{"id":5953,"date":"2022-01-24T09:23:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T14:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5953"},"modified":"2022-01-24T09:23:42","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T14:23:42","slug":"inaccessible-backups-and-a-dead-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/24\/inaccessible-backups-and-a-dead-laptop\/","title":{"rendered":"Inaccessible backups, and a dead laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How can you repair what you can\u2019t get at? Today\u2019s column covers two problems caused by very different access issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In one case, a subscriber is locked out of her old, obsolete backup files; she can neither access nor delete them and thus cannot recover the huge chunk of disk space they occupy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In another, a different subscriber needs to data-wipe (\u201csanitize\u201d) the hard drive of a fatally damaged laptop. But how can he wipe the drive when the laptop won\u2019t even turn on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the full story in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/twenty-years-of-trustworthy-computing\/#langalist\">AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.04.0<\/a>&nbsp;(2022-01-24).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also In this issue<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ON SECURITY:\u2003Twenty years of trustworthy computing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PUBLIC DEFENDER:\u2003&#8217;Fake&#8217; HDMI 2.1: The standard that isn&#8217;t<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT:\u2003Info-Base \u2014 Map your brain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MICROSOFT NEWS:\u2003$68.7 billion? Peanuts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the&nbsp;<strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.forms-content.sg-form.com\/fadcab1b-6abe-11ea-9648-2a7e788be8da\" target=\"_blank\">Askwoody Free<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;signup; 100% free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/plus-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AskWoody Plus<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;signup; no set price \u2014 pay what you think it\u2019s worth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" data-attachment-id=\"5013\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/18\/a-leave-no-trace-way-to-start-pcs\/langa-2-100\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"110,110\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Langa-2-100\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=110%2C110\" alt=\"Fred Langa\" class=\"wp-image-5013\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>Permalink: <\/em><\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5521 \">https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5766<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"104\" height=\"6\" data-attachment-id=\"1999\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/10\/around-boston-the-nearly-snowless-winter-continues\/seperator-short-grey\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"104,6\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SEPERATOR short grey\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?resize=104%2C6\" alt=\"[seperator]\" class=\"wp-image-1999\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><strong>COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong>  on <strong>THIS ITEM?<\/strong> <em>See the<\/em> <strong>Comment box<\/strong> <em>at bottom of this page!<\/em><br><b><em><br><\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b><em>Ask<\/em><b> <u><font color=\"#000117\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!<br><br>(<em>Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em><b><strong> <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/09\/get-free-automatic-notification-of-new-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can you repair what you can\u2019t get at? Today\u2019s column covers two problems caused by very different access issues. In one case, a subscriber is locked out of her old, obsolete backup files; she can neither access nor delete them and thus cannot recover the huge chunk of disk space they occupy. In another,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-askwoody-plus","category-langa-com-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/repair-robot-broken-fix-rf-69990007_s-e1620649966507.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-1y1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5283,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/17\/recovering-from-unknown-driver-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":0},"title":"Recovering from \u2018Unknown driver\u2019 issues","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-08-17","format":false,"excerpt":"Operating-system upgrades and resets sometimes leave behind nonworking, obsolete, or redundant device drivers that can open the door to future malfunctions. This week's column in AskWoody Plus shows you how to easily remove any troublesome drivers cluttering up your Windows machine\u2019s setup. Plus: An AskWoody subscriber tries the \u201cput the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5482,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/07\/is-32gb-really-too-small-for-a-windows-upgrade\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":1},"title":"Is 32GB really too small for a Windows upgrade?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-12-07","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year, Microsoft quietly upped Win10\u2019s minimum disk-size requirement. Now, even a 32GB drive might be insufficient, as an AskWoody subscriber discovered. Plus: Restarting a laptop that\u2019s been off for a year. Read the full story in\u00a0AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.48.0\u00a0(2020-12-07). Also in this issue: BEST OF THE LOUNGE:\u00a0Upgrading to Acronis\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3838,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/29\/pc-sidelined-by-weird-exe-file-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":2},"title":"PC sidelined by weird EXE file problem","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-11-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Executable program files (EXEs) are the beating heart of Windows and most applications. So when Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 can no longer properly run files with the\u00a0.exe\u00a0extension, it\u2019s serious trouble! AskWoody subscriber Colm Brangan\u2019s PC somehow ran into those deep weeds \u2014 and now he can\u2019t find his way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3919,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/13\/a-tip-of-the-iceberg-problem-with-rpv\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":3},"title":"A \u2018tip of the iceberg\u2019 problem with RPV","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-12-13","format":false,"excerpt":"A subscriber (requesting anonymity) wrote a very succinct note asking for help with a nonfunctioning file-recovery tool. \u201cMy PC\u2019s \u2018Restore previous versions\u2019 is always empty, and it has been since I bought this Dell laptop two years ago. How do I get it turned on?\u201d An RPV failure is annoying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A reader asks...&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"iceberg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/iceberg-must-attribute-freepikdotcom.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/iceberg-must-attribute-freepikdotcom.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/iceberg-must-attribute-freepikdotcom.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5182,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/15\/sudden-uncommanded-shutdowns-plague-win10-laptop-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":4},"title":"Sudden, uncommanded shutdowns plague Win10 laptop","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-06-15","format":false,"excerpt":"AskWoody subscriber John Mackin's laptop was badly malfunctioning, and the problem remained unresolved even after some top-notch troubleshooting and maintenance. \"Fred, I have a three-and-a-half-year-old laptop (Dell Inspiron 13\", i7, 12 GB RAM, 1TB M.2 SSD, Windows 10) that has recently begun to periodically shut down during use.\"Suspecting CPU overheat,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5184,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/15\/sudden-uncommanded-shutdowns-plague-win10-laptop\/","url_meta":{"origin":5953,"position":5},"title":"Sudden, uncommanded shutdowns plague Win10 laptop","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-06-15","format":false,"excerpt":"AskWoody subscriber John Mackin's laptop was badly malfunctioning, and the problem remained unresolved even after some top-notch troubleshooting and maintenance. \"Fred, I have a three-and-a-half-year-old laptop (Dell Inspiron 13\", i7, 12 GB RAM, 1TB M.2 SSD, Windows 10) that has recently begun to periodically shut down during use.\"Suspecting CPU overheat,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5954,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5953\/revisions\/5954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}