I think Poser 3's temp files ate some of my other files the other night
when I got too low on free space, and they were, so politely, the
directories of my disk with all my main programming and a lot of other
files. Read about some other people losing system folders and other things
when using Poser 3.  I had been having a lot of crashes with other programs
previously, so was getting ready to do a clean system install. But, using
Poser 3, I got to zero disk space saving PICT files when using the program
(or rendering), upon quitting Poser trashing files would work for 10
seconds leaving a few hundred K available, then that space would quickly go
away in 20 k increments or so all on its own until back to zero. Like it
had a flesh eating bit-eating bacteria.

I bought another HD to recover the data to , but a lot of it doesn't work
even though it looks like a file. Lot of "unmapped memory exception" or
other errors using them.

Anyway, until the ORB drive (2.2 gig removable drive $199, $29.95
cartridges, Castlewood) shows up next month and I can then become BackUp
Evangelist with a vengeance, as well with affordability, can anyone advise
me on  a couple of things?

1.  Norton's UnErase works for some files but not all. Will TechTool Pro
recover them any better, assuming they aren't all eaten up like my last 8
months of email appear to be? Any TechTool recovery tool people out there?

2. Once I re-initialize the disk (does not mount currently, is
"unrecognizable") can I assume that if it passes read/write tests that it
will work again, fine enough?  Is this something that is a directory
problem from overwrites or some other problem? Re-initializing will just
affect that partition alone, correct? Then after that, should just all be
like a new blank partition? (disk)

I have to wonder if it was Norton that killed it trying to fix it in the
first place. :) Fixed one error, then couldn't fix the next, then next
thing I know, no more disk on startup. Well, actually, might have already
been at that point.

This is a regular HFS partition , the other on this drive is HFSplus and
that partition works fine still. Now I am really doomed with 3 drives on
this Umax, a 4.3gig, a 3.2 gig, and the new 4.5 gig.

Anyway, to all those who think it won't ever happen to them, took me 6
years to lose a disk. I was beggining to feel I was immune; I had even
thunk it that night, earlier. Now I am paranoid data man. ORB, hurry... :)
So many gigs, so little time.


Robert Covington
Discoverer, Bit-Eating Flash Virus
Evangelist, Backituporloseitall