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Post by homeforsummer on Oct 21, 2007 18:55:19 GMT
I think I may just have lost a vast quantity of my photographs. I bought a (new) USB memory key off eBay, 8GB so it could store loads of the data currently on my laptop because I'm thinking of getting a new laptop in the near future and a memory key is the best way of storing data easily. Anyway I plugged it in, the computer recognised it fine, and I started moving data (cut and pasting, not copy and pasting) onto it. About 5GB worth of images. Anyway I came back to it later and tried to load some more on, but discovered that a load of the data had been corrupted and it couldn't be accessed, or had even disappeared altogether. This includes my USA photos, motorsport photos, the Dubai trip which I got back from today, gigs (including Redbourn) and other photos. LUCKILY I've never deleted the USA and Dubai photos from my camera memory cards so they're safe. What I appear to have actually lost are the Redbourn ones, the Sugars gig at Fibbers, around 800 motorcycling ones and many more I'm going to contact the seller and I'm looking around for a data recovery company, but this is expensive so if anyone can suggest a cheap and good one please do! I would have been absolutely devastated if I'd lost the USA pics in particular but I'm hoping to god I havent lost Redbourn too. And 800 motorcycle pics is gutting too I think the seller might have been dodgy, it was a new USB key but I reckon there may have been an image-eating virus on there, as my AVG found and quarantined something. The seller *was* from Hong Kong but does have good feedback, so unless there are hundreds of other people now with viruses too or lost images I don't think the seller is inherently dodgy and maybe I've got a dud USB key. Either way I am very very cheesed off and particularly worried right now...
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Post by manoverboard on Oct 21, 2007 18:56:57 GMT
Didn't a lot of the Redbourn pics make it onto Facebook?
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Post by homeforsummer on Oct 21, 2007 19:00:42 GMT
They did but tiny Facebook photos aren't quite a match for 6.1 megapixel images...
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Post by Chloe on Oct 21, 2007 19:00:56 GMT
uh-oh hope you can recover them mate
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Post by homeforsummer on Oct 21, 2007 20:01:36 GMT
Appear to have semi salvaged the Redbourn ones, but there were a few corrupted ones and no Feeder ones at all
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Post by Katie on Oct 22, 2007 1:47:13 GMT
Shite! If my laptop is formatted i won't have the sugars ones or the redbourn ones, i do have the disc you made me somewhere, i will dig that out
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Post by Ath on Nov 3, 2007 10:31:47 GMT
backup everything! I had that problem when travelling i put all my pics on my ipod. It's now died and I've lost everything except the ones i uploaded th ofoto I feel your pain man
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Post by homeforsummer on Dec 21, 2007 13:56:16 GMT
UPDATE:
Well after about three months I thought it was time for an update. I gave the memory stick and the seller the benefit of the doubt, wiped the memory, virus scanned it, formatted it etc.
Came back to it recently, added more data, it was fine after a few days, added a little bit more, bit more, and then yesterday added lots more again taking care to keep the back up on my computer. Once again it ate the data, lost it, corrupted other files... definitely FUBARed. Checked on ebay to find similar devices and read some of the buyer warnings for them to discover that about 95% of memory sticks on ebay are grossly misrepresentative of data size. Most apart from those from official sellers that claim 1, 2, 4, 8+ GB of data can hold about 128mb and use firmware to trick the PC into thinking there is greater capacity. The extra size is very volatile and fails when loaded with more than 128mb of data, losing and corrupting anything you put on.
Anyway I contacted the seller saying in no uncertain terms that the item was both faulty and misrepresented and he would be reported if I didn't receive my refund back through paypal, and offered to send him back the item.
I got a message on ebay today apologising and offering to refund me and pay for the postage for me to send the item back. I've replied explaining my terms - i.e. that I will send it back only when I receive the refund and a paypal receipt. I'll keep y'all updated on what happens next, as I'm still a little sceptical that I'll see my money again...
Bottom line: Be very, very careful with electronics bought on eBay.
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Post by Clare on Dec 28, 2007 12:07:06 GMT
Moral of the story - copy things, don't cut and paste them! I did that when I transferred all my files from my old PC to a new one, then delete it later.
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Post by Ath on Jan 1, 2008 21:07:14 GMT
yeah it's easy to say just back stuff up, but I never do it when I should!
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