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You were warned so don't get mad at me.

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  • You were warned so don't get mad at me.

    We have a server (or servers?) that check computer's health as they're on the network. They check the load version, look for bad sectors, check the fragmentation, check the virus protection, and so on.

    When a computer fails one (or more) of these checks maintenance tickets are cut and put in the maintenance bucket. These tickets are not considered a high priority but help us be proactive so we can eliminate issues before they happen.

    One such PC came up flagged as having bad sectors on the hard drive.

    Now, all hard drives will develop bad sectors but when they start to get really bad the drive can become toast (dead). If enough damage happens, not only will the PC not see it, the data on it will be irrecoverable.

    I send the user an email telling them that all I need to do is swap the drive. The process would take a few hours but at least I could try to get most of their data copied over to the new drive (as long as no bad sectors popped up in the data).

    The user makes appointments and always cancels them. This went on and I ended up closing the maintenance ticket since he never showed up.

    Then I get an email. His laptop won't boot up - it says unmountable boot volume (very bad). He insists that I get to his PC ASAP and fix it now. Guess what? That isn't going to happen. I'm busy now and since the user skipped out on previous appointments.

    I finally get the drive swapped out but wouldn't you know it - his data is gone. I can't recover the drive.

    Of course, now the user is pissed at me and escalates to my boss (like emailing them will make me able to copy the data?). Of course I just forward some of the emails I had with the user previously about this issue.

    Don't ignore us - we know what we're talking about.
    Quote Dalesys:
    ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

  • #2
    I wonder if that guy also ignores warning lights on his car's dashboard? Like the check oil light?
    "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

    Comment


    • #3
      Well the data must not have been that important, because I have 2 external hard drives that come to think of it I need to update. Along with a 320gb linux media server in basement. and I really don't have anything terribly important but one of the drives is in a firesafe along with DVD copies of really important stuff that also on a 4gb flash drive. It never hurts to have one backup or several especially if your gonna get annoyed when it no longer exists.

      Once met a guy who was driving around in a truck that didn't register any oil when you used the dipstick, because "well I still have 500 miles till I need to change the oil."
      I'm sorry reading is not a new concept it has been widely taught in our nation for at least the past 100 years. Please, learn to do it CORRECTLY before you become contagious.

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      • #4
        Back ups are ESSENTIAL. Sadly, most user's ignorance prevents them from doing such things. They don't realize that a failing hard drive is not an IF, it's a WHEN. And then when a drive fails miserably and no data is recoverable, suddenly it's some massive conspiracy against them and that "hard drives shouldn't fail" or "my old computer never did this!".

        1) In a perfect world, yes I suppose hard drives shouldn't fail, but they do. What are you going to do about it?

        2) Computers ain't made like they used to be, get used to it.

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        • #5
          No - they used to be even more fragile!
          Seshat's self-help guide:
          1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
          2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
          3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
          4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

          "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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          • #6
            Quoth underemployeed View Post
            Well the data must not have been that important, because I have 2 external hard drives that come to think of it I need to update. Along with a 320gb linux media server in basement. and I really don't have anything terribly important but one of the drives is in a firesafe along with DVD copies of really important stuff that also on a 4gb flash drive. It never hurts to have one backup or several especially if your gonna get annoyed when it no longer exists.
            Quoth it'srefurbished? View Post
            Back ups are ESSENTIAL. Sadly, most user's ignorance prevents them from doing such things. They don't realize that a failing hard drive is not an IF, it's a WHEN. And then when a drive fails miserably and no data is recoverable, suddenly it's some massive conspiracy against them and that "hard drives shouldn't fail" or "my old computer never did this!".
            I recommend al of my users get a USB drive - even if it is a 8 or 16 GB memory stick for their important files (PSTs, etc..). I even tell them I'll sit down with them and show them how to copy files over, how to point Outlook to it, how to copy files over to your home computer for storage, etc.

            So far only ONE person has taken me up on it.

            1) In a perfect world, yes I suppose hard drives shouldn't fail, but they do. What are you going to do about it?
            Some people even asked me "Why doesn't the manufacturers do anything about bad sectors?"

            They are trying but things happen - especially in laptops. Not as much circulation so when it does get clogged it overheats quickly, they get banged around in laptop bags all day, and drives just wear down.

            Plus there are so many reasons for bad sectors / clusters - scratched platters, loss of magnetism, dirt (yes, even some dirt can get in there), plus heads can go out, ball bearings on the drive itself can go out.

            I know I'm not supposed to but I'm proactive with it. I swap the HDD on my laptop (hey, I'm the IT guy, I can do that whenever I want!) every 6-9 months (plus no need for a data transfer since all the information is on my 500GB USB drive!).
            Quote Dalesys:
            ... as in "Ifn thet dawg comes at me, Ima gonna shutz ma panz!"

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth underemployeed View Post
              ...one of the drives is in a firesafe along with DVD copies of really important stuff that also on a 4gb flash drive.
              Please note that your run-of-the-mill fire safe won't keep the temperature low enough to preserve your data; they're meant for keeping your paper records from burning. Data-rated safes are expensive, though there are some liners available that will boost the safe's preservation capability.

              Consider an off-site backup service where you upload your (encrypted) data over your internet link to a remote server.

              Comment


              • #8
                Some people even asked me "Why doesn't the manufacturers do anything about bad sectors?"
                Why yes, there's this wonderful new technology they're introducing now called the Solid State Drive. It never gets bad sectors AND it's much faster than a normal hard drive. Would you like me to upgrade you to one of those?

                Oh by the way, say hi to €250 for a 128GB drive, and that's on the cheap end. You get what you pay for.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth draggar View Post
                  I swap the HDD on my laptop (hey, I'm the IT guy, I can do that whenever I want!) every 6-9 months (plus no need for a data transfer since all the information is on my 500GB USB drive!).
                  So, should I ask what happens when the USB drive fails?

                  At least two copies on different drives. Always.
                  The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                  "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                  Hoc spatio locantur.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth it'srefurbished? View Post
                    Back ups are ESSENTIAL. Sadly, most user's ignorance prevents them from doing such things. They don't realize that a failing hard drive is not an IF, it's a WHEN. And then when a drive fails miserably and no data is recoverable, suddenly it's some massive conspiracy against them and that "hard drives shouldn't fail" or "my old computer never did this!".
                    Ugh! Tell me about it! My mother and grandmother use an older (gooseneck!) iMac, and it's dying. The DVD drive no longer recognizes discs, and the hard drive is clicking. So I bought her a 500GB for Christmas, set it up, and told her, "Don't touch!"

                    And yes, I did tell her that it's just a matter of "when" and to start looking and socking money away NOW!
                    Any day you're looking down at the dirt instead of up at the dirt is a good day.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Chromatix View Post
                      Why yes, there's this wonderful new technology they're introducing now called the Solid State Drive. It never gets bad sectors AND it's much faster than a normal hard drive. Would you like me to upgrade you to one of those?

                      Oh by the way, say hi to €250 for a 128GB drive, and that's on the cheap end. You get what you pay for.
                      LOL

                      Data security? On an SSD?

                      Hope you have a RAID5.



                      (Yes, I work with SSD's on a daily basis. They are far, far less reliable than a mechanical HDD. They seem to be about as reliable as a USB flash drive, which means, not very reliable.)

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth Geek King View Post
                        So, should I ask what happens when the USB drive fails?

                        At least two copies on different drives. Always.
                        Agreed.

                        A USB flash drive is the modern version of a floppy diskette. Its about as reliable too. A USB flash drive is designed for being portable, not being secure.

                        For the best data security you want the data to be mirrored on at least two physically different devices. Odds are you are not going to have both devices fail at the same time unless something catastrophic happens like a fire.

                        Best form of data security is to have the data mirrored on at least two different devices that are stored in different buildings.

                        If the data is not very important then fine, don't bother mirroring it, just don't throw a tantrum when you lose everything. Not if, but when. It happens. Components fail. If its just a bunch of random porn and games on your computer, no need to mirror it.

                        If its business archives then yes you definitely need to mirror that thing. RAID5 it preferably.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth draggar View Post
                          Of course, now the user is pissed at me and escalates to my boss (like emailing them will make me able to copy the data?).
                          I had a similar case yesterday.

                          Unfortunately for the luser, my boss was out of the office, so when HER boss called, I picked up my boss's phone!!!!!

                          A recruiter, out in the middle of gods know where, got hit with a fake anitvirus program.

                          I told her how to get to safe mode, and sent her links to MBAM and SUPER. (SUPER's my new best friend.) and added a note in the email to let me know how it went.

                          Well, she never called back. I figured she hadn't got to it, and promptly forgot about it, until said phone call.

                          The first thing out of luser's boss's mouth was "Can we send Luser's laptop to Geek Squad?"

                          NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          From what her boss was saying, I could tell she wasn't getting to safe mode, so I told her boss how to get to safe mode, and she said she'd just have (luser) call me back.

                          And she did.

                          I talked her into safe mode. And, unfortunately, the fake av populated into safe mode once the browser hit the webs. She started FREAKING OUT! It took all my mighty power to convince her that her computer wasn't infected with 400 and something viruses, that it was fake, bad, but not THAT bad. The browser rallied and managed to load one page, and then gave up to the fake av. Not that I had any hope of MBAM loading, but it made the luser feel better to be doing SOMETHING.

                          So, finally, as I was trying to figure out how to word it to have the luser leave the machine the crap alone, she announced she was shutting it down, and forgetting about it until Monday. I managed to keep from applauding.

                          Now, let's hope I don't get another call from Luser's boss.
                          SC: “Yeah, Bob’s Company. I'm Bob. It's my company.” - GK
                          SuperHotelWorker made my Avi!!

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                          • #14
                            SSDs

                            Quoth Chromatix View Post
                            Oh by the way, say hi to €250 for a 128GB drive, and that's on the cheap end. You get what you pay for.
                            My Intel 80GB was $300 plus taxes, it works great but then SCs will complain about storage space for their Games or ten years of Email with all the spam and attachments still in there.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Good SSDs

                              Quoth Hyndis View Post
                              (Yes, I work with SSD's on a daily basis. They are far, far less reliable than a mechanical HDD. They seem to be about as reliable as a USB flash drive, which means, not very reliable.)
                              Stop buying cheap SSDs! I read all the reviews before I bought mine, there is a HUGE difference between the quality of the better drives vs the cheap ones.

                              Check out these reviews first:
                              http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3531
                              and the updated follow-up at:
                              http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631

                              There are a lot of things wrong with the real cheap drives and the above reviews names the names and tells you what to avoid and why. One thing made clear from the follow-up review is that most SSDs from more than a year ago were junk! Since then there has been a massive improvement by most companies as they were losing so much business to Intel's better products. And note even Intel has made major improvements to stay ahead of the pack.

                              I ended up buying:
                              http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=3403


                              Additional reviews at:
                              http://ssd-reviews.com/
                              http://hothardware.com/News/OCZ-Vert...ed-SSD-Review/
                              http://hothardware.com/News/OCZ-Tech...d-State-Drive/
                              http://hothardware.com/News/Plextor-...ons-Available/
                              http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3747
                              http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3751
                              http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3702
                              Last edited by earl colby pottinger; 03-09-2010, 05:31 PM.

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