Apple Store Michigan Avenue Comes Through - Again

I've had the worst tech luck in quite some time - and it happened to me in a matter of a few weeks.

First, my iPhone froze - followed by the Apple Store replacing it within minutes.
Today, my iMac's hard drive fried. I woke up this morning to a screen showing me a blank file folder with a question mark. Within minutes, I sent my woes to Twitter and had a few responses back - things didn't look good. Between my online research and Twitter responses, I had a good idea that my hard drive was toast.

My instincts told me to abandon the DIY route and schedule a Genius appointment at the Apple Store. Could luck strike twice? Could my iMac be salvaged the way my iPhone was last week?

Today's noon appointment resulted in learning that yes, my iMac's hard drive is fried. The appointment also confirmed that my anal behavior of backing up my data to an external hard drive saved my precious work. I also became thankful that yes, Chicago has its own Apple store with a staff that is prompt, efficient and courteous. Yes, I actually used the word 'courteous'.

My iMac will be fixed within 4-5 days, free of charge, thanks to the 3-year Apple Care plan I had. Below is the quick video I took for the readers of my other site, Gals' Guide. Women tend to NOT back up their data and I hope today's lesson changes their non backing-up ways.