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Sometimes Learning a Valuable Lesson Can Be Painful

By Teri Clardy

Home Stager with Colorado Premier Staging, LLC

February 19, 2012 05:13 AM

I have recently learned a very valuable lesson (although I really should have known better). I have a new Mac computer (which I love). However, because it was new, I slacked off on backing up my information. DUMB!! My hard-drive crashed. OK, I thought. I'll just send it to a data recovery company who charges an arm and a leg but specializes in retrieving lost information. No Problem right?

Well, I received a call from the data retrieval technician who told me she was very sorry but the data was unrecoverable. What?? What do you mean unrecoverable? That information contains things I can't replace, like the multitude of pictures of my grandchildren. The before and after photos for my business. The e-mails from business associates and customers. Gone.

Hard lesson to learn but now each day, at the end of the day I am backing up my information. On a weekly basis I am storing my photos on Dropbox. I'm no longer taking any chances. The consequences are just too expensive.

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Tammie White, Broker

Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN

Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Teri, I also have thousands of photos stored on my Mac. Looks like I'll be downloading them to an external hard-drive and possibly dropbox.

Feb 20, 2012 12:32 AM

Bill Gillhespy

16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL

Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos

Hi Teri, Yikes, lesson learned ! Sometimes there is no relation between newness and crashness. I just made up that word !

Feb 20, 2012 01:34 AM

Jo Olson

HOMEFRONT Realty - Kettle Falls, WA

Retired - HOMEFRONT Realty @ LAKE Roosevelt

That is so sad, I did some research on backup online last week. Need to make a decision. I do use dropbox for contracts and have photos on 4 different system but still don't feel protected. I lost some homecoming photos when a lap top crashed and it just was so sad!

Feb 20, 2012 01:38 AM

Richard Alan Naggar

people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA

agent & author

There are some lessons in life that need pain to register within the individual..to make it work so to speak. Once you get tired of those lessons, the lighter ones come to bear. I remember always being told to back-up my computer files and me responding yea yea I will get to it only to have a crash and needing it so badly. Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, SHAME ON ME

Feb 20, 2012 02:17 AM

Thom Moore

Bermuda Dunes, CA

Real Estate Broker

I love Carbonite and they have an iPhone app that lets you retrieve just about anything, anytime. And at $59/year it's a bargain. So sorry you lost everything.

Feb 20, 2012 02:47 AM

Terry McCarley

Coastal Real Estate - Cape Coral FL - Cape Coral, FL

REALTOR, SRES, CDPE - Cape Coral, FL

I hate to hear this happened to you but am glad to read some of the suggestions others have posted. I have been wanting a pain free way of making sure my information stays backed up so I am going to check on Carbonite.

Feb 20, 2012 02:48 AM

Kate Akerly

Kaminsky Group - Manhattan Beach, CA

Manhattan Beach Residential Sales

Six months ago I used an automatic online backup. However, I bought a new laptop and never bothered to set it up! After reading your story, I realize I need to. So sorry for your experience . . .

Feb 20, 2012 03:25 AM

Lyn Sims

Schaumburg, IL

Real Estate Broker Retired

I had that happen a 1.5 years ago & I'm beginning to slack off because the painful memory is no longer fresh in my mind. You remind me ......

Feb 20, 2012 06:16 AM

Karen Steed

Tallapoosa, Bremen, Waco, Buchanan, Temple, Carrollton - Tallapoosa, GA

Associate Broker Haralson Realty

Sorry for your loss. I hope someone gave you some tips that may help you.

Feb 20, 2012 09:54 AM

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

My wife's hard drive went once. For $1,500.00 they told me they might be able to get some off the data off or fix it. We could not get the hard drive to boot. What we did is remove the Harddrive and attach it to another computer booted form that other computers harddrive and got most the data off my wifes. We had mounted her damaged drive in a detached hard drive case.

Feb 20, 2012 10:46 AM

Brad Baylor

ERA Coup Agency - Milton, PA

Teri - Try carbonite online backup. Unlimited backup for $59 per year.

Feb 20, 2012 10:24 PM

Bob Miller

Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL

The Ocala Dream Team

Hi Teri, been there done that. Do what Brad suggests and I do - use Carbonite. It is cheap insurance.

Feb 21, 2012 04:56 AM

Ranji Singh

Century 21 Heritage Group Ltd. - Newmarket, ON

Hi Teri ... what a painful lesson. Unfortunately, until bad news arrives at one's door, one always knows it happens ... except, only to others. I believe that a combination "cloud" and external backup strategy is best.

Cheers.

Feb 21, 2012 05:46 AM

Brenda, Ron, Lee Cunningham & Tara Keator

West USA Realty - Phoenix, AZ

Realtors, Homes for Sale - Phoenix Metro

Yikes. I have had 4 pcs crash, but a MAC? I Guess I will have to be more diligent as well. I have a MAC and love it, but I guess they can crash to.

Feb 21, 2012 01:10 PM

Jon Eliason

EXIT Realty Advantage Pagosa, Pagosa Springs, Colorado - Pagosa Springs, CO

Teri ~ Having worked at Apple, I can say that Macs do crash. Not often, but it does happen. I have had my MacBook since early 2008. I also have a partition on it with Windows XP. I operate and share from both platforms. My XP side has had the dreaded "Blue Screen" 5 times since inception. I save info on both sides. Critical information; ie, Contracts are saved on a Flash Drive. Losing valuable information, no matter when, where or how, SUCKS. Like Ciara mentioned, "Losing Pics" that can never be replaced are the hardest. How you decide to save anything really doesn't matter. Just saving it, does.

Feb 21, 2012 08:51 PM

Dick Piehl

IMB Bank - Bloomington, MN

Take it to Best Buy and their "Geek Squad" guys should be able to get your information back. I've never heard of them NOT being able to get it back.

Dick

Feb 22, 2012 03:45 AM

Teri Clardy

Colorado Premier Staging, LLC - Littleton, CO

APSD Certified Home Stager Pro

Thank you everyone. Thanks for your suggestions and empathy!! I did try the Geek Squad but even their Tier 4 ($1,500) couldn't recover it. Live and Learn!

Feb 22, 2012 10:21 AM

Sylvie Stuart

Realty One Group Mountain Desert 928-600-2765 - Flagstaff, AZ

Home Buying, Home Selling and Investment - Flagsta

I just heard about Carbonite, and may start using that. This is a reminder to move that up my to-do list! I didn't think about using Dropbox as storage, but that's a good idea, too. I'm sad to hear your story=(

Feb 26, 2012 10:01 PM

Kasey & John Boles

Jon Gosche Real Estate, LLC - BoiseMeridianRealEstate.com - Boise, ID

Boise & Meridian, ID Ada/Canyon/Gem/Boise Counties

Oh, that hurts. Ouch. So sorry! We use Carbonite and have external hard drives and put important stuff on sticks, but I think everyone at some point or another has lost valuable stuff from a computer crash. Such a bummer! -Kasey

Mar 15, 2012 05:30 PM

Paul Gapski

Berkshire Hathaway / Prudential Ca Realty - El Cajon, CA

619-504-8999,#1 Resource SD Relo

Thank you for sharing your blog; we need Real estate Professionals to share their comments and information regarding their markets and experiences. Thanks again from beautiful Sunny San Diego!

Jun 18, 2012 12:51 AM