BACK UP!

Last Friday night I was tapping away with my laptop on my knee, watching the 50 top comedy sketches on Channel 4, when the application I was working in froze. So I closed it. Then another froze. Then there was a funny clicking noise under my keyboard, worryingly just about where my hard disk is. So I did what any self-respecting IT professional does when faced with a situation like this, and turned the laptop off and back on again. The problem was, it wouldn't come back on. Even after a lot of messing about, trying to boot from the install disk, booting in safe mode. Nothing. Just a blank screen. By now, I'd accepted that my hard disc had gone, and I trekked to the Apple Store in Meadowhall on Saturday afternoon where it was confirmed. It's still under warranty so the nice guys there will fit me a new hard disc in the next couple of days, and my old one will wing its way back to Apple. Along with all my data on it. All my work documents, presentations, music, photos, my family tree research. Everything.

Why am I not crying you might ask. Well, last week, because I upgraded my operating system, (and then had to de-install it and put the old one back one!), Stuart backed up all of my hard disk! Thats the first time it's been backed up since I got this laptop. Talk about a fortuitous coincidence. So everyone - BACK UP YOUR STUFF NOW - hard disks do break - it can happen to you!