Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!mailrus!utah-gr!utah-cs!sunset.utah.edu!u-dmfloy
From: u-dmfloy%sunset.utah.edu@utah-cs.UUCP (Daniel M Floyd)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: computer follies
Message-ID: <5693@utah-cs.UUCP>
Date: 5 Sep 88 23:06:30 GMT
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Reply-To: u-dmfloy%sunset.utah.edu.UUCP@utah-cs.UUCP (Daniel M Floyd)
Organization: University of Utah, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 37

In article <6308@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> ruffwork@CS.ORST.EDU (Ritchey Ruff) writes:
>[...The mac..] "... spits it [the disk] back out." ...
>"I left it in my pocket and it went through the washer and drier..."

I had something similar happen, but I found a way to recover the data!

A co-worker and I were moving some equipment in a laboratory. This lab
was equiped with a deluge system due to the nature of the lab. Suddenly,
it started to rain *inside*. We got out quickly. For about 15-20 minutes,
water was everywhere inside. Apparently, a contractor had just dug up a
remote control pneumatic line for the system. The water came up to the
top of my boots (the part that covers my toes, about 2-3 inches). Some
very expensive equipment was left on (cry). Worse, *irreplacable* data
was on disks laying on the table (mass histerical tears, uncontrolable
fits of agony). A couple of million dollars worth of equipment damaged.
We hadn't even had a chance to copy the data from the original (now
soaked) floppy to the (now soaked too) backup. These were destructive
tests. We couldn't just do it again. I suppose we could take a couple
years to rebuild the sample and break it. Anyway, this was a horror
to all of us. After getting repairs underway, and getting water pumped
out, moped up ... I set about trying to get the data. The disk would
not turn. I tried everything I could. Finally, resolved that we
had lost it, and I couldn't hurt it worse, I opened the disk jacket with
an exacto along the edge. I carefully removed the disk. After two
days it was still damp. No wonder it wouldn't turn. I took some
non-static fiberglass stuff and padded it dry. I let it dry completely
till the next day. I gingerly slipped the black magnetic media disk
into the drive. I aligned it with bated breath and gently pressed the
door closed. Then, to my amazement, when I called for a directory, I
got one! I copied everything off that disk ... *three* times. I
found that there were a couple of bytes that got zapped. The checksum,
was off. But the data was useable! I extrapolated (guessed) at the missing
bytes which weren't significant to the test anyway.

This may not be funny, but I thought some of you out there would
be interested.