Disaster Somewhat averted Jan 20, 2022

Dec. 17th was a day of infamy. Using the computer at my local library branch , a notification came up to 'scan and repair ' the memory stick which contained all my final publishing submissions . I'd scanned and repaired before and didn't feel there'd be a problem --- now I will not do that period unless absolutely stuck. I could not believe it when all my writing files were DELETED and a bunch of inconsequential ones left . I'm generally pretty calm in a crisis, and this instance was no different. When I realized what had happened (and I was not getting those files back ), I packed up and left .

Naturally the first thing I checked on my external drive , when able , was my last manual backup , done in July so I certainly had the basics still there, but not the subsequent more recent proofs and submission of Celtic Knots or the older Reunion. Of course I tried various things initially, but then the holidays were upon us and I did little -- probably in a state of shock actually. I was very careful not to 'overwrite' anything on that memory stick from that point on.

However , came the New Year, I then tried everything I knew from my own knowledge i.e. computer 'Command' language etc etc to no avail so resorted to looking at a number of 'pay for data retrieval' programs.

A lot of these will give you a small window for free before purchase to see if your lost files are 'there'. I knew the memory stick had not much storage left on it , so this must have precipitated the DUMP : ( note to self , never let any of your memory sticks, hard drives, computers get to that point -- EVER AGAIN...) I could see some Found items but not access them. Some of these pay-for-use programs mainly brought back the inconsequential files; others brought back numbered files instead of 'named' so each one had to be opened to see what it was and even then, some had no date other than the retrieval date so not easy to figure out most recent and most important writing efforts.

In the end, I found the free ones did just as good a job. Early on I tried RECUVA which took hours (on my ultralight communications program) to do a Deep Scan but it recovered a fair amount although of course, as above , no names, dates etc. I had read somewhere that Windows 11 had a recovery file program incorporated in it 'quietly developed by Microsoft'. I needed a new computer anyway, and bought a basic Lenova laptop which had Windows 11 already installed : WIN GUI was the program I wanted to try. I did , and with some relief , also retrieved some files but in a lot shorter time period, probably because all the missing files were basically Window ones, and a Windows program was accessing....(not a third-party program as I call it .)

This whole retrieval experience lasted about 2 weeks and many hours but in the end , I prevailed (more or less). I found in the process that Microsoft's One Drive ( Cloud) was rather unreliable, as when I opened certain folders up on that initially, that I HAD uploaded final submissions too-- thinking they were safely 'vaulted' --- the folders were empty, for whatever reason. I wouldn't depend on that for security either from now on.

Thankfully, I'd already published 'Knots' so at the time, this was very frustrating mainly as I was half way through a re- edit of grammar on my first book -- REUNION, which you can do on kindle/amazon even when already published i.e. edit content (within certain perameters ie. no plot changes etc etc). Certain things like quotation marks , where the end ones were the same as the beginning had to be corrected. Thus, I had to find the last most recent submission of Reunion and go through from scratch to correct those probs where I saw them. After recovering what I thought was the last 'proof' before publishing, I was able to do this .

What a harrowing experience though, for an author. I can't think of anything worse ...

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