Scenario: You have a document online, but the online source has vanished, whether by server crash or perhaps having a hacked website. If you’ve recently visited your site on your machine with your browser, you may have a copy of your images and pages still inside your computer, in an often-hidden folder called your browser cache.

Here’s how to find the cache folder: (For any computer running Windows XP)

For Internet Explorer:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOURLOGONNAME\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

replace YOURLOGONNAME with, well, your very own logon name, whether it be PeBbleS or Betty, or WILMA.

Almost every win-xp running computer will have this path to Internet Explorer’s cache.

For Firefox:

Firefox is a wee bit more complicated because the filenames have no extension. But here goes:
C:\Documents and Settings\YOURLOGONAME\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

Inside this folder, there may be one or two (or more) profile folders. Click on anything that looks good to you, and then click again on the cache folder inside.

The files marked _CACHE_001_ and so on probably won’t be helpful.

But the rest of the files, all named in a kind of gobbldeygook, will be. Open a browser window right next to the window showing your files. Drag and drop the gobbledegook files one at a time into the browser window. Examine the contents. Rinse, repeat.

Advanced students can run a bulk rename function on the files, and give them all .jpg extensions, then view the window using thumbnails. This will highlight any images right away, and you can keep them or throw them out, depending on what you’re trying to retrieve. Then another bulk-rename run, and give all remaining files a .txt extension, and you’ll be able to open gobs of files simultaneously in your favourite text editor.
If you can’t see the folders, your system has hidden them from you. In any Explorer window, click Tools –> Folder Options –> View and make sure the button next to “Show hidden files and folders” is checked. While you’re at it, UNcheck “Hide extensions for known types” and “Hide protected operating system files”, just for kicks.

Happy Hunting!

http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

Place your desired domain name in the search box and click “Take Me Back!”

The dates that show up are linked to a cache of that domain at that particular time and space. (It’s always humbling to look back upon one’s early coding skills, for instance)

This’ll be very text-only unless the same images are still on the original server, but the archive can still be useful in retreiving something you thought lost!

Some folks have lost some data recently, and would like to get it back. There’s some small hope — Google.com will create a cached version of the various pages it visits, and you can often find your missing web pages here!

Step 1

Go to google.com, and in the search box, type the domain name or complete URL of the site you’d like, preceded by “site:” and click the search button. Like so:

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add a search term to narrow your results.

Step 2

Google will return a list of all the pages it has spidered from your site. Scroll until you find your little lost page, post, or document, and click the word “cached” — do NOT click the regular link. That “Cached” link will take you to a copy of the text that’s been saved to Google’s machine, and you’ll be able to save that page to your own computer and do with it as you wish.

Step 3

Repeat for every page you’re missing.

NOTE: This won’t work well for private site areas, or for sites that have opted out of the Google spidering process. Your mileage may vary!

Send the following command as the body of an email to your LIST REQUEST ADDRESS to see everyone who is on your mailing list. The roster is limited to list members only, and you must supply your admin password to retrieve it.

Your list request address (found in your listmail headers) is typically

yourlistname-request@yourdomainname.com

The simplest format would be to send from your admin address without brackets or modifiers; if your password is banana, simply send one line reading:
who banana

This won’t preserve your other settings, but it’s a great start when you’re trying to reconstitute a list!

Every DNS transfer has resolved, as far as I know.

If you own a site that has not resolved (eg it has a blue page that says “there is no website configured at this address”) contact me and we’ll troubleshoot your DNS troubles.

I’m working on re-upping the sites I directly geek for (eg: I built it and run it for you). If you need it faster, let me know, because in the absense of other info, I’m going alphabetically.

Again, if you have a recent backup, let me know.

more soon.

-Elaine

I have limited access to the old server, for those few folks who are having a hard time getting the DNS records changed. It’s web only, no cpanel, no frigging email.
If you need to be temporarily re-upped on the old server, let me know.

Note that this won’t bring our old sites back. It’s just moving back into an empty house that’s about to be torn down, just in case you need to be found during the transfer.

It’s 9:14 am, and the company hosting the old (crashing) server have still not made it possible for me to re-set the most urgent accounts.

(If I could get access, I could at least arrange it so we could all get our email until the swap sets in.)

My, I’m annoyed.

And to you, I’m apologetic.

Looks like we’ll have to wait for the internet to trickle through its system of DNS recognition. It’s coming on time for the first possibilities of domains to be resolving. Check your domain periodically. When you see a white page come up with a “server crash” notice, it’s live and we can go about fixing it.

More in a bit, I’m sure.

-Elaine

Bad news. Worst news.

After running me in circles for two days, my upstream provider has informed me that the server is dead, and all backups are gone. This is something they assured me could not happen after the last catastrophic crash where they failed to restore accounts.

What this means for you:

Please look up your latest backup of your site and contents, because that’s what we’ll need to restore your site. Contact me and let me know when your latest backup was, and we’ll discuss whether I’ll be uploading it for you, or you will be uploading it for you.

Let me know also, how fast you need your site back — eg. if you’re using it for business and main email. It’ll let me prioritize.

NOTE: don’t use the elainemiller.com email — it’s offline along with everything else. Use elaine (at) techdonkey (dot) com.

The server will be re-set by the server mechanics as soon as possible, and I’ll start rebuilding. Watch this space: I’ll keep updating this info.

What this means for the DykeTech.com business:

I’m starting an account with a new server-service provider today. The IP will take a wee bit to resolve (24 - 72 hours) and then I’ll start migrating us over, and then cancel the account with the old provider.

I am so very sorry for the disruption in services and communication this causes.

-Elaine

UPDATE: 2:05pm PST

The server folks still have not recontructed the server to the point where I can get in and start reconstructing. I’m continually knocking on that particular door.

I have opened a new account with a different company, to lease server space. One way or t’other, we’re all going back online as soon as I can manage it.

UPDATE: 4:25 pm PST

If you’re an existing client of Elaine Miller, DykeTech.com, or Techdonkey.com, please drop in and add your name and email to the announcement-only list.

http://mail.techdonkey.com/mailman/listinfo/clients_techdonkey.com

An independent email is best (as in, something not affected by this current outage).

It’ll help me keep you updated.

UPDATE: 8:36 PM PST

Old server:

The wayward server techs have still not provided me with access to the server so I can restore accounts. Hear me scream. Watch me tear my hair.
New server:

About 3/5 of the domains I host are now pointing at the new server, rented from an entirely new company with a great record of keeping “uptime”. Due to the standard time it takes for DNS propagation, they should come live in 24 - 48 hours. I should be done the rest by the end of tonight.

By “come live” , I mean they’ll be web-accessible, and your email will have a home to land in. But they’ll all have a wee page that says “recovering from a server crash: site coming right along.” And that’s it until we restore your backups.

If you haven’t been in contact, please get with me elaine (at) techdonkey (dot) com or hit the contact page or the support section on this site — they’re all working fine. We’ll be needing to talk about your backup strategy.

Thanks so much for your patience in this techy hell.

-Elaine

UPDATE: July 26, 1:46 am

Almost every live site I host has had a new account opened for it on the new server, and everyone (well, there’s still about five or six people to go, but I’ll get to them before I go to bed) should have rec’d an email with their new account info, which in as many cases as possible is Just Like The Old Info. (new IP! new server! same user/pass.)
I will have swapped the name servers on every domain name I personally manage, to point to the new server. If you manage your own domain / details,  you’ll have rec’d an addition to your account details email marked “ACTION REQUIRED”, and you’ll need to point you domain to thge new server as soon as possible.  If you didn’t get one of these, then I’ve done it for you already.

More details in the morning!

Still more thanks for your patience through this very trying time.

-Elaine

Complex ransomware is beyond the decryption capabilities of the anti-virus industry

Read about it here:
http://www.securitypark.co.uk/article.asp?articleid=25621&CategoryID=1