AARRGGHHHH!!!
Booted up my PC this morning, all set to work on the next chapter of the thesis. Loaded up my chapter, loaded up the referencing software in the background, went to open a reference paper to check the date ... wouldn't load. Tried again. Have been having speed problems with my browser later, so wondered if I had a memory issue. Went into control panel, upped the virtual memory setting, rebooted the machine ...
Only it didn't. Seriously didn't. Tried my boot disc and found myself staring at a DOS prompt, and a very very rusty recollection of what to so next ...
Unplugged everything, trogged it down to the local PC shop. 'Couple of hours, love. We'll take a look at it for you.'
I have at least five days worth of hard work that I will never be able to get back sitting on that machine. Not to mention the entire back reference library, wich took me equally as long to set up in the first place. That's potentially ten days extra work when my thesis is scheduled for submission next month ... Not to mention the terrifying thought of having to potentialy reinstall all my software. If I can find the disks. If I can locate the serial numbers. If I can remember all my website passwords, and the ftp configuration to connect to them
A couple of hours later comes the news. It's not good. The operating system is corrupted somewhere, which means a clean install. However, he has managed to read my dat disk and copy my document folders onto the portable hard drive I'd left with him. So hopefully I haven't lost the last few days work. Reference library? Not so sure. Software configurations? Oh yeah ...
He's going to put a new disk in for me, and piggyback the old one as a slave, so I might at least be able to rescue drivers, and a few other things (like my entire mailbox, for one ...) But we shall see. Meanwhile, I have lost at least a days working time, have all sorts of tedious reinstalls, awaiting me, and am currently working on the old machine (ex Warwick) which is probably the equvialent of doing a reinstall from three years ago. *sigh*
I am not happy. Not happy at all. I'm not paranoid.
The universe really is out to get me ...