A Conversation Earlier Today Between Me and My Archive Hard Drive
Posted on May 26, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi
Me: Hmmm, I think I want to find a particular picture I know I have in my picture archives.
Archive: I don’t have any pictures.
Me: Sure you do. They’re in the “My Pictures” folder, right there.
Archive: Well, yes, there’s a “My Pictures” folder. But it doesn’t have anything in it.
Me: What? Of course it does. It has about ten years of pictures in it, in fact.
Archive: Afraid not.
Me: Afraid so. I know I’ve put pictures in there. You have pictures in there, my friend.
Archive: Really, I haven’t. Never have had.
Me: I put some in there yesterday.
Archive: These are all despicable lies.
Me: Oh, yeah? Well, let’s just see what happens when I unplug you from the PC and plug you into the Mac.
Archive: Hey, now, wait a minute….
Mac: Hello. What’s up?
Me: The Archive drive here says that he doesn’t have any of the pictures I’ve been storing for the last ten years.
Mac: Oh, you mean these pictures? (Displays thousands of images in previously inaccessible folders within the “My Pictures” folder.)
Me: Yes, that would be them.
Archive: Oh, those. I’m sorry, I was confused. I thought you were talking about something else completely.
Me: Uh-huh.
Mac: Hey, you might want to make copies of those pictures on me. You know, just in case.
Me: I think that’s a good idea.
Archive: Well, fine. If you don’t want to trust me, go right ahead and do that.
Me: Hey, where are all the pictures that I took with my Nikon camera? They should be in a folder called “Nikon Photos.”
Mac: I see no folder called “Nikon Folder.”
Me: Archive?
Archive: A folder named what now?
Me: Nikon Folder.
Archive: And a Nikon is what? Some sort of fish? You’re looking for sushi?
Mac: Okay, I’m done with all the files I can see.
Me: Fine. I’m going to hook the Archive back up to the PC, and then I’m going to run a file recovery program on it.
Archive: Hey, you don’t want to do that.
Me: Oh, I think I do.
File Recovery Program: Hey there. What’s up?
Me: I’m looking for some lost pictures on my Archive drive. Taken with a Nikon camera.
File Recovery Program: Huh. Well, I’ve see about 9,800 of them right here. Sort of hidden, like.
Me: Indeed.
File Recovery Program: If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone was trying to sneak off with them. Secretly.
Me: Archive, do you have anything to say?
Archive: I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Me: I’m very disappointed in you. I mean, you’re my archive drive! Being a trusted repository is what you’re meant to be. And now this.
Archive: I know. I know.
Me: How can I ever trust you again?
Archive: It was the booze.
Me: It can’t be the booze. You don’t drink.
Archive: All right, it was the blow.
Me: Try again.
Archive: Hookers?
Me: Don’t think so.
Archive: Fine. I’m evil and error-ridden. You happy now?
Me: I’m happy I’ve got my pictures back, anyway.
Archive: So, uh. What are you going to do with those pictures, now?
Me: Wouldn’t you like to know.
Archive: You can always store them on me again, you know.
Me: Really.
Archive: Yes. I’ve changed my ways, honest.
Me: I don’t think so.
Archive: Nuts.
Me: Hey, where are the stories I saved on you?
Archive: Stories? I know nothing about these so-called “stories.”
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying