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cocoa_coder · Nov 24, 2003, 04:05 PM

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!
I have always thought my data was much safer on mac os x than in windows. I am running panther. I was just listening to some MP'3 with itunes running and i think I had safari and mail open. allof a sudden mail stopped working. so i shut down mail and restarted it. then it prompted me for a new mail box setup. i rebooted my entire computer and guess what? all my songs? GONE! all my itunes purchased songs? Gone
all my documentation and work? gone. all my pictures from vacation ? gone i lost 6gb of encoded music. some purchased applications etc. WTF is going on? has this happened to anyone else? any ideas on how to recover? if this is how mac os behaves then im going to have to periodically backup my user folder.

OpenStep · Nov 24, 2003, 04:11 PM

Jaguar or Panther? How much disk space did you have left at the time everything disappeared?

cocoa_coder · Nov 24, 2003, 04:22 PM

Panther 10.3 the developer download (im a registered developer)

dagaz · Nov 24, 2003, 04:29 PM

Before panicking try all the usual troubleshooting steps - repair permisssions, run fsck, zap PRAM, reset NVRAM. Besides, you had a good backup of all your data right?

cocoa_coder · Nov 24, 2003, 04:52 PM

And just how does one clear nvram and the other 2 things you mentioned?

Tomster · Nov 24, 2003, 05:29 PM

It could be just corrupted prefs. If the prefs blow up, the program can't find where you store the music. Do a search for a title of a song you have. It should be in your music folder unless you moved your default location. After you find your music, just re-add it to your iTunes collection.

Otherwise, try DiskWarrior 3 in the case it was a directory melt down.

maxintosh · Nov 24, 2003, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by Tomster:
It could be just corrupted prefs. If the prefs blow up, the program can't find where you store the music. Do a search for a title of a song you have. It should be in your music folder unless you moved your default location. After you find your music, just re-add it to your iTunes collection.

Otherwise, try DiskWarrior 3 in the case it was a directory melt down.

I agree, before you do anything else, run DiskWarrior. Corrupted directory data can prevent your files from being "seen".

rcarlosnyc · Nov 24, 2003, 05:53 PM

Are you sure you're logged in as the same user? Check the user folder and see how many user profiles are setup. Maybe you're logged into the wrong one.

dialo · Nov 24, 2003, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by cocoa_coder:
And just how does one clear nvram and the other 2 things you mentioned?

RayX · 06:40 AM

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nica · Nov 25, 2003, 11:35 AM

This reminds me I have to go backup.

Sosa · Nov 25, 2003, 12:50 PM

If you resent the PMU it automatically resets the NVRAM, or so I've read. Here are the Apple instructions:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449

xylon · Nov 25, 2003, 03:56 PM

You weren't using an external drive were you? There are some known problems with Panther and external drives.

And like everyone else said, do everything in your power to dig around your system. Even try moving through your filesystem with Terminal.

Best of luck.

schuey100 · Nov 26, 2003, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by cocoa_coder:
And just how does one clear nvram and the other 2 things you mentioned?

You're a developer and you don't know?

Somehow I don't believe you.

PB2K · Nov 27, 2003, 07:37 AM

I once finished a bottle of Tequila on my own. Next morning I found myself lying on the floor curled up in a fetus-position. For a moment I thought I was robbed because I had a terrible pain in my head, so the first thing I checked was if I still had my powerbook (a lombard at that time).

I found my lombard, it was spread out on my desk, completely disassembled, with an empty bottle of tequila near it. It took me a couple of days to re-assemble the powerbook

cocoa_coder · Nov 27, 2003, 12:45 PM

Originally posted by schuey100:
You're a developer and you don't know?

Somehow I don't believe you.

I don't care what you beleive prick! All it takes is 500 bucks for a select membership.

I am learning cocoa after coming from a C/ASM and java background.

mrtew · Nov 29, 2003, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by cocoa_coder:
....if this is how mac os behaves then im going to have to periodically backup my user folder.

I've never had that happen, and I back up my entire computer at lease once a month. Helps me sleep at night.

yoyogi · Nov 29, 2003, 11:15 AM

i had this happen when i ran out of disk space.

all the data was there, but the pref files were screwed. i nearly had a heart attach.

i just had to point mail to my mail boxes, and reimport my library.

backup backup backup!

einmakom · Nov 29, 2003, 07:18 PM

There's no reason why a developer should know how to clear NVRAM. Coding software doesn't have much to do with machine maintenance. Unless you're programming in FORTH, you'd have no reason to know what OpenFirmware expects for input.

boot with Command, option, O F.

type reset-nvram
reset-all

it will reboot and be reset.