I am devastated, and probably angrier than I have ever been in my life!

[heavenlypurple1]

I am so sorry this happened. I have had this happen to me too. I had just uploaded all of my pics from a Josh Groban concert ... he is my favorite singer and I took lots of pics with my friends and with him . I was bawling my eyes out because they were telling me they couldn't get them back. I was so glad the guy who repaired my computer was able to recover all of them. I hope you'll be able to get your patterns back

[Lady_of_Roses]

As far as the AOL personal filing cabinet related saves, I just looked at an FAQ for it. (Linky) Depending on where the files were saved (saved to PC, or saved to their server) your files are likely still intact. The ones saved to your PC have an automatic backup done to elsewhere on your hard drive every 4 weeks apparently by default. The server ones you'd only need to log into AOL to get.

 

Someone who is good with computers should be able to recover all (or most) of your data from the various places on your PC. If I was in your local area I would offer to help, but I really can't troubleshoot PC stuff from a distance. Really and truly, unless they deleted, emptied the trash, and then ran a defrag or something that rearranges the file system... your stuff is still there somewhere!

[crochetrenee]

What a major bummer....I would be ready to wring the guy's neck!!!

[donnalynn2]

A lot of times I save things in my aol mail folders and will send myself patterns and such that I don't want to lose as if something happens to my computer, it'll always be on the AOL servers.

 

P.S. I started using a password protect on my computer so that only ME, MYSELF and I can USE my computer or get on it when I know about it. I've worked too hard to get it how I like it to have someone else mess it up. Esp with Windows XP and Vista you can easily set up Guest accounts for friends to use and make it so they cannot delete anything without your password. I know that doesn't help you at the present time but I would make sure to do that in the future. In the meantime, I feel your pain and would be even more furious than you are if that happened to me!

[beth eathorne]

i am so sorry...trying to find all those little treasures will be almost impossible if you have to start over again. i hope that you can recover them...i think that if it was me i would tell the dh that his "friend" better not ever come with in shooting distance of me again...

[crs5]

I've been wanting to put a password on my computer is there a program you bought to do that? I have windows xp and my kids have there own separate account. I like it because they don't have to use mine.

 

A lot of times I save things in my aol mail folders and will send myself patterns and such that I don't want to lose as if something happens to my computer, it'll always be on the AOL servers.

 

P.S. I started using a password protect on my computer so that only ME, MYSELF and I can USE my computer or get on it when I know about it. I've worked too hard to get it how I like it to have someone else mess it up. Esp with Windows XP and Vista you can easily set up Guest accounts for friends to use and make it so they cannot delete anything without your password. I know that doesn't help you at the present time but I would make sure to do that in the future. In the meantime, I feel your pain and would be even more furious than you are if that happened to me!

[crs5]

How is it that they crash? I bought a 8 gig. I was unsure if I should put my patterns on the flashdrive or a cd. I have some of my patterns on cd already.

 

Carol:hook

 

 

yes but they often crash-- have had it happen twice

 

 

if you want something practically forever copy it to a disc( cd or dvd)

[ladybug33]

I am so sorry this happened to you. I know it has to be heartbreaking to say the least. I would take my computer to a professional and have them recover them and then send the bill to your thoughtless "friend" and have him pay it.

[eyrthmother1]

oh dear, i can't imagine something like that happening. However, lets take a breathe and think.

 

Have you checked the trash bin on your computer? they may be all right in there and just need to be restored. (fingers crossed)

 

also, how new/old a computer do you have? some of the newer 1's have that restore option where, in case you get a virus, you can restore it to back before you got it (and it can come in handy for a case of husband being stupid and letting his stupid friends delete files that are not either of theirs to decide to delete).

 

as someone else suggested, finding a really good computer shop that knows how to redo the registry to find what has been deleted.

 

I wish you the best of luck on recoverying all your files. and, though i'm not married which this may be an ex. of WHY i've never said yes, think i'd be telling hubby that that particular friend can not come into the house again and if you so much as HEAR the words "world of warcraft" from hubby's lips, he has to buy you like $200.00 worth of yarn per month for 3 months.

 

Sandy

[Miss Crochet]

I've always had the suspicion that WoW turns my DH into an idiot. Now I can see that he's not the only man affected...

My computer is my virtual home. I leave private stuff lying around in the there, the same way as I would in my bedroom. I HATE people using it without my permission. If one of DH's friends presumed to do anything on our computer without asking me, I would have to be held down because I seriously believe I would go after him, swinging whatever came to hand.

 

I hope you can recover your patterns. Many of the people here have offered hope and practical help. I know too little about computers to offer either, so I'm sending you a great, big hug instead. :hug:hug

 

Perhaps it's a bit vengeful, but I would (a) make sure DH and friend are aware of the fact that what they erased had a real financial value and not "just some old patterns", and (b) demand - if only to make a point - some form of recompense. Not necessarily financial, but certainly something to emphasize the seriousness of what happened. Hopefully friend will learn a much-needed lesson.

[Elle]

To everyone who responded - WOW! This is exactly why I love Crochetville so much! Everyone here is so supportive, I knew that all y'all would know exactly how I was feeling! Just to know that there's so much support here makes things better!

 

Let me take things one at a time -

 

1. Doing a system restore - we tried this. DH backed everything up to a date that we were certain was before the cretin moron did the job on our computer. When the restart was done, everything was back on my desktop just the way it was, HOWEVER, all of the folders themselves were empty and AOL wouldn't start up, we kept getting a popup that said that there were connectivity problems and AOL couldn't start. It has something to do with the fact that AOL is restructuring itself and is doing away with many of its features, and unfortunately a lot of the things they used to have are either no longer available or are being phased out and no longer work the way they did. So that took care of that.

 

2. I checked the recycle bin but apparently after he ditched the programs he didn't feel we needed, he emptied the recycle bin. Heaven forfend he not finish the job, I guess.

 

3. When DH tried to do the system restore, even MORE files were lost, including hundreds of DH's music files, so now we're missing even more than we were in the first place.

 

4. DH had no idea that this moron was doing any of this. The moron and his girlfriend came over one night, all excited, to introduce DH to the wonderful world of World of Warcraft. They brought all their disks with t he program on them. Now, I wasn't feeling well that night. I had a bad headache and we were out of ibuprofen. The moron's girlfriend volunteered to drive DH to the HEB to pick me up some ibuprofen. DH told the moron to go ahead and load WoW onto the computer while they (DH and moron's girlfriend) were gone, and when they got back they would sit and go over the basics of the game. So DH wasn't even home when the moron decided that these files had to go. I, however, was sitting on the couch playing on my laptop at the time, and it angered me even more that he didn't have the decency to ask me if it was OK for him to remove files.

 

5. DH had nothing to do with it, he is as disgusted with the moron as I am. The worst part is, these are not even close friends! They are the daughter of a friend and her boyfriend. Daughter is 25 years old and boyfriend is 20. They have been together five years. They met on the internet when daughter was 20 and boyfriend was 15. His stupid mother allowed her to move in with them and he wasn't even old enough to shave yet. The two of them do absolutely nothing but play WoW. It appears that their brains have fried from fantasizing that he is some kind of wizard and she is some kind of idiot who flies around on a dragon. Stupid idiots!

 

6. We are going to take our tower into the local computer repair shop to see what they can do with it, we'll pay whatever it costs, and we're then giving them a copy of the bill so that we get reimbursed. I had over $300 worth of patterns on there! We're not talking about a couple of dollars here! If he won't pay it or says he doesn't have it, I will take him to small claims court. I just hope our local computer shop is good. We've never had to deal with them, and the next closest town is an hour away and neither one of us drives! Keep your fingers crossed that they're able to help us!

 

I will keep everyone posted! Thanks to all who offered advice and restoration tutorials in PMs! They are greatly appreciated! Well,time for me to go to bed. The only time I don't want to kill that moron is when I'm sleeping. I need to go cool down. 24 hours later and I still wouldn't shed a tear if I saw him slip beneath the wheels of a bus. I hate feeling like this because it's so not me, but I have never been this angry before. Ever. :::::

[HollyzHobbyz]

Elle,

 

If you have internet access anywhere else...try logging into AOL.com. If they are in your AOL filing cabinet, they might still be there. Good luck and keep us posted!

[happy stitcher]

Good Luck!!

[kazily]

I am so sorry this happened!

 

You have done the right thing though, in taking it to a professional. Like you posted, it's not just a few dollars lost or things that can be replaced easily...you need someone that knows how to use recovery programs.

 

Good luck, I hope you get great news soon that your files & folders have been recovered! I also agree with the poster that suggested you get an external hard drive or a large flash drive to backup your most precious files so this can never happen again (sometimes it happens through a computer crash without any human error).

 

As for this guy who did it, he would never be allowed to use my computer again. I'm glad you're holding him financially responsible. Maybe he will learn a lesson not to mess with someone else's property! This is vandalism in my opinion. He didn't do it accidentally, he did it on purpose!

[Tonya D.]

Glad you got some of your files back. I'm afraid to say I pay WoW every once in a while lol, but I would be angry if that happened to me. It's just a hobby like anything else I guess.

[kiwikitti]

*hugs* That is awful! It's even more awful since being a person who actually plays World of Warcraft I know that those programs would have no issue with how the game runs. Trust me, I have a million things running on my computer when I play and the slow down time is completely negligible.

 

Also, my DH wants you to know that digital media, like your pattern folders, is protected under law as property. So, if he doesn't help out in recovering or whatever you want, there is always that. You can remind him that it was completely against the law what he did, since digital media is considered personal property (like books) and not allowed to be tampered with without your consent.

 

:hug:hug I hope you get everything back all right! I can't even begin to imagine how awful that whole thing is.

[Darsa]

I played WoW in the past, and it never ceased to amaze me how people can get so completely into it! I've been an online gamer for LOTS of years, but it's always been a hobby for me Probably because I had no patience for people who assumed that they're better than me because their character is a higher level than mine, or that they have a cooler horse (or whatever) or armor... Yay for real life!

[Red67]

To everyone who responded - WOW! This is exactly why I love Crochetville so much! Everyone here is so supportive, I knew that all y'all would know exactly how I was feeling! Just to know that there's so much support here makes things better!

 

Let me take things one at a time -

 

1. Doing a system restore - we tried this. DH backed everything up to a date that we were certain was before the cretin moron did the job on our computer. When the restart was done, everything was back on my desktop just the way it was, HOWEVER, all of the folders themselves were empty and AOL wouldn't start up, we kept getting a popup that said that there were connectivity problems and AOL couldn't start. It has something to do with the fact that AOL is restructuring itself and is doing away with many of its features, and unfortunately a lot of the things they used to have are either no longer available or are being phased out and no longer work the way they did. So that took care of that.

 

2. I checked the recycle bin but apparently after he ditched the programs he didn't feel we needed, he emptied the recycle bin. Heaven forfend he not finish the job, I guess.

 

3. When DH tried to do the system restore, even MORE files were lost, including hundreds of DH's music files, so now we're missing even more than we were in the first place.

 

4. DH had no idea that this moron was doing any of this. The moron and his girlfriend came over one night, all excited, to introduce DH to the wonderful world of World of Warcraft. They brought all their disks with t he program on them. Now, I wasn't feeling well that night. I had a bad headache and we were out of ibuprofen. The moron's girlfriend volunteered to drive DH to the HEB to pick me up some ibuprofen. DH told the moron to go ahead and load WoW onto the computer while they (DH and moron's girlfriend) were gone, and when they got back they would sit and go over the basics of the game. So DH wasn't even home when the moron decided that these files had to go. I, however, was sitting on the couch playing on my laptop at the time, and it angered me even more that he didn't have the decency to ask me if it was OK for him to remove files.

 

5. DH had nothing to do with it, he is as disgusted with the moron as I am. The worst part is, these are not even close friends! They are the daughter of a friend and her boyfriend. Daughter is 25 years old and boyfriend is 20. They have been together five years. They met on the internet when daughter was 20 and boyfriend was 15. His stupid mother allowed her to move in with them and he wasn't even old enough to shave yet. The two of them do absolutely nothing but play WoW. It appears that their brains have fried from fantasizing that he is some kind of wizard and she is some kind of idiot who flies around on a dragon. Stupid idiots!

 

6. We are going to take our tower into the local computer repair shop to see what they can do with it, we'll pay whatever it costs, and we're then giving them a copy of the bill so that we get reimbursed. I had over $300 worth of patterns on there! We're not talking about a couple of dollars here! If he won't pay it or says he doesn't have it, I will take him to small claims court. I just hope our local computer shop is good. We've never had to deal with them, and the next closest town is an hour away and neither one of us drives! Keep your fingers crossed that they're able to help us!

 

I will keep everyone posted! Thanks to all who offered advice and restoration tutorials in PMs! They are greatly appreciated! Well,time for me to go to bed. The only time I don't want to kill that moron is when I'm sleeping. I need to go cool down. 24 hours later and I still wouldn't shed a tear if I saw him slip beneath the wheels of a bus. I hate feeling like this because it's so not me, but I have never been this angry before. Ever. :::::

 

I am very sorry to hear about your loss files...know how you feel .. over the years I have lost many files too...and if there are any patterns I have that you would like..(I have alot on disk)..I would be happy to send them all to you free ..

 

..... when a situation like this happens everyone involved has to take some responsibility ...going to small claims court .. and going after the person who did this makes it an all around lose lose situation...this person was wrong in what he did for sure, and hopefully will have the decency to reimburse you, but that seems doubtful ,...... take a deep breath...let it go...and try to get your computer repaired..if it cant be...then be forgiving and move on...life is too short to carry this anger over loss files, be joyful that is your only problem today... i truly truly wish you well in recovering your files

[kittyloverdeb]

Well ~ after all this happening to you ~ my home computer now seems to have some kind of virus or something and I'm not sure how to go about getting rid of it. I keep getting this pop up about a security problem but it's actually some other spyware "brand" that wants me to download for a free trial. I have tried removing unwanted programs but I can't seem to get rid of it. I used my McAfee anti-virus to run a scan and did remove 2 suspicious programs but the darn thing is STILL popping up!

 

Now I know this is no where near as bad as what you are going thru! But I want to back all my files up so nothing happens and I can't even seem to manage that!

[melmac51]

So sorry for your loss. I, too, have been collecting patterns (mostly free, but still time consuming to find and save). Last week, I decided to put what I have so far on a "thumb drive". I bought a set of 3 at Sam's. They're 2G each. One has my patterns (crocheted and knitted), one has my recipes, and one has my soon to be started best-selling novel (still waiting for the muse to strike-LOL). I can take them with me wherever I go, and when they get filled, I can start Vol. II on each one.

 

I hope to heavens that you get your patterns back! Good Luck!! :D

[mardar]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I felt sick reading it, so I can't even imagine how you feel. It sounds like this kid and his girlfriend need to get lives (real lives).

[Lisaizme]

May I suggest that once you get your computer and files back in the shape that you want.. or as much as the shop can recover, that you look into a program called DeepFreeze.

 

I don't know how expensive it is, or what your budget is, so please excuse me if I'm suggesting something really out of line. We used to use it at the college I worked at. What DeepFreeze does.. is it allows users to make any changes they want to make at all.. BUT.. the next time the computer is rebooted, it returns to the unchanged state.

 

So, Moron could've done all he wanted to do, but when he was through.. all you had to do would be to reboot the computer and everything would be back to normal. And everything Moron installed would be gone.. hehehee

 

To unthaw DeepFreeze, to allow permanent changes, the user needs the password.. which you set when it is installed. And of course, you don't give this pw to ANYONE else. Maybe write it down and put it in your safe deposit box.. but no where else.

 

Good luck in getting things back to normal.

[shannie_nae]

My husband is a gamer, as a hobby not a way of life. We both know hardcore gamers who sit on the computer and play their online game all day while skipping college classes and work to participate in an online gaming event, then complain why they don't have money for car repairs, groceries or rent. These particuliar people truly do put all their self worth into how high of a level their virtual character is. To the hardcore gamers nothing else matters. Someone needs to teach them otherwise. Maybe for moron and his girlfriend a repair bill may be a good start on their way back to reality, hopefully. I hope the repair shop can recover your data. Best of luck

[Lady_of_Roses]

Ouch! It sounds like the attempts to restore the data caused even more damage.

 

The only program I've ever used to get 'lost' data back before is called GetDataBack. It doesn't write to the hard disk so it had the optimal recovery. A few things went kaput, but probably 95% of the stuff was recovered. This was from a logical hard drive crash.. meaning it basically lost it's table of contents telling it where files were. 'Deleted' files are only removed from the table of contents until something overwrites them.

[Mom w/a Motif]

I'm sorry this happened to you. I would be just as mad, too!

 

Our computer fried a few months ago; and I lost a lot of my patterns I had on there, but hadn't printed out. Now they are just gone. I hope you can get yours back somehow.

 

Tina