A totally not-so-funny thing happened about two weeks ago.
I was in agent query mode, and wanted to cut and paste the first 40 pages of Finders Keepers into a new file, because an agent had requested sample pages. Cool. So I clicked through folders and sub-folders, until I found the file that contains the entire, up-to-date Finders Keepers manuscript, in double-space format (I also have it single-spaced format for other uses).
Once at the file, I doubled-clicked it and waited for it tA totally not-so-funny thing happened about two weeks ago.
I was in agent query mode, and wanted to cut and paste the first 40 pages of Finders Keepers into a new file, because an agent had requested sample pages. Cool. So I clicked through folders and sub-folders, until I found the file that contains the entire, up-to-date Finders Keepers manuscript, in double-space format (I also have it single-spaced format for other uses).
Once at the file, I doubled-clicked it and waited for it to open.
And I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
When nothing happened, I looked at the screen oddly, and then doubled-clicked the file again, and waited for it to open.
And I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
When once again the file didn’t open–it wasn’t even processing to open; no hour-glass, no flashing cursor–it started to dawn on me that something was wrong with the file containing MY LIFE’S WORK!
At that point I ran the usual diagnostic checks–I yelled with horror, kicked the chair and pounded my fist on the desk, and then clicked through my computer–only to discover that, indeed, the file was corrupted.
The logical part of my brain realizes that, despite the setback, this isn’t actually the worst thing in the world, as I regularly back up my files and save them to a disc, which is stored in a fire-proof box. But the emotion part of me got all riled up and start spazzing out a bit. It’s not like I have a full-time IT dude on standby who I can summon to fix these things.
But as I do have back-ups, I copy and pasted the single-spaced version of Finders Keepers into a new file, and reformatted it to be double-spaced. Once I confirmed that the file was clean and working, I deleted the corrupted file. (And as I’m typing this, I realize that I need to recopy the new double-space file to the back-up disc!).
In the end, crisis averted.
So this blog is dedicated to good buddy and Finders Keepers Web master Ron Benchetrit, who for the last 20 years has been pounded it into my head to ALWAYS BACK UP MY FILES!
Thank Ron I did.
But there’s a little more to story …
In a perfect moment of irony, just moments ago, as I was typing out the words, [i]So this blog is dedicated to good buddy and Finders Keepers Web master Ron Benchetrit, who for the last 20 years [/i] …
I accidentally hit the wrong key with my right pinky, closing out the tab, and without having saved this entry, lost the entire blog [i]about losing files[/i]!
This blog is actually version No. 2.
Ah, the gods sure do have a sense of humor, don’t they?
I wonder if they back up their files …
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2007/09/23 09:37
