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I do backups at least once a day, I did a backup and did a reinstall from Debian Stable to Debian Testing.

My backup drive didn't work after the install, even though I had physically disconnected the drive after the backup, as usual.

I will be logging in in a few days, but all my "things" that I have been saving for the past FIFTEEN-plus years are GONE, until I can read that drive. My music, my movies, my economics things, my resume... all gone.

Crap

(Yes, I am venting, I did everything correctly, but I am still screwed... damn!)

I learned my lesson too, when my first hard drive died and I haven't even heard about a backup...

I'm using several laptops and a desktop pc, it is important to have my data synced between those systems to avoid several versions of the same project coexisting. This has a nice advantage of every important data being present on at least two systems, typically 3.

Additionally I'm using a backup drive just like you, but I don't really trust it either. I had several perfectly fine external drives, but also usb sticks refusing working from one moment to the next.

tl;dr I know about backup strategies but in general too lazy. Just use several computer systems and you *naturally* want to sync your data aka backup it :)

Good luck restoring any data you might still have, e.g. from burned CDs / DVDs, uploads, posts etc

arc

Try taking your backup drive to a friend's system and see if he/she can read it. I suspect there's driver problem, not a physical degradation of the disk.

Every time we sit with a user who wants a new build, we include of these on the build list ... about 1/3 buy one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEP A=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=blacX&N=-1&isNode Id=1

Eventually, the other 2/3 are sorry they didn't.