound to lose something when one of those Mofo's crash.

Since I don't ck my PM's here as often as I used to you can send me an email at [email protected] and I will help out as much as I can.

Dan

[Essence]

You know I'm absolutely gutted for you, so no need to say sorry to me!

One of those fking shite things to happen to anyone who treasures all the precious things we store on our HDs.

I have spent the day backing up my whole 2 drives onto my external storage and now it's done. As Mart says people - BACK UP YOUR DRIVES BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!! 1 TB is only £65 these days - and I still have space :

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/data-s...66052-pdt.html

I hope every one here can help by not only sending tracks to Mart they may have on their PCS but also to share some links/cds/etc that can help Mart rebuild his new system I can send you loads of one shots again and all my sounds/vsts and I'm sure other producers here have lots they can share also???

For a start here are a few links. I'm posting this here instead of the usual pm's sweets, so maybe it can also serve as help to others by sharing links and files

DOA SAMPLE PACKS FROM MEMBERS THERE:
Doa Sample Packs 2014 | DOA: Reborn | The Biggest Drum & Bass Forum Is Back

VST LINK FROM MP3UNSIGNED :
'Must have' free VST's?

TOP 20 FREE VST OF 2013:
Top 20 Free VST Plugins (Best Of 2013)

VST LINK FROM MP3UNSIGNED:
KILLER VST LINKS!!!!

I hope some these can help!! And I also hope other members can contribute to helping!!

X

[DSSMusic]

Feel for you Mart but I just wanted to say that it happened to us a few years ago BUT a computer whizz guy in our local shop managed to copy all our files onto a new drive but of course all the software was gone and had to re-load etc. Need less to say we have backed up onto a separate drive ever since but it´s devastating when it happens.

Don´t give up on that hard drive is all we are saying - try some different experts. it may be worth the effort. When it´s copied you can take it home again and smash the hell out of it with a hammer - like we did..

L&B

[tbwig]

Sorry to learn of this gut-wrenching news: the ultimate fear in the digital realm is the loss of digits...tons of them in this case.

I used some software Recuva...I think...got back a lot of photos and such...lost a bunch, but the recovery was worth the effort despite the loss.

Moral of the story remains the same: BACK IT UP!

Rich reminds me of this all the time...now Mart...so I got myself a 2Tb plug 'n play drive...always back it up...just not sure what to do if they both fail simultaneously...hope that is a bridge I won't have to cross anytime soon

hoping for the best for you Mart,
Terry

[KtA]

Dan,you're a star...big thanks fella. I'll be in touch...

Ess,thanks for the links and positivity,sweet.
...and I'll definitely be knocking on your door for sounds n vst's (again)
Thanks hun.

Hola L&B,
The drive isn't as badly damaged as first thought,so I'm hoping it's possible to copy the files over to another drive,or that some kind of data retrieval will secure at least some of the files...if that's a realistic option..? Either way,hammer at the ready...

Terry,you read my mind.
I know it can be a bit hit and miss,but recovery software may be the only option left.


Thanks peeps

[FXMAN]

Bro go here>>>>>> grab this mofo. TestDisk Download - CGSecurity

i did this last year when my hardrive went awol.... and it's Free !!! still


if you need any vst's and banks. then gimme a shout

[KtA]

Cheers Neil,checking link out now.
Thanks for the offer of vsts and banks mate...expect a call

[LIQUID]

Mart

Don't give up hope just prepare to dig deep. Chances are its Hare Drive controller that's died and the data is still there. In theory the disc can be recovered in skilled hands. A few years back I had data recovered by a place at the top of Lancashire Hill called PC Parts. As it happens I too have a similar drive in need of recovery with 100's of pics of my family but I'm too nervous to take it in as I don't want to hear its been wiped clean....

On a positive I have a few bits you have sent me over the years like one shots and a few tracks that you can have with pleasure.

Ant

[KtA]

Ant,it all started with a missing ''hal.dll'' boot file...and rapidly went downhill from there.
Anyway,I ain't given up on it yet,mate.

I can't remember what I sent you,but if you have any perc one shots...?
I also lost that piano refill I ''borrowed'' off you. I used that for all my piano tracks.

I can totally understand why you've put off taking your drive for recovery in case the data's gone...sometimes ignorance is bliss

Cheers mate

ps I ain't been up ''lanky hill'' in years