Danger Microsoft Able to Recover “Most” Data
What started out as “the worst loss of consumer data” will probably now be called “Microsoft’s Worst PR Disaster”.
An update from Microsoft’s own Roz Ho was posted early this morning on the T-Mobile Sidekick forum. She says that they have recovered “most, if not all, customer data” and that it will all soon be restored according to plan. She also confirms that it was indeed a system failure that wiped out the database and back-ups.
So here’s hoping that the Sidekick Disaster will soon be over and everything will be back to normal. I’m still wondering confirmation of the technical details on how this all happened and why Microsoft was so quick to say that all the data was “almost certainly has been lost” early on. Oh and one last handy tip to Microsoft/Danger: Make an application so that Sidekick users can ACTUALLY backup their data themselves.
The full post from Microsoft:
Updated: 10/15/2009 1:00 AM PDT
Microsoft Confirms Data Recovery for Sidekick Users
Data Restoration to Begin as Soon as Possible for Affected Customers
Dear T-Mobile Sidekick customers,
On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.
We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.
We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users. If your Sidekick account was among those affected, please continue to log into these forums for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. We will work with T-Mobile to post the next update on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.
We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.
We will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible. We are eager to deliver the level of reliable service that our incredibly loyal customers have become accustomed to, and we are taking immediate steps to help ensure this does not happen again. Specifically, we have made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick Service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of our database backups is maintained.
Once again, we apologize for this situation and the inconvenience that it has created. Please know that we are working all-out to resolve this situation and restore the reliability of the service.
Sincerely,
Roz Ho
Corporate Vice President
Premium Mobile Experiences, Microsoft Corporation
October 15th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Sooo the question is when we’ll receive everything.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:56 am
that pic of roz ho is hilarious. so hopefully in a week or 2 we get everything back?
October 15th, 2009 at 11:12 am
So the only real mismanagement going on is the mismanagement of our wits.
I can still switch to that blackberry coming out, but I’m somewhat getting cold feet about whether I’ll like it or not. On the flip side, my Sidekick LX HAS broken permanently over the course of all this, so maybe it’d pay to go ahead and make the jump. Besides, the Sidekick’s are over with anyways (until T-Mobile reveals its mysterious successor sans Microsoft). … right?
Maybe I’ll write a review about the Blackberry from the Sidekick owner’s perspective. You know … whether a rabid Sidekicker would like it or not. Hmmm.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:15 am
“Make an application so that Sidekick users can ACTUALLY backup their data themselves.”
Yes, and make it free please.
Itz been very frustrating reading all the articles/comments that say SK users are the idiots for not backing our shizz up when we couldn’t… at least not all if it…
October 15th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I’m feeling the same way, except about the Motorola Cliq. To switch or not to switch, that is the question…
October 15th, 2009 at 11:29 am
what about the sidekicks without data packages not notifying you when you get a text message?
October 15th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Seriously! I really love my sidekick and all I’ve keep hearing and reading is that the sidekick is dead.
I hope they do come with a app where we can back it up that way this won’t happen again.
When are we gonna get our stuff back anyways? In a month?
October 15th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Either way, it is irrelevant. It’s far too little, too late. T-Mobile is a service provider and when they fail to provide that service, they are accountable regardless of whether or not it was their fault. T-Mobile has a Service Level Agreement with Microsoft, which they can and most likely will sue them for the network outage and recoup their losses in terms of customers who left, those who upgraded their phones at cost, and so on. Just because the subcontractor that handled the datacenter screwed up does not, in any way, shape or form, absolve them of their responsibility to provide a service and take care of their customers. T-Mobile dropped the ball, big time. Perhaps those CEO’s and corporate executives should stop worrying about the bottom line and focus more on customer service. Why? Well, no customers, no business. That’s how the free market works. Either way, because they showed no consideration for my deafness and refused to let me purchase a data plan only if I upgraded to their G1 or myTouch is the height of arrogance and lack of regard for customers who have been with them for almost a decade. They damned well know that the sidekick platform is very popular among the deaf community, yet because they screwed up, they choose to prey on the disabled and innocents that were caught with their pants down over this outage. The fact that they required a rate plan (30.00 / month) on top of the data plan is atrocious. I was more than willing to sign a 2 year contract and upgrade to a newer phone with T-Mobile off the sidekick platform. But that? No. Fuck them. I switched to the iPhone and AT&T. Good riddance T-Mobile, the sidekick was a great phone but you’ve killed it.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
What a ho…no pun intended
How could they have recovered the data when the backups have been “wiped out” too?
October 15th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I just have to say, That pic is AMAZING.
Other than that I am stuck. If my stuff is coming back what should I do about the contact list I rebuilt. It is all saved to my sim card but I don’t want to have to go through all my contacts once my old contacts are restored and delete all the doubles and figure out which aren’t saved and which are.
What a pain in the ass this has all been.
October 15th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
SKdude10: There are different sorts of “wiped out”.
In this case, I’m pretty sure the disks with the data on them are just fine and not overwritten. What probably happened was that metadata was lost, data that described where was what, how it was organized, etc. etc. Like if you use fdisk or whatever to zap the MBR including the partition table of you hard disk. The filesystems are there and intact but the metadata saying where C ends and D begins is gone.
Imagine a BIG library using the Library of Congress indexing system (it’s pretty random). Imagine them losing their card catalog while some gnomes randomly moved every bookshelf to another location. Now try to find a book you need without scanning shelf by shelf, book by book.
On the other hand, a crew of smart people can look at each shelf (disk), figure out where it belongs, and recreate the index. Takes a long time, and with a huge database it’s a somewhat different type of process, but it can be done if you’re willing and able to hire the wizards who can do this sort of thing (Contact Ontrack if you ever find yourself in a similar smaller scale situation).
Now, some disks perhaps had their contents partly overwritten, so some data loss is likely, but with enough work it sounds like most can be recovered, where most could be in the high 90 percent range.
This is where people like some of my friends earn the big bucks, but oh so painfully. Then again, when you grovel over a RK-05 disk pack and recover someone’s thesis they’re really happy (I have a friend who did this in the late ’70s).
October 15th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I literally just shit myself when I saw that pic
October 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Dear Sidekick Users-
I sincerely hope that ALL of you are grateful that Microsoft has found your data. Luckily it was hiding in the house, not floating over Colorado in a hot air balloon. The data did not fall out of a panel, but it was hiding in the garage and scared to tell us that it let the balloon go free by ACCIDENT. I can tell you we are relieved to have found the data, and it’s not squashed in a cornfield somewhere.
Those of you who are initiating frivolous lawsuits over your “precious” data should know that we at Microsoft do not tolerate insubordination and will delete you data immediately. Also, we are not paying for your ridiculous “gift cards.” All your moneys belong to me. I have a nail job, Botox,collogen, an Audi R-8 and a Tokens in Management training course to pay for.
I also lost beauty sleep and gained 5 lbs. My houndstooth Mark Jacobs skirt doesn’t fit me anymore and men don’t look at me they way they did when I was 17 anymore.
As you can tell, this outage has deeply affected me. I cannot backstab as I once did and I am forced to learn real management skills. I regret buying Danger, I regret their hoards of unwashed fans and I regret not taking the Cloud service tutorial I was offered by Microsoft PMS (err PMX.)
Non-apologies,
-Roz(ana) Ho
October 15th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Microsoft doesn’t give a rats ass about backing up-that is until it cost them 20 million in service agreement violations. If you think they are going to make an application to sync your data, I have a bridge to sell you
October 15th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
i work for tmobile, sidekick will be back soon..yes
October 15th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
the sidekick isnt dead its only sleeping turn your mood lights on people lol anonymous can we get an eta of when the freakin catalog comes back and are we getting a skx or sk2010 i can see it happening nobody thought we would have a 3g sidekick but we do
October 15th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
A Sidekick… with no data package?
I…uh…wha?
Error: does not compute.
October 15th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Told ya! =D
October 15th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
recognizedakick Says:
October 14th, 2009 at 10:23 pm [ Quote ]
Uh…lawsuits? Really? Looks like our data is about to magically appear and they’re gonna come out wit a “aw we were just kidding u guys” approach. This stuff is getting old. Quit playing w/my freakin sidekick! She aint do nuttin to nobody!
TOLD YA!! =D
October 15th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
priceless mockery of miss ho lol
October 15th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Im not even mad anymore it whatever
…but I am switching and most likely it is going to b the new blackberry 9700…
The cliq it not built so well…
…check out tmonews.com..they have an in depth review…
…goin with the grown man blackberry lol
October 15th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Meeeh … I think the CLIQ looks cool. I’d be into it more if I had a Sidekick mainly for social networking and such, but really I’m just an instant messaging/email/web browsing fiend. A lot of these reviews are using pre-release units and, hence, I’d be wary about what they said are negatives as far as build quality is concerned. Besides, considering I’ve never owned a single Sidekick in 7 years that hasn’t broken in some form or fashion (often times just outside of a year of ownership), I don’t think I can say jack about another phone’s build quality being good or bad. 😉
October 15th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I am glad to hear we are getting all our data back. I told you on the first comment of the last hiptop3 post we would. 😉
October 15th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Quinctilius Varus, give me back my Data!
October 15th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
We are in the EXACTLY same situation! I’ve been a sidekick user since 2004 and after this outage thing happened, I realized I had enough. Like you, I was going to stay with T-Mobile and upgrade to mytouch3G but I will be required to pay for the voice too. So, I was like, if they’re not going to think about their deaf customers, they lose my business. I was able to get out of my contract for free and switched to the iPhone too. I’m loving it! How are you liking yours?
October 15th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
I’m deaf and hard-of-hearing, I can use the Sidekick both ways, that’s the pager way and talking on the phone, but if T-Mobile stopped the service with these Sidekicks because of the outage then I would go switch to the HTC Touch Pro 2 or the G1 because I need a data phone (that can also do voice calls just like the Sidekick) but I hope they recover our data since I don’t want to leave the Sidekick and I’ve been with the Sidekick since 2005 and I have been following the news of these Sidekicks since the first one that came out in 2002. I wished they would allow you to switch to a new phone free since we do pay alot of cash for getting these Sidekicks.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:35 am
No one cares, you preening douche.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I finally got my internet back on my Sidekick lx 09
October 16th, 2009 at 7:47 am
I’ll believe it when I see it
October 16th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Don’t believe them. Probably just damage control. I’ll believe most of the data is recovered when most of us have our contacts back. Can’t trust big companies anymore.
Now we have to wait an additional two weeks for this? And then we MIGHT get the $100 card. Wow.
Some of us have been without contacts already for more than 2 weeks. What a debacle.
October 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
This is the perfect time to snap up a sidekick for cheap and program some awesome apps for the catalogue… funny enough, that’s what I want to do. I’m going to learn JAVA and code some cool games and apps for a sidekick I’ll buy for cheap. Can we still get dev keys?
Anyone not wanting to hold on to their sidekick anymore in the NYC area that would like to sell for cheap for a good cause?
October 16th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I’m still waiting for my non-lost data to come back. If that’s not gonna happen then I need an update on when the servers are going to be stable enough for me to start rebuilding my contacts.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Turn off your phones then turn it back on and ittl come back liek they said.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
It does not work for me I guess im the mnority
October 16th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I was getting tired of the SK before but this Just Piss me off and I still Havnt gotten my Old Txts or #s Back So Im like F*** the Sidekick and F*** T-mobile for the Moment, ILL just switch to the BlackBerry Family
October 17th, 2009 at 7:39 am
No, but I did lose all my settings again. Thanks for that.
October 18th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Um…i dont think you will be getting your old texts back. Like seriously…they dont even bring all of those backs on a normal reboot. I think those are losts unless you saved them to your SIM card or something.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Goodbye sidekick! I will most likely cancel my sidekick plan and just keep my blackberry plan.. One less bill.. Eventho ill miss the keyboard ! 🙁 2003 to 2010… ill miss you old friend!
October 18th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
anyone else got there internet back???
October 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
This is bullshi* yall aren’t even tryin to tell the truth.
October 18th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
That motorolaCliq looks madd hott yo!
October 18th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
It’s funny how I got an iPhone and still come over here to look and see how everyone is doing. It’s really sad that some of you guys put up with the BS. Seriously think about it. They just lost all your data and contacts and it’s been like 2 weeks. Stop putting up with this crap and leave them. DON’T PAY MORE MONEY TO UPGRADE YOUR PHONE. even if they give you the discount, that’s rediculous. The only reason why I held on to a sidekick was the jump shortcuts and the keyboard. The flippy thing. Not impressive anymore, in fact annoying at times when you were with automated machines and you had to press 4 for god knows what. Anyways it’s not the end of the world. There are so much better phones out there. I’m not saying get an iPhone , but just find something that turns you on about a phone. Good luck being happy with the kick. If there’s one problem fixed the. Another one is coming your wAy and you’ll have to pay for it, chao
October 19th, 2009 at 3:44 am
Saturday, both their website and customer service were telling we would get a procedure to restore data the next day.
Sunday we get a PR release.
Give us G1s and do not charge us more T-Mobile!!!!!!!!!!!
October 19th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Not just MS only please. ESPECIALLY after what just happened. Put it on the web with the desktop interface.
October 19th, 2009 at 4:02 am
California Chris wrote:
“We are in the EXACTLY same situation! I’ve been a sidekick user since 2004 and after this outage thing happened, I realized I had enough. Like you, I was going to stay with T-Mobile and upgrade to mytouch3G but I will be required to pay for the voice too. So, I was like, if they’re not going to think about their deaf customers, they lose my business. I was able to get out of my contract for free and switched to the iPhone too. I’m loving it! How are you liking yours?”
Me too! Well, a slight twist … my partner and friends are Deaf, I am hearing. I only use a few voice minutes a month, but usually it is the cases where I need to contact a non-Deaf person about something quick (“meet me at so-and-so”) while not at home.
The store told me the plan would be only $35. I called ‘customer support’ and not only did they want me to buy a phone at more than the advertised price but they also wanted me to pay 20$ more for voice!
Thanks a lot T-Mobile … so how much have you got for us having Sidekick *2*s for years beyond our contracts and convincing other people to buy sidekicks?
October 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I know riiiight?! I so want all this garbage to be settled already so I can get one & move on with my life!