A Wedding Video Saved: How I Nearly Lost My Most Cherished Memory

We’ve all been there—a tech mishap that leaves you grappling with dread, especially when it concerns something as precious as your wedding video. Let me share my recent mini-crisis that had me in a whirlwind of panic, desperately trying to keep my husband in the dark while I sorted it out.

So, here’s the story. I had three months to download our wedding video from a shared Dropbox account. Convinced I’d be diligent, I made the download back in July 2019. I watched it afterward and thought everything was fine. Fast forward to December, I decided to upload it back to Dropbox for safekeeping—feeling quite responsible, if I do say so myself.

Recently, my family has been eager to watch our wedding video, so I logged onto Dropbox to share it with them. Upon clicking the file, I could only watch the first four minutes before the dreaded buffering began. After repeated attempts to play it without success, I resorted to my old laptop, where I had saved the original copy, hoping to dodge the streaming issues.

However, the nightmare began when I tried to play the file—stopping abruptly at just 4 minutes and 17 seconds. I scanned for other versions, only to discover the once reliable original download had vanished. I dug deeper, finding some previous versions, yet those were just repeats of the truncated 4-minute version. Despite my efforts, there was nothing in the recycle bin, leaving me feeling utterly defeated.

The digital format? MP4. The machine? An aging Lenovo ThinkPad running on Windows 8. And now, I was left with a few burning questions:

1. What could I have possibly done to lose the video?
2. What steps can I take to retrieve it?
3. Can anyone recommend a professional to consult with about my computer woes?
4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how dire is my situation?

My mind raced with anxiety, and let’s be honest, I struggled to articulate my plight rationally. I sincerely appreciated any guidance people could provide. And if the worst came to pass—if my husband eventually found out—I prayed for some comforting thoughts and condolences.

EDIT: A comment sparked a realization: I might have been watching the video straight from the folder where it had initially downloaded in December. It’s possible I moved it instead of creating a copy