Over the weekend, I installed Windows 7 on my computer. I received my copy two weeks ago through House Party, but I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to install it until this past Saturday evening. I wanted to do a clean install, because I was running 32-bit Vista but wanted to use the 64-bit version of 7. I was very concerned about doing that, though, because (1) I wasn’t sure whether or not my computer was equipped for it, and (2) I was afraid that I wouldn’t get all of my data backed up.
Well, I finally found out that my computer is perfectly capable of handling a 64-bit operating system. So all that was left to do was take a deep breath and start backing up those files. I dug out some blank DVDs and got to work. I saved all of my writing files, my Firefox bookmarks, my MP3s, and (I thought) my photos. And there were a few other things. I ended up with two DVDs full of files, so I figured I couldn’t have needed much more than that.
I crossed my fingers and started the installation, and it was quick and painless. I started playing around with the new OS to see what it could do, both out of curiosity and a desire to get prepared for my party. I was happy. That is, until I went to retrieve my photos from the DVD… and found that only about 20 of them were there!
I had saved the Pictures folder from my account, and as it turned out, most of my pictures were saved under the Public folder. I nearly fainted, and then almost cried. I had already lost two years’ worth of photos when making the transition from my old computer to the new one, and now this. I was terribly upset. I think I instantly aged about 10 years. I thought about going out and buying some wrinkle cream.
But last night, it occurred to me to poke around in the Windows.old folder. I had already discovered it, but thought it was just a backup of my program files. But as it turned out, all of my photos were right there, safe and sound. Can you say relief?
I’ve never been Microsoft’s biggest fan, but I have had Windows on every computer I’ve ever owned (except for my old Commodore 64, of course). And I’m eternally indebted to them for saving me from my stupid mistake by writing the code that created that Windows.old folder and put my prized photographs in it. I’m really enjoying Windows 7, too. I’ll post a full review very soon.
