Wednesday, January 6, 2010

DECISIONS AND SOLUTIONS!



This painting is one I re-photographed the other day.  It is titled "The Autumn of My Life".  It is on YUPO and utilizes lots of George James' special techniques.  It looks nothing like anything I have ever done but I like it and it was so much fun in the making.  That, in my opinion, is the purpose of my art...to have joy in the act of creation.

Well, when you are in the Autumn of your life, there is no time to waste!  With the help of my son, Bill, who actually understands how all this technology works, we discussed his research into recovering data from a crashed hard drive.  I only  had two companies to work with because it requires a special room with a super clean environment and local, small individuals don't have that set up.  I could go with company "A" who is an authorized agent of the manufacturer of the hard drive (which was only 2 years old and still under limited warrantee i.e. they will replace the hard drive for free but not pay for the recovery....the hard drive was $235.  This authorized agent's cost of recovery $700 up to $2700. OUCH!!!!  If they couldn't salvage anything, no charge.   Recovery company "B" agent of a competing brand of hard drive, equally qualified to do the work, even on my brand, BUT it would void the warrantee by the hard drive manufacturer.  Company "B"'s recovery charge a flat $1500.  No charge if they failed to recover data.  Everything on my computer was backed up except the photos, so that was the only data I was interested in.  I get to see what they recover and then decide if I want it.  No charge if I don't want it even after they did the work.  That relieved me of my biggest concern...paying $1500 for data I still have on my computer!   I reasoned that the odds of the cost being less than $1500 with company "A" were remote and the odds of them being the full $2700 was a real possibility, so I opted for the known quantity and forfeited the warrantee replacement.   Staples Office Supply is handling the whole thing, so we took it there and they will pack it up and ship it off.

Now, I still need a backup system.  A good friend who had this very nightmare situation a few years ago uses a device called a "passport".  It is so cool!  The size of an IPhone, it has a 500GB capacity and uses a USB port connection for $120.  I can get a second one as a backup to the first and store zillions of photographs without using up all the memory in my laptop.  My new Snow Leopard operating system is backing up the computer EVERY HOUR!  It has something called "Time Machine" which allows you to retrieve lost data.  Sadly, it wasn't installed at the time of the big hard drive crash.

I will update this saga when I find out the results of the recovery effort.

I am sharing all this as a cautionary tale.  I hope others take the time to back up their valuable information so they don't have to go through this.  There are businesses that store data for you on the internet for a yearly fee of around $45.  In retrospect, that sounds like a bargain compared with the cost of retrieving lost data, plus there is no guarantee that it is even possible to get it back.  Blank cd's are cheap and a good way to store your photographs.  This is the best new years' resolution you could make.

32 comments:

jgr said...

AS always, I love this painting!! I have never tried yupo but someday I will. I'm sending you positive energy to get through your computer woes. Thank you for sharing your experience though, it is good information.
--Jane

Vicki Holdwick said...

Myrna,

I absolutely love this painting. It speaks to me and is so vibrant and alive!

Are you willing to divulge any of the techniques you used?

xoxo

Unknown said...

A luscious painting!! And, thanks so much for the warning. It's time for me to make some changes.

Elflling said...

Myrna, the carry-along hard disk drive, "my passport" from western digital are really great. I carry one with 500GB capacity with me all the time. Hope you get all your photos back soon! Keep us updated...

VickiRossArt said...

Myrna, before you get a passport, investigate the 'Time Capsule' from Apple. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC343/Time-Capsule-1TB?mco=MTM3NDY2ODg

The software comes with your mac and it is a breeze...backs up automatically. THEN you could get a usb drive or passport if you need to do off-site work. Or want to keep things somewhere but home.

I've got a Passport and had some glitches with it that cause me not to trust it for long term storage.

Myrna Wacknov said...

Jane, thanks for the positive energy. I can use all I can get. Yupo is fun and frustrating buy you should definitely give it a whirl!

Vicki, glad you like the painting. All the techniques are on George James' dvd by Creative Catalyst. Buy, beg, or borrow a copy.

Kathy, you must back up your photos. So many of your paintings have sold so you don't want to lose those images.

Elflling, that is the one I bought!

Vicki, I am backing up with the Time Capsule but you have to have something to put it on. I plan to have a second back up as soon as I get my data back. Thanks for the warning.

VickiRossArt said...

Myrna, the names are confusing and I usually get them backwards. Time Machine is the software, Time Capsule is apple's hardware.

Anonymous said...

I loved this painting... this is one that surprised me the most... deffinitly... it has something in it... i would even buy it.. hehe

nice job.

:)

Jeni said...

Beautiful, and so inspiring!

paintnpencil said...

What a beautiful painting, really really good.

Celeste Bergin said...

hope you get your data back...thanks for the beautiful paintings

Anonymous said...

that is absolutely beautiful

Teany Tiny Star said...

This is beautiful, i love the colors :)

Unknown said...

I use Carbonite to back up my hard drive. It is inexpensive and backs it up automatically. I wasn't really great at remembering to back it up on an external drive.
So this works the best for me. Right now they are the only one I could find with unlimited space.

Noni said...

I just ran across your blog while I was blog surfing. Quite a lovely painting. It would be what I call a "keeper". Glad I had the opportunity to view it.

Pensativo said...

These paintings in your blog are amazing... :)

Jet said...

amazing..

Gaga said...

Just found your blog and your work. I am inspired. Thanks. I hope you solve your storage crisis.

Flo

Anonymous said...

u are an amazing artist

Kevin Kuybus said...

I love painting very much. But i an not an excellent artist like you. All your pictures are amazing mate - its really creative

Tammy Real-McKeighan said...

Wow! Your work has so much life to it - so many colors! And I love what you have to say about joy in the creation of art.
I was an art major years ago, but I think I lost the joy just trying to make everything look perfect...
Keep up the great work!
If you get a chance, check out my Web site at www.realspiritualspinach.com
I'm involved in a different type of art these days ... I'm a writer ... have been for several years.
Take care.

Tammy

Linda said...

Great colors!

Maite said...

"That, in my opinion, is the purpose of my art...to have joy in the act of creation."

so very true. That is what it's all about, and I absolutely love that painting!

Anonymous said...

Stumbled on your blog by accident... and i sure am glad :)
you're art is truly beautiful & inspiring... keep it up

Anonymous said...

ah, such a lovely painting!!! <3
like you, im challenging myself to work on my creative side every week! good luck with your goals!!!
im going to keep tabs on your progress! ;P
but for now, i'll just look through more of your art! <3

Gina Nunes said...

I love your work. Don't be so discouraged--but I guess that's what artists do, want more from themselves. Your colors and visions are very powerful and effective. Keep up the good work.

Btableman said...

I love this painting a lot of subtle colors and it kind of reminds me of a forest which coincidently I just commented on on one of my blogs where I was missing the forest for the tree.

One Woman's Thoughts said...

I found your information on retrieving lost info on the computer helpful. I had lost everything a few years backs to a carsh and it was expensive to retrieve the info I felt I needed.
I do love this piece of art you did, and although
I appreciate your other works I have viewed so far, this one has really captured my pleasure. It is full of energy and life. Thanks for sharing your creative processes!

Anonymous said...

This is an amazing piece of work. You are truly talented. I really am inspired!

Anonymous said...

i thought that this painting was beautiful!

Unknown said...

I adore this painting. With some Yupo sitting around my own studio, there's a danger I might be tempted to try a new medium. And it really is a danger for me, if only because I'm completely out of room in here.

Keep going, you're fantastic!

As far as reliable data storage goes, I use an external drive to free up space and make my techie roommate come in and clean my computer every six months or so in exchange for home-cooked spaghetti sauce.

anjuli said...

I swear by the "passport"-- wouldn't know what to do without it now.

As for your paintings- absolutely love the colors and the vibrancy.

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