One Step Forward One Step Back

[kristen999]

This is an odd tech failure. According to my saved files, I did not write anything last night. My conclusion chapter had a 'last modified date of April, 16th' and not April, 17th. I save my work every new paragraph and usually save it again to my flash drive. Of course the world stuck its tongue out at me an Eric had it over at a friend's house.

I ran a recovery program for any lost files and nothing was shown as being deleted yesterday. I ran search and only found the file from Monday.

So, despite saving the damn thing at least a dozen times as I wrote, all my progress from yesterday is lost. But I'd be damned on how Office ate it.

Ronon and John are not amused.

Comments

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh no it didn't! You need to send in a digital Sheppard to threaten the computer until it gives up the files. Then send in a digital Ronon to shoot it if it doesn't comply.

Is it possible that you'd somehow ended up saving it under another name or in another area of the computer? I ask because I've done that - had stories vanish only to end up somewhere else. But I've also had stories vanish never to be seen again :P

[rubygirl29.livejournal.com]

One of my friends had a file she composed in Word turn into an Excel file. I've had Word eat files off a flash drive.

I now write on a Mac.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I really like Macs, but I can't aford one and they're very hard to fix. While they break less often, if they do, my husband can't repair it himself like he can with our computer.

Come on Lotto! :D

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I checked other places, and my recent files are listed in order of last saved so if I accidentally did save it under something else or a different part of the computer--it would have been on the top. And sadly all that was there was my version on Monday.

I just wished I knew why. I'm re-writing now and will e-mail it to myself.

[bbuttercup.livejournal.com]

If you can turn off hidden files, you may be able to find the .temp file that is saved for crashes. It should be in the same directory as your original file.

(Let me reword that, it sounded confusing after I reread it. If you go into file options, there should be an option to uncheck "hide hidden and system files") :o)

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip, I checked that option and hubby already had it set up to show all hidden files. I'm more annoyed than anything, I hate wasting time re-writing something I already had.

[bbuttercup.livejournal.com]

:o(

[coolbreeze1.livejournal.com]

No! How frustrating!! I'd be throwing my computer across the room right about now. I've lost a few pages from a story, but never the entire thing before. I hope you find it or you remember it well enough that you can rewrite it easily.

Still utterly frustrating though. I think once Ronon and Sheppard are done dealing with your computer, they need to come give you a great big bear hug.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I recovered most of the scene, there are bits I like more and a few less, but it wasn't a huge section, just one that gave me issues last night.

At least I got to post a new pic of John and Ronon being very them. :D

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

Oh nooooo! EVIL WORD!

On the other hand, I've occasionally found that "rewritten" parts (when I had to rewrite something due to technical difficulties or user error) are actually stronger - having written it once, the story is fresh in my head and I can concentrate on craft the second time around. Or something. Anyway, I haaaaate having to write stuff twice, but it can result in better work (much as I am loathe to admit it *g*).

[valleya.livejournal.com]

I was going to say the same thing. Whenever that's happened to me, I think the overall product is better. Yet, I can never quite quell the whisperings that I might be forgetting something important. I hope you feel better about the rewritten stuff once you get it done. Awesome Ronon/John pic, btw

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

It was a small, but annoying scene that gave me fits last night. I've re-written most of it, and I like some parts more and a few not so much, but its there and will get beaten into shape on another pass.

The post did give me an excuse to post that lovely John and Ronon picture!

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

It wasn't a long section, but a pesky transition scene that I beat around last night until I was happy. The new version does shine a little more, I'm just baffled by where it went.

I feel like I lost a night and the end of the month is my busy time at work with long hours and a coupe evening shifts. It was frustrating because I'm so darn close to being done.

[sharpes-hussy.livejournal.com]

been there done that when I was working......and had a deadline.......It was devastating to say the least
***HUGS*** you

[sharpes-hussy.livejournal.com]

Kristen,
Did you do a File search to see if it is somewhere else in another folder??
I did that one time and found it in temp when it was NOT saved that way........I guess my computer hiccuped at the time I hit SAVE.

[sharpes-hussy.livejournal.com]

John and Ronon are not amused.
**NODS** I'll say....

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

A favorite pic!!! Lovely :D

I did a ton of searches, in the end, I re-wrote most of what I lost and should finish it tonight. It wasn't a long scene, but a tough one to nail down.

It coud have been a lost worse.

[tepring.livejournal.com]

That's darn frustrating, more so when you don't understand and feel like it could happen again! I have not had that glitch, it's a strange one. I've seen weird things with the auto-save versions, but to lose an entire set of saved versions is...????? Gah. You're taking it in good spirits!

Good luck with the conclusion, sounds like this beast doesn't want to be slayed. Congratulations on producing such fine, headstrong offspring.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I've realized the conclusion are these interesting scenes without anything stitching it together. Right now I'm writing the parts I know need to be there, and will figure out how to stitch them with the same fabric at some point....lol.

[sgafan.livejournal.com]

ACK! That completely sucks (not to mention is puzzling to say the least how it happened?!)

That just bites! I know that on the occasion that I've lost work, I have a REALLY hard time rewriting what I'd lost :(

*HUGS*

[sgafan.livejournal.com]

Since people are flinging out pics to try to help...

You're right: Sheppard and Ronon are NOT amused...

[click below]

[coolbreeze1.livejournal.com]

Oooh, awesome pic. Thanks for sharing!

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

I have had this before myself. It sometimes comes about when the computer for what ever reason it has (don't ask me the mysteries of Microsoft are a mythic adventure story in themselves) it decides to instead of actually saving to document saves to a new document or a temp file which it promptly hides soemwhere cunning and unhelpful never to be seen again. (i think the godess Annoia has a hand in it somewhere)

In that situation i would try opening the file you last worked on using words "recent documents" menu.. and/or the same through the start menu's version of teh same. this will hopefully pull up the last iteration of the file if it has decided to hide itself somewhere. My other trick is to open the last iteration of the document through the "recent Documents" options then "save as" which opens the fil eit has arbitrarily decided to save the document in.. which can be a random temp file hidden away somewhere.. otherwise I would just search through any and all of the temp files..

I am sorry that has happened.. Loosing hours of work is heartbreaking..

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I used all the recent document tricks and the only thing that popped up was the older version. Very odd and annoying. I'm manic about back-ups, so I'm lucky it was three scenes and a few edits vs. large chunks.

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

*points to icon* The boys are on it for you. :)

So sorry to hear that happened. The closest I've come is during big bang last year, I couldn't get the computer to recognize thumb drive I had my ENTIRE FIC saved on to. It finally did, and I saved it in like 100 places. Ha! Glad you were able to rewrite it. What a pain though.

[tepring.livejournal.com]

Don't let Shep near it, he'll just turn it off and back on again ;-)

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's scary! I tend to email myself copies to look at while I'm at work when I have a spare moment and each section has been sent to my alpha so I know those are safe. The trick is each section can be up to 10k, but I do save them other areas, it just so happen that this scene was a tough one and I only saved it the one time..lol

[saphirablue]

Oh boy! That sucks! *hugs you*

I'm just glad that it was such a "little" part (still anoying, I know) and not the whole fic... 8o.

And: *thud* + *drools* @ the pic... *sorry*

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

It was a smaller part, but one that included a few edits on my part. It's okay in the end. And I had to have an excuse to post that pic!!! :D

[vecturist.livejournal.com]

{{{HUGS}}} That has to be so frustrating! Glad you were able to rewrite/reconstruct what you had. I am a Mac person, so I can't offer any other advice (and fixing Macs is easy - I go to the genius bar at the apple store).

[tridget.livejournal.com]

That's awful. I have had that happened before, too, although it was only over a small paragraph or a small amount of editing. I have no idea why it does that. Very frustrating. Good luck on your next writing sessions so that you can forge ahead quickly and with ease.

[roo1965.livejournal.com]

Oh, i sympathise when tech goes wrong, just makes you want to go AARRGGHHHHH and throw things. I found a doc saved to the mysterious temp file- the one it sometimes defaults to when you ask to save- the one with the gobbledygook letters. took me forever to get it back out again and saved properly. Like you it was the latest version of a fic. I was not a happy camper! After my latest scares with the pooter i finally my docs folder backed up to external HD and am figuring out how to save emails and Firefox profiles too- they don't make that easy either!