The new hard drive arrived from Dell overnight as promised and I replaced it immediately. My Windows disc image functioned perfectly and I was able to restore my system to its exact pre-failure state. Not a single document, setting, program or anything else lost. A big hurray for S.M.A.R.T. hard drive monitoring. All and all, I had less than 12 hours between the first warning and complete failure. Gulp.

Now I just hope the serie noire is over. On a different front, I’ve ordered a proofing copy of Roasted in the Namib. Not that I expect to market it wildly initially, on-demand printing being a little expensive. But it’s a fantastic test-run and I admit my hopes are high in terms of print and overall quality. We shall see. Stay tuned. Less than two weeks to d-day.