Don't Do This

**avro202** · #1 03-03-2015, 10:15 PM

Here is some advice. Don't take 10 years worth of model files, that you collected on four separate computers, and place them all onto a single 16gig usb drive...then lose the drive.

**OgdenBob** · #2 03-03-2015, 10:40 PM

I feel your pain. Happened to me with a 4G thumb drive, and it took me almost 2 years to get MOST of my collection back. Yeah, don't do it!

Bob

**elliott** · #3 03-03-2015, 10:41 PM

Oh man! That's gotta hurt. Hope you find the thumb drive soon.

**McTschegsn** · #4 03-04-2015, 01:31 AM

Hope you find that drive soon... That is the reason why I use double backups on USB hard Drives and DVDs

**kcorbin** · #5 03-04-2015, 04:27 AM

Look on the bright side, its a good incentive for a spring cleaning. Lost is better than destroyed because at least there is hope!

**sreinmann** · #6 03-04-2015, 05:00 AM

Sorry to hear about your drive Avro. While it probably wouldn't have helped you, I hope you don't mind my sharing a piece of related advice. On every electronic device you own (phones, cameras, memory cards and drives, computers, etc) create a file titled "IF FOUND PLEASE CALL" and place it somewhere unsecured for the nosey and civic-hearted to read. In the case of phones, create a contact that's similarly named (ICE: In Case of Emergency is a common acronym that paramedics look for). In the case of cameras, take a picture of a card that contains your brief thanks and contact info.

I cannot tell you how many research papers, mothers, and photo streams I've had to use to piece together who a bit of kit might belong to over the years in my line of work. And while the info I found on the DARPA flash drive was fun to read, I would have much rather found something along the lines of; "Thank you so much for finding my drive. Nothing on this drive is secure and you don't need a lawyer, yet. But if you call (XXX) XXX-XXXX I would be incredibly grateful!"

**ContourCraig** · #7 03-04-2015, 07:09 AM

My sympathies.

I must add, that I did this but I had two 32G flash drives. As extra safety, I copied them to a new lenovo laptop BEFORE deleting them from my old computer. Three copies should be enough? But I cut and pasted the data from one drive, thus deleting it. Otherwise I end up with multiple copies of everything backed-up, which is irritating when files are occasionally edited.

All well and good, except then I promptly lost the one drive (the one I had cut and pasted) and then the new computer motherboard crashed

and had to be replaced under warranty (1 in 5000 chance I was informed). Fortunately the lost drive did NOT have my paper models on it

. But, if I want the rest of my life back I have to now physically reconstruct three defunct computers and repeat the whole process

. I guess it is time to move along...and keep modeling!

**Vermin_King** · #8 03-04-2015, 08:02 AM

Somehow, I had a USB drive fall out of the overhead storage above my desk and the cat chewed it up. I have no clue what was on that drive. Good luck

**Kevin WS** · #9 03-04-2015, 08:38 AM

I back-up (using Synctoy - excellent) from one drive to two others. Portable drives.

I use the one as a master and make changes there, then use SyncToy to copy over the changes/addttions to the other two.

So far so good! Cross fingers!

**rockpaperscissor** · #10 03-04-2015, 08:45 AM

This is why I periodically send all my downloaded files to a gmail account that I set up especially for that purpose. I can download them from the account to my computer anytime I want to print one out, and they're about as secure as you can get. I figure if Google ever goes offline, we're probably all doomed anyway.