After nearly 40 years on computer, I finally lost a hard drive. It was a scary experience and made my music files ( and everything else, including family pictures ) irretrievable.

I'll be away for awhile trying to reinstall programs and apps.

I’m sorry, Don. I’ve had several hard drives die but never an SSD (yet). What was that like - any warnings? Messages? Can you try the drive in another computer?

Good luck.

I lost a 250GB one last year. I learned a hard lesson when computers first came out back in the early 80's. Backup and backup often. When I went to SSD's a couple of years ago and took out my mechanical HD's, I did not get rid of them. I used them as a backup device and stored them in my closet just in case that day might arrive and I need to restore files.

Do yourself a favor and purchase wither a USB tumb drive or a portable hard drive, back up what is important and put it away. If fact, I would get 2 or 3 of the thumb drives since they are so darn cheap and keep one off prem if possible.

Hope you have a backup somewhere.

Early on I read there are two kinds of computer users:

1) Those who have had a hard disk crash

2) Those who haven't had a hard disk crash - YET

Don, there are retrieval services that might be able to salvage some or all of the data on your drive.

Good luck,
Bob

Matt

My first indication was freezing about 10 seconds after getting to a login screen. Not long enough to enter my credentials. Also, most of the onscreen icons had disappeared. Finally, it went to a blue screen, then dead.

I am in the process of reinstalling whatever I can.

I had the old drive destroyed rather than try to recover stuff. I have the critical software backed up but it will take me, at my pace, some time to reinstall e.

Bob,

The only thing that I will miss are family pictures. Nothing else is important.

I have a 2TB Drive and several 150GB drives ( thanks BIAB updates ) that I had saved my music on so I am not in terrible shape but it will take time.

Pictures are irreplaceable. I hope you can salvage them.

Bob