Zen and the Art of Data Management

Alexis: I don't think this hard drive is going to mount. It's been spinning for 5 minutes and I don't see it on the desktop.
Anne: Ok. [Takes hard drive and puts it in the freezer]
Alexis: Does that really work?
Anne: Hopefully!
Misty: [snore]

What's the moral of the story?

• Yes, freezing a hard drive can actually work.
  

• Always, always, back up your data! Anne's storage is...well, a little scattered at the moment, but she has everything, in more than one place. If that hard drive had failed to mount even after its stint in the freezer, it would not have been the end of the world. Precious wedding memories would NOT have been lost forever. Not only should the data be backed up, but you should know where it all is. That's something I'm helping Anne out with right now - cataloging her many, many hard drives. When I'm done, she's going to have a monster file that will tell her exactly what is on every single folder on every single hard drive.
  

• RELAX. Freaking out about the hard drive really wouldn't have accomplished anything. To say that I'm a bit of a worrier is just a *slight* understatement. The whole point of having a good backup system, however, is to alleviate that worry and turn it into an annoyance at best. If you don't have a reliable system, the point at which your freezer becomes your best bet for data recovery might be a good time to start panicking. I'm just saying. Otherwise, just breathe. Anne is very much a roll-with-the-punches type of person, and I hope I can pick up some of that.

• Bullet points make everything look more official and give the illusion that you know what you're talking about.