My blind Apple fandom is over**
Addendum: To all the lovely visitors (hi!) who can’t stand to hear anyone even THINK of badmouthing Apple: Please see the addendum at the bottom
That’s right folks, it’s over -- possibly forever. Fuck Apple**. In fact, fuck Steve Jobs too because I want to make it personal -- but especially fuck Apple and their fucking “Apple Care” that I paid three-hundred-fucking-dollars for. I’m sorry if cursing offends you, I’m just slightly irked at the moment. Why? Well, let me tell you:
So I sent my baby (Powerbook G4) in for repairs… again. The Ethernet port is loose and the fan still doesn’t work even though they said they fixed it last time I sent it to them. Yet the thing will still reach 150 degrees without even considering turning the fan on – so sure, if you consider having a silent fan that never turns on a solution to the problem, then yeah it’s fixed. What the hell do I know – maybe Apple figured out how to magically cool the computer components without it actually cooling off because they’re that awesome. No.
Anyway, so I sent it in for repairs under my lovely Apple Care extended warranty. I got it back yesterday. Yay! My babys home! But there was something fishy about it. For one, it just didn’t feel right. Say what you will, but it didn’t feel like my baby (perhaps it was just because it was cool from being turned off and stored in a backroom for a few days when I’m used to it being 150 degrees in my lap. That’s alright though – I know it’s mine because the finish on the latch has worn off. So I look over the paperwork – they replaced the fan – awesome. Hey, how about that Ethernet port? Oh wait… they didn’t touch that. Nice – now I’m gonna have to send it back. But that can wait because when I have internet installed at my new place, I’m gonna be wireless anyway so who needs an Ethernet port? Let’s boot it up!
Problem.
Big problem.
Wait. WHAT THE FUCK?
It boots like the first time it’s ever booted. And not only that – but it’s booting into fucking PANTHER. 10.3? You’ve got to be kidding me! Oh look – it’s welcoming me to Apple. Somehow this little show that was so cool and exciting the first time I saw it is now infuriating me to the point that tears are welling up in my eyes and I think I’m starting to twitch. They erased my hard drive.
THEY ERASED MY HARDDRIVE!
Wait what? Since when does replacing a fan mean you have to erase my entire fucking hard drive? Oh wait – maybe they backed up my data. Lets not jump to conclusions here. So I go through the entire Panther setup process and open up my home folder… nothing. It’s gone. All of it. ALL OF IT. Everything is gone – three years of my life is GONE.
Think I’m over exaggerating? NO I’M NOT. All my music is gone – All of it! I’m going to try to get it off my iPod but with the success rate I get trying to get stuff from my iPod to Audioscrobbler I’m not going to count on it. In fact I’m afraid to even try because if the computer wipes the iPod then I don’t have any of it in any form. 10 gigs of music is gone. And some of that I just CAN’T get back. I’ve spent over 200 dollars buying music from iTunes over the past three years and you can’t get that stuff back. They won’t let you redownload it and it’s not like I made copies. It’s gone. Gone. Bye-bye.
My pictures. All the pictures I’ve taken for 3 years – gone. They were all digital – no hard copy exists. Pictures of friends I’ve had that I will probably never see again – gone. In fact everything but the fading memories of those relationships is gone. All the IM archives – all the emails and pictures from trips I’ve taken – gone. All my Third Day pictures gone. All my family pictures gone. All of them. Gone. Forever. They’re not coming back. Ever.
My programs. All of them. Not even just the programs but the entire fucking operating system. 10.4 is gone. Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Virtual PC, Windows XP, tons of compilers, all the programs I have (oh wait, make that HAD) for school, Ecto, Quicktime Pro… who knows what I can’t remember this second – give me a moment BECAUSE I’M IN SHOCK.
But Karen, don’t you have the serial numbers for all those programs? Just reinstall them.
Yes, I have the serial numbers… I have them on my computer… OH WAIT – THEY WIPED THAT.
All my art… I don’t keep any art – I give it away to people who will look at it and appreciate it. I only keep pictures. So all of my drawings, sculptures, paintings, stained glass, and what-not – I have no record of it. No portfolio to show. And hell the photoshop work – well yeah, naturally that’s gone too.
I can’t believe it. I’m just – shocked. I kinda want to cry. It’s all gone. And not gone as in “I’m gonna freak out until I get it back gone” – no, it’s totally gone and not coming back. I have a blank computer with an out of date operating system.
It’s kinda hard to express how I feel at the moment. Most of you will never understand – and of those of you who do understand, you’ll just say I’m an idiot for not having back ups.** You – yes you, if I took your computer and wiped it right now with no warning – are you completely backed up? And if you are well then fuck you I wasn’t and this isn’t about you.
Hey Apple, thanks for the heads up. Thanks for calling me to make sure I had a backup of the past three years of my life before you decided that it was necessary to WIPE MY HARD DRIVE SO YOU COULD INSTALL A FUCKING FAN. Jesus Christ – why did you even need to wipe it anyway? And with all that space you have, you couldn’t spare a few gigs for 30 minutes to perhaps backup some of my shit? YOU COULDN’T CALL ME?
Gone. It’s all so gone. My mind keeps jumping back and forth between the music and the programs and the pictures. The pictures. The pictures of people I’ll never see again. The trips that I took. Only memories. I have a bad memory as you well know.
I mean… why’d they have to wipe it anyway?
So yeah, I’m back at the beginning of my Mac experience. The beginning where I had no programs and just a stock computer. No cute penguin desktop – the drive isn’t even named MRDD anymore because Izzy thought it was funny to call my computer and me retarded. There’s no media on it. No pictures. No music. The dock is all ugly and in the wrong place. And I’ve no desire to fix it. None. I’m going to turn it off and put it away in its case until I get internet next month and can somehow start over with it. I’ve no desire to play with it or be reminded of all that is lost. It’s no longer my baby – it’s just a cold metal laptop that won’t even meet my needs until I round up all the programs I need again.
Holy shit I’m actually going to cry because they erased my computer.
So yeah, that whole wonderful blind mac-is-awesome faith that I once had going is gone. I don’t know if it’s this experience in particular or if it’s a general de-mystification that’s been building, but for some reason it’s been wiped from my soul in the same way everything was wiped from my hard drive. And just to let you know what I mean: Mom was going to get a mac when she could afford it. I mean it’ll be great for her – she’s no good with computers so I think she’d love the simple elegance of the operating system. But she can’t afford it right now – their cheapest laptop is a thousand dollars. And we were waiting – but I think I’ll just tell her to go ahead and get a PC. You can get a PC that is just as fast for a third of that price. And yeah, it’ll be a piece of shit and worthless in 2 years – but then we can buy another one and still be cheaper than if we had bought an ibook. And hell, maybe by then someone will have hacked the OS or Apple will have released the OS to run on a PC anyway. Right now I honestly have lost the reason why we’ve been saving up the money to get an iBook. Why have I made her wait so long on getting a computer? What makes that laptop so worth a thousand dollars when she barely knows how to use a computer anyway?
I’m really upset about this. Kinda angry but more hurt. It’s like my house burned down and insurance thinks that just building the house back will fix it. It won’t ever be the place that it was. Ever. And some things can’t be replaced. It was just data – 1s and 0s – but at the same time, it was more than that.
I’d post a picture of me flipping off Apple, but really I’m more sad than angry at the moment and that would require using the computer which I’ve absolutely no desire to touch.
**Addendum: Of course I've heard of back ups and yes this is my fault and not Apples and yes there is a clause that states they aren't responsible for lost data or I'd be raising hell with them. This is why there's a little sentence in that long rant that went a little something like this:
"Most of you will never understand – and of those of you who do understand, you’ll just say I’m an idiot for not having back ups."
This is a cautionary tale for us idiots out there who don't have back ups. I'm an idiot -- I've never denied this.
Another Addendum: This is a personal rant on a personal blog written while I’m kinda upset. I bitch when I’m happy so you can be damn well certain that I’m gonna bitch about this. No it’s not Apples fault and I never said I hated Apple -- I said my blind lust for them is gone. They're still better computers.
That’s right folks, it’s over -- possibly forever. Fuck Apple**. In fact, fuck Steve Jobs too because I want to make it personal -- but especially fuck Apple and their fucking “Apple Care” that I paid three-hundred-fucking-dollars for. I’m sorry if cursing offends you, I’m just slightly irked at the moment. Why? Well, let me tell you:
So I sent my baby (Powerbook G4) in for repairs… again. The Ethernet port is loose and the fan still doesn’t work even though they said they fixed it last time I sent it to them. Yet the thing will still reach 150 degrees without even considering turning the fan on – so sure, if you consider having a silent fan that never turns on a solution to the problem, then yeah it’s fixed. What the hell do I know – maybe Apple figured out how to magically cool the computer components without it actually cooling off because they’re that awesome. No.
Anyway, so I sent it in for repairs under my lovely Apple Care extended warranty. I got it back yesterday. Yay! My babys home! But there was something fishy about it. For one, it just didn’t feel right. Say what you will, but it didn’t feel like my baby (perhaps it was just because it was cool from being turned off and stored in a backroom for a few days when I’m used to it being 150 degrees in my lap. That’s alright though – I know it’s mine because the finish on the latch has worn off. So I look over the paperwork – they replaced the fan – awesome. Hey, how about that Ethernet port? Oh wait… they didn’t touch that. Nice – now I’m gonna have to send it back. But that can wait because when I have internet installed at my new place, I’m gonna be wireless anyway so who needs an Ethernet port? Let’s boot it up!
Problem.
Big problem.
Wait. WHAT THE FUCK?
It boots like the first time it’s ever booted. And not only that – but it’s booting into fucking PANTHER. 10.3? You’ve got to be kidding me! Oh look – it’s welcoming me to Apple. Somehow this little show that was so cool and exciting the first time I saw it is now infuriating me to the point that tears are welling up in my eyes and I think I’m starting to twitch. They erased my hard drive.
THEY ERASED MY HARDDRIVE!
Wait what? Since when does replacing a fan mean you have to erase my entire fucking hard drive? Oh wait – maybe they backed up my data. Lets not jump to conclusions here. So I go through the entire Panther setup process and open up my home folder… nothing. It’s gone. All of it. ALL OF IT. Everything is gone – three years of my life is GONE.
Think I’m over exaggerating? NO I’M NOT. All my music is gone – All of it! I’m going to try to get it off my iPod but with the success rate I get trying to get stuff from my iPod to Audioscrobbler I’m not going to count on it. In fact I’m afraid to even try because if the computer wipes the iPod then I don’t have any of it in any form. 10 gigs of music is gone. And some of that I just CAN’T get back. I’ve spent over 200 dollars buying music from iTunes over the past three years and you can’t get that stuff back. They won’t let you redownload it and it’s not like I made copies. It’s gone. Gone. Bye-bye.
My pictures. All the pictures I’ve taken for 3 years – gone. They were all digital – no hard copy exists. Pictures of friends I’ve had that I will probably never see again – gone. In fact everything but the fading memories of those relationships is gone. All the IM archives – all the emails and pictures from trips I’ve taken – gone. All my Third Day pictures gone. All my family pictures gone. All of them. Gone. Forever. They’re not coming back. Ever.
My programs. All of them. Not even just the programs but the entire fucking operating system. 10.4 is gone. Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Virtual PC, Windows XP, tons of compilers, all the programs I have (oh wait, make that HAD) for school, Ecto, Quicktime Pro… who knows what I can’t remember this second – give me a moment BECAUSE I’M IN SHOCK.
But Karen, don’t you have the serial numbers for all those programs? Just reinstall them.
Yes, I have the serial numbers… I have them on my computer… OH WAIT – THEY WIPED THAT.
All my art… I don’t keep any art – I give it away to people who will look at it and appreciate it. I only keep pictures. So all of my drawings, sculptures, paintings, stained glass, and what-not – I have no record of it. No portfolio to show. And hell the photoshop work – well yeah, naturally that’s gone too.
I can’t believe it. I’m just – shocked. I kinda want to cry. It’s all gone. And not gone as in “I’m gonna freak out until I get it back gone” – no, it’s totally gone and not coming back. I have a blank computer with an out of date operating system.
It’s kinda hard to express how I feel at the moment. Most of you will never understand – and of those of you who do understand, you’ll just say I’m an idiot for not having back ups.** You – yes you, if I took your computer and wiped it right now with no warning – are you completely backed up? And if you are well then fuck you I wasn’t and this isn’t about you.
Hey Apple, thanks for the heads up. Thanks for calling me to make sure I had a backup of the past three years of my life before you decided that it was necessary to WIPE MY HARD DRIVE SO YOU COULD INSTALL A FUCKING FAN. Jesus Christ – why did you even need to wipe it anyway? And with all that space you have, you couldn’t spare a few gigs for 30 minutes to perhaps backup some of my shit? YOU COULDN’T CALL ME?
Gone. It’s all so gone. My mind keeps jumping back and forth between the music and the programs and the pictures. The pictures. The pictures of people I’ll never see again. The trips that I took. Only memories. I have a bad memory as you well know.
I mean… why’d they have to wipe it anyway?
So yeah, I’m back at the beginning of my Mac experience. The beginning where I had no programs and just a stock computer. No cute penguin desktop – the drive isn’t even named MRDD anymore because Izzy thought it was funny to call my computer and me retarded. There’s no media on it. No pictures. No music. The dock is all ugly and in the wrong place. And I’ve no desire to fix it. None. I’m going to turn it off and put it away in its case until I get internet next month and can somehow start over with it. I’ve no desire to play with it or be reminded of all that is lost. It’s no longer my baby – it’s just a cold metal laptop that won’t even meet my needs until I round up all the programs I need again.
Holy shit I’m actually going to cry because they erased my computer.
So yeah, that whole wonderful blind mac-is-awesome faith that I once had going is gone. I don’t know if it’s this experience in particular or if it’s a general de-mystification that’s been building, but for some reason it’s been wiped from my soul in the same way everything was wiped from my hard drive. And just to let you know what I mean: Mom was going to get a mac when she could afford it. I mean it’ll be great for her – she’s no good with computers so I think she’d love the simple elegance of the operating system. But she can’t afford it right now – their cheapest laptop is a thousand dollars. And we were waiting – but I think I’ll just tell her to go ahead and get a PC. You can get a PC that is just as fast for a third of that price. And yeah, it’ll be a piece of shit and worthless in 2 years – but then we can buy another one and still be cheaper than if we had bought an ibook. And hell, maybe by then someone will have hacked the OS or Apple will have released the OS to run on a PC anyway. Right now I honestly have lost the reason why we’ve been saving up the money to get an iBook. Why have I made her wait so long on getting a computer? What makes that laptop so worth a thousand dollars when she barely knows how to use a computer anyway?
I’m really upset about this. Kinda angry but more hurt. It’s like my house burned down and insurance thinks that just building the house back will fix it. It won’t ever be the place that it was. Ever. And some things can’t be replaced. It was just data – 1s and 0s – but at the same time, it was more than that.
I’d post a picture of me flipping off Apple, but really I’m more sad than angry at the moment and that would require using the computer which I’ve absolutely no desire to touch.
**Addendum: Of course I've heard of back ups and yes this is my fault and not Apples and yes there is a clause that states they aren't responsible for lost data or I'd be raising hell with them. This is why there's a little sentence in that long rant that went a little something like this:
"Most of you will never understand – and of those of you who do understand, you’ll just say I’m an idiot for not having back ups."
This is a cautionary tale for us idiots out there who don't have back ups. I'm an idiot -- I've never denied this.
Another Addendum: This is a personal rant on a personal blog written while I’m kinda upset. I bitch when I’m happy so you can be damn well certain that I’m gonna bitch about this. No it’s not Apples fault and I never said I hated Apple -- I said my blind lust for them is gone. They're still better computers.
Sunday, May 14, 2006 9:08 AM | Linky |
47 Comments:
I'm sorry for your aggravation, but have you ever heard of backing up? You can buy a USB 2 external hard drive for next to nothing and back up your entire home folder every week. Maybe next time. It is weird that they erased your HD, but this isn't all Apple's fault.
i remember a saying from years back: "There are two kinds of comuter users. Those who have lost data, and those who will." It's fairly common knowledge that you should back up your data before sending a computer in for repairs. I'm very surprised to hear that you have three years worth of data, and in that time have never backed anything up. To a certain extent, that says a lot about Apple's computers: that in three years, you never lost any data. My guess is that somewhere in your AppleCare materials is a statement strongly recommending you back up your data before sending your computer in. I'm sorry, but this one is your fault.
Of course I've heard of back ups and yes this is my fault and not apples and yes there is a clause that states they aren't responsible for lost data or I'd be raising hell with them. This is why there's a little sentence in that long rant that went a little something like this:
"Most of you will never understand – and of those of you who do understand, you’ll just say I’m an idiot for not having back ups."
This is a cautionary tale for us idiots out there who don't have back ups.
1. Back up
2. Your ethernet port is probably loose from abuse. It if it came that way, you should have returned the computer immediately.
3. This is not a cautionary tale for idiots to back up (that would read something like, 'The Lesson Learned when not Backing Up'). What you are doing is looking to blame someone else for your mistake.
4. If you now hate Apple, move on. Buy a PC. I hear they are specifically designed for 'idiots'.
5. I'm sorry you lost your data. It is something difficult to accept. In time, you won't feel so bad.
6. Try a recovery program. Chances are that your data is still on the hard drive. If you feel it is worth the money, send it in to a recovery specialist ($$$).
7. Your rant is irresponsible and you should re-write it.
8. Back up again.
Apple would do customers a great service if they just cloned the contents of the HD and copied the user files back before returning a computer.
If your HD had just died, you would have had the same data loss.
I clone my HD to an external FW drive, keep keychains and important documents on .Mac and burn a dvd of my photos and music from time to time. Also I have a duplicate of all my apps running on a second Mac.
But if the house burns, I'm f***ed as well. Yeah, off-site backups should be the norm, but I guess I'm too lazy.
Why should I rewrite my rant? It's a rant on a personal blog, I'll rant and bitch as I please, thank you.
Also, someone mentioned cheap external drives -- How cheap are we talking? If I could find a cheap (and a hundred dollars is NOT cheap) external drive, I'd be more than happy to purchase it and prevent this from ever happening again.
data backup is part of the price of a computer - just like oil changes and a car.
Also, many hardware problems are actually caused by software - esp if you have older versions of haxies, sharware, etc running in the background -- so one of the best ways to troubleshoot is to erase.
Re: Why the older OS vs. new - they always will try to install what the machine came with. Since you own the disks for install (don't you???) you can upgrade yourself. This way they can install an image with known-good drivers for your particular machine and not have to spend the extra time upgrading it to (and they would have to read your mind) the way YOU like it.
--- me
ps you are a spoiled child that knows nothing about computers
I have worked in a large repair shop - we did a lot of laptops. Do you really think that Apple's repair subcontractors have the TIME and DRIVE SPACE to image computers? AND DO THIS TO BROKEN COMPUTERS!?!?!?!?
wtf???
Jack:
THANK YOU for the info about the iPod! That's certianly something I'm glad to have been told.
Also thanks for the defense ;) I'm touchy by nature.
And to everyone: The ethernet port is NOT due to abuse. I do believe I have been made fun of for still having a computer desk even though it's a laptop.
Oh and to the asshole who commented about the OS discs: Actually I installed the OS from a family license (for 5 computers) so I don't have the disc on me at the moment no. So :-p
Read your instructions again. Apple does warn you about data loss when sending a system in for repair, regardless of the type of repair. Apple strongly suggests that you have a back-up of all of your data.
Now, to try an fix your problem. Call AppleCare or go to your local AppleStore. In a polite and professional tone, explain your situation. You can sound desparate and you can sound sad. This will get you a lot further than flipping them off.
Loosing data can suck. Last year my hard drive died and my last backup was 6 months previous. That hurt a lot. Three years is a long time to go without a backup. Everyone reading this blog should backup their important data to a CD/DVD right now!!
To the um.... nth anon comment -- There's really no point in me calling Apple or Apple Care. I've already spoken to them about the ethernet port which they said must have tested fine (I'll look into that later -- it's not my concern at the moment) and there's nothing they can do about my lost data even if I did complain -- which as I said, I really can't because I'm aware that theres a clause in the contract that they are not repsonsible for lost data.
As far as NO back up -- well I'm sure some of it has been burned to CD over time and Of course I'll do my best to restore what I did save -- but there was no official backing up done and the majority of it is lost. I'm mourning here -- the fact that it's my own fault due to stupidity only makes it worse.
You are certainly not alone in not realizing the importance of backing up- every time I am called to assist a friend or family member with a Mac problem, I cringe when they explain that they never heard of, didn't have time for, or didn't know how to back up their data. However, as a long time IT support tech in my school, I had a simple rule for clients. You have a server account- anything in there is protected- anything on your computer hard drive will be erased when I reimage it to solve your computer problem. So while I can empathize with your data loss, I fully understand that repair technicians cannot approach each repair from a user centric view- I could not and would not have even if I had less than 450 computers to support on 90 minutes per day (so glad we were an all Mac school).
If you truly feel the Windoze world is so much better off, have at it. The Mac world will be waiting to welcome you back when you have seen what lies there ;-)
I wonder what you would have written if the hard drive had failed first and taken all your data away.
First: I refuse to buy AppleCare. About four years ago I received a DOA G4. It was covered for "on-site" repairs, but I bought it from Small Dog. They would not take it back. They said... call Apple, it's under warranty. Apple refused to honor the on-site service. I had to drive 70 miles to deliver it for service, then drive 70 miles to go pick it up three days later.
I buy lots of Macs. Business owns about 16. I figure the money I save on NOT buying AppleCare pays for my gas (yes even at today's prices) for what I save. I have very, very few problems with failures. I do backup the business files... but not my personal files. Thanks for the gentle reminder that it's time!!!
"I wonder what you would have written if the hard drive had failed first and taken all your data away. "
Good question. Probably something much the same, except minus the Apple Care story at the beginning. I like to bitch and rant on this PERSONAL blog because it makes me feel better -- so yeah, I'd have bitched and ranted in much the same way. Does that answer the question?
~~~~~~
Also a big THANK YOU to mfdesigns, Jack, and the lovely nice people who have emailed me to remind me not to take all this bashing personally. I'm the kinda person who REALLY needs that kind of reminder daily so your well wishes are more than appriciated.
To all the anon posters who are doing exactly what I said you would do and bashing me for not backing up: Fuck yall, it's my personal blog -- AKA my party and I'll cry if I want to.
...cry if I want to. You would cry too if it happened to yooooooou Do-wa Do-wap do
To respond to all those posters who wrote that we shouldn't expect technicians to have the time to clone and copy a HD: For the price of Applecare on a PB I'd expect Apple to innovate and not just give standard "Dell" support. Think different and listen to the issues that customers have. Don't just expect customers to have a recent full back-up of their HD.
Oh boy - have I been there - nothing is worse than the cruel nature of digital oblivion. I too once was in the same boat - had a powerbook taken out by a lightning strike and blammo - everything gone in an instant.
i too had neglected to backup - I too had gotten so inredibly mad I want I wanted to hurl the laptop and all things digital into some abyss where they could no longer taunt me.
Now, trusting nothing totally - i make back ups - photos and music to DVDS, and regular backups to another drive. Do I feel better about it...not really - I'm still waiting for the day when not only my computer goes down, but somehow all my backups get screwed at the same time too. :)
Well hang in there - hopefully it'll get better.
Yes, it is Karen's fault for losing her data. Do you drive an automobile without learning the basics of maintenance? Of course not, and there are hundreds of similar things.
Before sending in the PB, it should have been backed up. Of course, take it to an Apple store and you can tell them at the Genius Bar what the situation is. Too hard for you I suppose, Karen. But perhaps you live too far from one.
Regardless, get rid of the Mac and get a PC laptop. You'll have the same problems, but with different twists. I hope you learned from this experience.
Remember, THERE IS NO FREE RIDE.
Definitely a well thought out article. I did find a mathematical error though in the number '23' stated in the replies. It appears that you may have gotten your sums wrong as I get the number '13'.
As for loosing data, it sucks no doubt, but it was entirely (and easily) preventable.
I know you were being a total smart ass with the comment about the Apple store genius bar being too far away -- but just to let you know, there isn't even an Apple store in my entire state. Check your facts before you smart off in someones comments.
Here's the website that lists them all if you ever care to check up on yourself:
http://www.apple.com/retail/
What I noticed was the part about the serials. You don't have the boxes software like VirtualPC and Photoshop arrived in? I guess then you didn't buy them then. I understand your feelings about loosing your private files, but don't complain about loosing software you probably didn't buy.
What a nightmare, no wonder you're upset. But remember there's an old comuter industry epithet that carries great wisdom. "The only person who has never lost data is the person who hasn't lost it YET".
It's true. If you consider anything you do on your computer to be important, then it's important enough to have a backup.
What if you had accidentally spilled a soda on your computer? It could have had exactly the same result, and even worse, you would have had no one else to blame.
Never EVER use a computer without some form of backup.
"What I noticed was the part about the serials. You don't have the boxes software like VirtualPC and Photoshop arrived in? I guess then you didn't buy them then. I understand your feelings about loosing your private files, but don't complain about loosing software you probably didn't buy. "
Dear anon fucker #13:
I got them through my college (I'm a college student and software we NEED is free to us through educational institution licensing) so no, I don't have the boxes they came from nor do I remember their serials. Also, some programs that you buy online *surprise!* email you serials and don't even COME in a box. Wow, learn something new everyday don't cha?
Christ yall are pissing me off more than I was in the first place. I had only good things to say about the Mac community before today. Now I'm just getting a bunch of fuckers telling me to get a PC.
Go away.
" I don't have the boxes they came from nor do I remember their serials. Also, some programs that you buy online *surprise!* email you serials and don't even COME in a box."
Guess you don't own a printer either.... If it's important enough to me to cause potential legal or monetary impact if lost, I make a hard copy. Granted, my hard copies are in the same house as my CD/DVD copies and computer, but at least I have 4 or more chances of having something in case of disaster or theft.
Sounds to me like you are lazy and spoiled.
PS: It doesn't matter what platform you use - PC, Mac, Linux, or XBox - being lazy and having poor data management practices will bite you in the end... Hope the IRS doesn't audit you - because they WILL want PAPER going back several years.
I'm the so-called anon fucker #13.
I was a student a year ago, and we used some software that we got through the university, but we would never get any free editions of Adobe nor Microsoft-software. We had to buy Creative Suite and MS Offise. Maybe the colleges in the US pay the licenses for the students, but they sure don't do that in Norway. Not even for Student Editions of the software.
But that's not what I want to complain about. Maybe I am mistaken about the practice your colleges do about those issues. What I resent are the fact you call me a fucker. I never said you were an idiot (even though I now are starting to believe you are). I could have helped you to tell you how to get the licenses for your the student edition softeare. But now I just don't feel like it anymore.
So you lact social skills. Well good luck in the corporate world. You'll probably be popular in there.
And yes, I know you get the license in the email for software bought online. I knew that 10 years ago, and at least I also found out that it would be smart to print them out too.
And about your complaint about Mac -User community? Maybe the problem aren't with the Mac-users. It might be just you.
PS: I decided I should tell you how to get the licenses anyway, call me a fucker, but I'm actually a nice guy. Go to the IT-department at your college and explaine your problem. (but just don't do it the same way you do on the comments here. Then you'll never get any help.) They'll probably be able to get you a copy of the number.
To all the people railing at her for her frustration, I say fuck you too, as she would. I've been in a similar situation with Apple where they've had to replace motherboards and every time--every time--they gave me the disclosure that it could be wiped and the option to pay a fee to back it up. The one time I had to use that fee--they called me before they backed it up to make sure we're all in agreement.
Don't get me a wrong-I'm a 10-year Mac fan who's converted everybody within my sphere of influence, so I'm a fan. But they tout themselves as having a superior customer experience and superior product.
So--yeah, she didn't do her due diligence ... but neither did the company she paid thousands of dollars to before obliterating everything on her computer. Apple advertises the Apple lifestyle--they want you to keep all your home movies and pictures and music on these machines. The least they could do is notify you if they're going to wipe out your entire life and at least offer their standard program to back it up. Everybody's at fault here--but the company is the expert at the repairs. They should have let her know.
I feel your pain.
Why can't you morons get something simple through your head, Karen's hard drive was wiped by Apple even though her laptop was sent in to get the fan fixed, which has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with her hard drive. If Karen sent her laptop in to get her HARD DRIVE fixed and it got wiped, then, and ONLY THEN, would this be Karen's fault, at least partially. Apple, as a company, should NEVER assume that its customers would backup its hard drive. I mean how much would it cost to provide a copy of her hard drive's content on a DVD-R before wiping it? So no matter how you look at it, Apple still "done fucked up".
Also, I do agree with some of your fellow anonymous posters that Karen switching to a PC will not allow her to avoid the same potential problem. A situation like this is universal among ALL computers and computer companies.
Bottomline is, this IS Karen's PERSONAL blog and she just went through a traumatizing experience. I don't see how any of you who are 1.) calling her an idiot for not backing up, 2.) accussing her of being a pirate and 3.) calling her spoiled are being constructive.
Hey lots a peole have had hard drives fail too, me included.
I know what its like to lose projects, etc.
I learned to get an extra hard drive and back up.
Oh if I have to listen to someone get up on their website 'soapbox' and condemn Apple apple again for a mistake that they made themselves again, I am going to scream. I have not one iota of sympathy for you, and less regard for you as a person due to your "poor little me" attitude. Take some personal responsibility for your problems. You should have backed up if your data was that important, before sending your computer off for repair. Not Apple, you!
Oh how rich. Someone posts an inflammatory rant on a website, then acts like it's a diary entry that has some kind of intimacy to it. HEY SISTER, POSTING SOMETHING ON A WEBSITE IS LIKE STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF TIMES SQUARE AND SCREAMING IT OUT AS LOUD AS YOU CAN! As for the supporters of your viewpoint here, all I can say is, they're probably just hoping to get a date.
Get some things straight folks, this is a PERSONAL blog, not a professional website. If you don't like what the blogger has to say, keep in mind that no one ever forced you to read it.
Also, is it so difficult to believe that those of us who support Karen simply do it because she is right to be pissed at Apple for wiping her hard drive when all they had to do was to fix the fan? It would be pretty pathetic to support Karen to "get a date"...
Why do some of you insist on dishing out personal attacks against the blogger instead of focusing on the issue?
Facts:
• Karen sent in her laptop to get the FAN fixed.
• Apple wiped her hard drive without providing a reason.
Feel free to argue against those two facts.
Ahhh did you look at the work order when you signed it? It should have listed exactly what they were going to do to your computer. Did you ask any questions? Did someone ask you if you backed up the system? Seems to me you signed a work order & didn't read it. If you did & the ethernet port was not on there...you should have asked questions. You should have verified what work was done on your computer before you left the store. Seems to me you had your head up your ass.
Everybody's missing the point. APPLE HAS A PROGRAM IN PLACE WHERE YOU CAN PAY THEM TO BACK UP YOUR DATA FOR $49 BEFORE THEY WIPE IT. Why didn't they offer it here? It's their program--they're the purveyors of it, they're the experts over what they offer, not her the customer. Therefore, it's their obligation to offer it.
I understand personal responsibility, 'if it was so important, she shoulda backed up', blah blah. She bears that part of the blame. Also, you can never tell what they're going to do with the innards of your Mac. The fan may have been faulty but that might have been tied into a bad logic board, etc., etc. Because it was 'just a fan' doesn't mean they don't sometimes have to wipe the hard drive.
But why didn't Apple afford her the opportunity to take advantage of a program they created SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS TYPE OF REASON before eliminating her life's work? The program's existence, in and of itself, mitigates much of the blame away from her and to them.
Her: They're only going to fix the fan. No worries.
Them: Hey, let's wipe this hard drive without offering the user a chance to make sure her stuff is backed up.
Karen, for what it's worth, it's awful to hear that you've lost all your data. Two years ago, my girlfriend accidentally spilled a full glass of Coca Cola over my baby (iBook G4 back then) and I felt completely the same when I heard from Apple that all my data was lost.
On the other hand, I tried not to blame Apple, because it is indeed true that I should have made backups. It's the same story for you: just start from the beginning. Music is just music. Documents are just documents. Don't take it personal. This could have happened with any company (not just Apple).
I know that you probably had some really personal stuff (like picures) on your PowerBook which indeed is a terrible thing to loose, but just see this as a lesson (next time you WILL have a backup (I have 2 now)).
Take care,
TJ.
Oh, and sorry for mentioning that backup thing again. It's indeed not a good thing to tell a person in grief what he/she should have done.
I hope you still treat me as one of he good guys - read: it wasn't my intention to blame you for anything, only to give you good advice from my own experiences.
mfdesigns, the thing is that in its license, Apple clearly says that you should take a backup (and that they are certainly not responsible if anything goes wrong). Again, I think it's a terrible thing what happened to Karen's notebook, but those situations have to happen once, so that they won't happen again in the future.
Also, if you don't want your hard drive to be whiped, you could just ask for the Apple Retailer/Store/Whatever ;-) to take a backup for you. I live in Belgium (we don't have any actual Apple Store) and they used to make one for me without any extra cost.
And to clear up my spilled-soda-story: the hard drive was still intact, only, because of a (human) error, they replaced it with a new one. By the time I called Apple, they had already thrown it away. It was very difficult for me to admit to myself that I was the one to blame and not Apple.
Good god, I've been at the hospital having tests done all day and stopped at the library to check my email -- I really should have considered taking a preliminary klonopin.
Oh and as to the defending me for dates, dude I'm open. I live in Huntsville yall -- hit me up, I'm totally cute and single.
And here's how I went about sending it to apple to all who are asking about that. We don't have an Apple store anywhere in Alabama so I took it to a store that sells and works on Macs. They didn't tell me they were going to send it to apple -- they just took down what was wrong (the fan and ethernet port). I told them to only do things that were covered under Apple care and they told me it'd be about 2 days (no mention of wiping anything).
2 days later they called me and told me they'd need to send it to Apple. I asked how long that would take and made sure it was all covered on the warrenty and gave them the ok. No one ever offered to back up anything or asked me if I had backups.
So I never directly dealt with Apple in any of it -- and I don't blame apple for it because as has been pointed out, it warns that in the Apple Care paper work. But yeah I'm upset about it and I posted on my blog about it. You'll survive if someone bad mouths your favorite company even if they are wrong. I never attacked any of you personally.
And yeah, feel free to defend me for dates. I like movies and mexican food.
I don't have time to respond to each comment or email directly (I'm on a library computer and the man behind the counter is giving me dirty looks) but I do want to say thanks to everyone whos defended me ;) What sweethearts, you make me feel better.
To the comment about me having right to be mad at Apple because it was just a fan, actually I don't. I'm fully aware that I don't, but I'm going to bitch about it anyway.
Also, it might be a while before I can respond to comments again -- I'm lacking of the internet access because I'm only at my apt on the weekends this month and I don't want to dish out 60 dollars to have internet access on the weekends. And no, dial ups out because I'm too poor to have a cellphone AND a land line. But I'll get back to you -- don't assume that my silence means you've won the flamewar ;)
Did I accuse you of using pirated software? Where did I say that? I wrote that I believed you didn't pay for it, and the last time I checked that's not the same as saying you use pirated sofware. It can also mean you got it for free. (I got my MS Office from the company I own, and even that OEM edition arrived in a box with multi licenses.) Maybe your parents bought it for you. And in that case you would have the boxes, wouldn't you?!
PS: to the people telling me to switch to PC -- actually this is my first Mac computer. And I still love the computer and the company (I'm just really pissed at them unjustified or not). It's a far superior product or I wouldn't have taken out a fucking loan to buy it when I already had a PC. Not that any computer would have faired any differently in this case, a wiped HD is a wiped HD no matter what operating system it runs or who did the wiping for whatever reason.
Also whats with the spoiled comments? I lost the data on a computer that I paid (technically am still paying) for. So I'm whining about it -- who says I'm spoiled? Not having back ups makes me spoiled? Hows that work? Technically if I was spoiled, someone would have bought me an external HD to do the back ups on...
And yes, I'm just poking now - I'm trying real hard not to take any of this personally or to allow yall to piss me off.
Serenity now.
Dude, I've already said that I got MS office, Virtual PC, and windows through my school. No we don't get boxes. Actually, since you are apparently just dying to know, here's how it works:
If we have an account with the CS dept (I do), we fill out the appropriate paper work and submit it to the University. They then allow our accounts access (for something like 48 hours) to a server where there are disc images of all the sofware they have student licenses for. We then burn the CD image to a blank CD we brought with us to the lab. When they allowed our accounts access, they also sent an email to our school accounts on how to get to a website where we can order the serials. We order the serials and if we are approved for that piece of software, they email them to us.
I hope you found that a fascinating read. Yes, I'll be able to get some of it again (not the things I don't currently need -- like I don't need Microsoft Visual Suite this semester so I might not be allowed to get that). It's just going to be a big pain in the ass and involve lots of paperwork and can not be done until the university opens up for summer semester. But yes, I'll get that so theres no point in griping about it -- I just want to and will as I please.
I can vouch that Apple asks if you want your entire hard drive backed up BEFORE they start repairs, and alert you to the $50 fee if you chose this option.
It's obviously Karen's fault, however. But this is a blog, and she's pissed. The world moves on. I have sympathy for her though because we all started out without backups and some of us were burned before we learned this great wisdom of always backing up.
Have some sympathy. Build up some Karma. Don't kick someone when they're down. She's ranting. Big deal.
To Karen: if you can't afford an external hard drive, get a .mac account and use their backup solution. It's fast, easy, and all the info is on Apple's servers. Amazon.com sells .mac accounts for $69-$79, which is as low as $6 per month.
I feel for ya. That's a harsh way to learn about the value of backups. The good thing is this lesson will never be forgotten and you'll be an expert in backups soon.
Karen:
I'm sorry about your data loss, b/c that does suck. It was shitty of Apple to delete your stuff and not let you know. However, you were also at fault b/c you should have backed up your stuff. I, too, had a broken fan in a laptop (an HP), and I sent it in to be fixed. I also had my harddrive erased, but I had thankfully backed it up (I back up my laptop every time I put it in the hands of another person -- I've had various laptops stolen or ruined in the hands of other people, so I'm extra cautious).
There's a variety of ways to do backups. Your ipod can be used as an external harddrive (my ipod contains all my music + a chunk of my pictures from Europe and before, since I backed up right before flying home from Europe). You can back up files online using a paid storage site. You can certainly buy an external harddrive. They're not dirt cheap, but they're affordable over time if affording them is made a priority. I use flickr as a backup site for a lot of my photos. Some free webpage hosting services can even be used as a backup site in a pinch for a gig or so of stuff.
Good luck reaccumulating your lost memories. Hopefully, people can resend you pictures of your artwork that you've sent them. And, now, look at it as an opportunity to reaccumulate memories and start fresh.
Oh, and re the ipod: ilounge.com has a great tutorial on transferring music from the ipod to the computer, if you don't want to look for hidden folders. go to ilounge and do a search for podutil -- one of the pages that comes up is a tutorial for transferring music.
good luck.
Apple has turned into Microsoft - every upgrade sucks worse than the last version. Look at iTunes 7 - the ease of use is gone. It's now some outgrowth of an arrogant, self-indulgent fuckwad who decided to make it so syncing is the only way to manage songs. What limp dick thought of this crap?
We've renamed the spinning pinwheel - now when we see the spinning pinwheel, we explain to onlookers that it's waiting for Steve Jobs to sell more backdated options.
They've sold out. They could make money without selling out, but their lack of integrity and character forced them to cut corners.
Culture . . . sorry Steve, your culture is now disappearing and you've become nothing more than another stock swindling hack. We'll be sure to make sure your legacy accurately reflects the end-days after you're gone. We won't remember the good things, only the shit at the end when you sold out - and we'll make sure everyone else remembers also that you stole most of the technology you're credited with originating. At least Gates has the Gates foundation - you just have backdated stock options!!!!
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