Before you read this post, ask yourself: “is my important data backed up?”. If not, I PLEAD WITH YOU. Stop reading now and go back up your data immediately. Now! Don’t wait any second. Consider buying a large external hard disk and start backing everything up, be work or family related.
Regular readers of this blog know that I had a hard disk crash disaster around a month ago! I had very little data backed up. I was quite devastated during the Eid and New Year holiday. I drove my family and friends crazy with my data disaster story (sorry about that guys). I’ve been working without my data for almost a month. Everyday brought a reminder of a document, presentation, music, video or photo lost. Horrible. Horrible!
(Go back up now damn it!)
But, yippeeeeeeeeee…
My data is now back. Yesterday I finally received a brand new hard disk which contains my recovered data.
A week after the crash I decided to send it to a professional data recovery firm. I found a company in Dubai (thank goodness for Duabi) called Data Recovery Direct, who claim to have the Middle East’s only clean room (a special space where hard disks can be opened safely).
It took the company longer than expected, but wow. They did it. Apparently the motor of the Toshiba drive failed, I guess because of over-heating (I later found out on the web that many Toshiba drives on Mac and other laptops failed exactly the same way as mine did).
The service is not cheap. I ended up paying around JD 900 to get my data back. But I think it was worth it. Hadn’t I paid for such service and just given up on the data, there would have always been a nagging feeling of ‘oh I wish a had this or that file’, maybe for years to come.
I have not checked everything, on the hard disk. I am still worried about my super large mail file. But all the other stuff I checked is all intact. So I am keeping my finger crossed.
Despite the steep price (it’s the same in the US by the way) I am very grateful to Data Recovery Direct.
The new drive has been ready for almost two weeks. Why I only got it yesterday has something to do with our beloved Jordanian Customs Department. But I am too happy to go into a rant about them (I will soon! I swear!).
GO BACK UP! AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME!
Comments
8 responses to “One month and 900 JDs later, my data is back from the dead”
Hey congrats man! 5000 Dhms, wooo!
My Toshiba’s hard drive failed around a month ago too, but I don’t keep a single file on my C:, God bless external hard disks and DVDs!
Mabrouk
I can imagine the sheer happiness!
A few years ago I lost all of my documents and data… and until today I remember some of the files there I wish I had access to now!
I’m going home to back up again today…
Oh, Ahmad! Hamdililah alasalamitha! It’s worth it; what price peace of mind? Not for you, but your poor family! Go get that wifey roses or chocolate or something!
Anyway, you made me laugh hard, fun to see your sense of humor in an obviously difficult situation. And tonight, we will be backing up that hard drive!
Alf mabrook! I don’t even want to imagine what you went through when you thought all those years of hard work were gone forever!
Mabrook. I am glad they were able to get your data back. I can tell how scary this can be. You build a lot over the years on your small harddisk. Now you can relax and enjoy your data
Comment on “Why I only got it yesterday has something to do with our beloved Jordanian Customs Department”
and a lot of items here and there….it was a really funny that it took two days for the drive to be shipped from USA but it took three days from Jordan Airport to my office 
that was the same for my case i ended paying customs money for a used hard drive and paying sales tax on the drive that i bought it from Dubai
I ll go now and backup our weekly work.
Salam
there are places on the net to store your stuff if you have no access to an extenal hard drive. your email is one of them. another is Google’s Documents and spread sheets. Also, if you are worried about expensive applications and sofware, these days you can use the best software out there on the internet without having it stored on your computer…
Okay so if the mail file doesnt work tell us when to start forwarding thousands of Sent items =]