Warning, Switchers: Backup your stuff

I'm a recent switcher and I got burned. I bought a MacBook almost two months ago to replace my fidgety Windows desktop. It took me about a month and a half to get everything up and running smoothly and knowing how to do things in OS X (and even preferring it to Windows) - but it was a sweet setup. I even finally got my wireless connection working (thanks again, forum). I had it all...for one day. No exaggeration, one day. The next day, my wife turned on the MacBook and saw the dreaded flashing question mark folder. The hard drive was gone. The last two months of work, financial records, pictures and movies of our newborn baby (a human baby, not the MacBook) - gone, with no warning.
I had downloaded Backup from apple.com but hadn't understood how everything would be saved. So I hadn't backed up. Don't learn your lesson the hard way. Backup your stuff early and often. Make it a priority. I heard (three days too late) that if your hard drive is bad, it'll go bad soon after purchase. Well, sob.
And hey, a last desperate cry: is there anyway of getting data off a drive if OS X can't see it, if Disk Utility can't see it? How about taking the actual disk media out of the drive and putting it in another? Like I said, I'm desperate.
Any chance?

The best backup application is SuperDuper! and it really is easy to use. External hard drive prices are going down every day and is a must if you want to be safe.

As for your problem, can you get hold of another Mac and try to get your stuff via Target Disk mode?

Otherwise, you'll probably have to use a data recovery service.

Yep a painful way to learn. Backing up IS IMPORTANT. I have 2 external drives and a .mac account. hen I thinbk of some of the things I would lose if were to happen (MaDDoG gets a cold chill like someone walked over his grave) I don't know how I would cope. A valuable lesson to all. BACKUP YOUR DATA!!

MaDDoG said:

Yep a painful way to learn. Backing up IS IMPORTANT..... BACKUP YOUR DATA!!

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Exactly. And it has nothing to do with being a recent Windows/Linux/Mac user or if you are a longtime Mac/Linux?Windows user. It doesn't matter if you are a newbie with computers or if you are an old salt. The OS doesn't matter and neither does the machine.
Backing up data should be something that ANY computer user does.

Target Disk mode wouldn't work. No disk to find! Horrible, catastrophic loss by all accounts so far.
Yes, if you have an old/new computer running Windows/OS X, you should backup. I just posted this warning on the Switcher Hangout because with a brand-new beautiful Mac, HD failure is the last thing on your mind. Don't be complacent, all you Switchers!

I don't back up my data. In fact, I scanned all my family pictures, my baby pictures, and burned the originals. The files are on my Macbook, which is in the trunk of my car. My data will never be lost.

Seriously though, thanks for sharing. It's terrible to hear you lost some important files. Especially pictures and personal things. External drives are definitely getting extremely cheap though. Pick up a nice big one, specifically for backup.

Neo said:

...our newborn baby (a human baby, not the MacBook)...

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Sorry, but I got a chuckle out of that.

-Nick

Funny you mention this. I just received my Lacie 500GB external Firewire 800 drive today. I've hooked it up to my wife's computer (she does professional photography) and I downloaded and paid for the full version of Superduper. When she's done with her MBP tonight I will plug it in and run SD while we sleep...

Good luck getting your data back. Maybe pull the drive and try to install it in an external enclosure, put a new boot disk in your computer and see if you can see the external enclosure that way. it may not be bootable but you still may be able to pull the data off.

Yes! This story is DRIPPING with irony! I HAVE a big external drive, I HAVE a .mac account, I HAVE Backup software...but never got around to using them because it never entered my brain that my new MacBook would crap out.
Honestly, I feel betrayed.

Neo said:

Yes! This story is DRIPPING with irony! I HAVE a big external drive, I HAVE a .mac account, I HAVE Backup software...but never got around to using them because it never entered my brain that my new MacBook would crap out.
Honestly, I feel betrayed.

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Your drive may not be 'gone' at all.
I re-read your original post where you state:

The next day, my wife turned on the MacBook and saw the dreaded flashing question mark folder. The hard drive was gone.

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If you are seeing a flashing question mark, then that only means that the startup software can't be found.

Read this article for some information on possibly remedying your situation:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58042

If it turns out your drive is toast, search the net for 'data recovery' or 'disk recovery' to find companies who can try to do it for you. It is expensive though.

Yeah neo, there are signs that tell you your drive is gonna die. Did you hear constant clicking noises? Did you see any weird behaviour before? I would be very much surprised if your hard drive died in a 12 hour period.

Did you try resetting the PRAM? Booting into Safe Boot mode? The flashing question mark means that the system cannot find a valid OS to boot from. This usually means there is a corruption of some kind but doesn't necessarily mean the hard drive is died.


Edited to add:

Here are a few things you can try:

- A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

- Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

- Mac OS X 10.4: About the utilities available on the Mac OS X 10.4 Install DVD

I've known several people who have used a program called Spinrite and achieved great results.

http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm

I know in the days of PowerPC it wouldn't run on Macs, but now with Intel things might be different.

Just tacking a big "thank you" on this month-old thread. The link to Apple info cleared up my question mark folder on startup ~ Yay!

(Why is it when I search the Apple site I never find what I'm looking for??)