If you've used a computer to store your important music photos and documents - then what follows must be everybody's worst nightmare.
A customer brought me his computer at the weekend.
The computer was healthy - but he was sick!
He'd wanted to clean his computer and return it to the original factory settings - but hadn't taken a backup of the stuff he'd wanted to keep.
So many of us (and in this I include myself) "forget" to take back ups of information stored on our computers. We rely on the computer to look after itself. I'll do a backup tomorrow when I've got more time (sounds familiar?) is what we promise ourselves. Tomorrow never comes.
All, and yes I do mean all, of his digital family photos, his very substantial music collection and letters and emails he'd written over five years were gone. One wrong key press and that was it.
I'm an optimist, and so after a few questions about exactly what he'd done, I said to him that we would probably be able to get some of his stuff back. As it turned out, most of the photos and nearly all of his documents and music were recovered. It takes time, but it can be done.
Now he's gone back home with a smile on his face, and of course he has vowed he will now back up his files on a regular basis. Perhaps he will. It is after all the time for New Years resolutions.
