Dead Computer
I don't know if it is how I run my computer (on 24/7) or the options I use, or just the fact that I double my exposure by using RAID-0 type striped array setups, but I just had like the 4th drive go TU on me in as many years. It is ALWAYS my wondows boot RAID setup that goes bad (of course, that also has 90% of the accesses to it as well). I'm not sure it is worth running a RAID setup with that much problems (better yet, I should probalby move over to running a RAID-1 setup for the security/safety). Anyway, I normally back up all my critical things to DVD-RW, and I've come up with a pretty good way of keeping most of my "documents" in a single location. Email data files, digital pictures, HTML webpage, and even a utilities installation section. However, you are only as good for as often as you remember to backup. Well, two months goes by pretty quick. And with a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old, we get a lot of pictures.

So, looking at my backup, I haven't done one since around November 11th (damn...I would have SWORN it was more recent than that). Even worse, my wife made a special trip back to visit her Grandfather, who is pretty much terminally ill, and took our youngest back with her to meet him, and got some pictures. Yes...I lost those. Tried recovering them from the flash disk, but I managed to mangle that too, I think, with the various "undelete" programs I tried. Got it with one, but it was $49 to actually save the files. Tried a couple others, and eventually, one of them basically "modifed" the files such that you HAD to pay them to get the files restored, bastards.

Anyway, I've unstriped my array, and found the bad drive (it is a 200GB Maxtor 7200RPM 8MB SATA150 drive), and I'm limping along installing windows on the single 200GB remaining good drive. I may go pick up a 200GB drive to redundant array my setup, but I'm not sure. I'm not even sure how it notifies you that data is bad/corrupt (or does it just end up corrupting both drives in some cases).

Anyway, I've cancelled my EQ2 account, and going to try to get recovered from this disaster, and spend some time with the family. Especially now that we have the camper, it is going to be less time to play anyway.

I keep thinking that after all the work that goes into getting a good windows XP install done (especially with all the utility programs, settings changes, etc.) that I should just get a pristine setup done, and make a drive image of it. Well, maybe I'll do that this time...
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- posted by Jeff @ 9:58 PM | 0 comments

 
We are now "RV" owners!
Finally got a travel trailer this week from Bodily RV. Sarah has been wanting to get one to make it easier to go camping with the boys (before we have always just tent camped). Well, we started out looking at pop tent trailers...uh, and ended up with a 29-foot long dual axle 5000-lb. (dry weight) Forest River Wildwood with slide out dinette, refer, ducted A/C, full bath, gas stove/oven, AM/FM CD/Cas, sleeps a couple hundred, and lugs my half-ton 1995 full size Z-71 4WD Chevy 1500 with a 350 engine down like we forgot to take off the chain to the 3 ton piece of concrete.

I have NO idea where we will keep this (getting quotes for around $30/month just for a place to store it, and that is with no covering!). So, now we need a new house with an RV pad, a new $45,000 diesel truck, which means I will have to get a second job and therefore won't have any time to go camping. LOL.

When I went to pick it up today, I couldn't believe how stinking huge it was. It looked so small, parked next to all those 5th wheels the other day when we picked it out...but it is HUGE. Sigh.





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- posted by Jeff @ 9:35 PM | 0 comments