Not sure if wtf is strong enough

themuffinman16

My sister has been having problems with her step-daughter.  They have set up an appointment to go to counseling, but it took months to get this appointment. My sister found out that her step-daughter went on her computer and uninstalled her iphoto program (after getting mad that she was grounded because she failed two classes).  All of my sister's baby photos of her two children... gone.  Every single one of them. My sister is devastated. She doesn't know how to get these photos back, if at all. She did not back up her programs, unfortunately. Of course, she has no idea what to do with step-daughter, either. Is anyone tech-savvy to help me with this problem? My husband is in IT, but he hasn't had any luck retrieving her photos.

firebabe6519

Have you tried contacting the merchant for the app. I'm sure others have had mishaps with their program being uninstalled before. Maybe they can help.

As for the stepdaughter... In my family your ass would be getting spanked for that shit. Who the hell does that to someone? Evil child.

theartistformerlyknownas

Assuming iPhoto is on a Mac? Take it to the Apple Genius bar. They can likely recover them. Uninstalling a program doesn't necessarily delete the files you would open with that program.

themuffinman16

She is making an appointment tomorrow, for the Apple Store at the genius bar.  I was just hoping there would be something I could say, tonight,  to assure her these photos will be recovered.

themuffinman16

And lolo883.... you're pregnant?  Congratulations!!! 

larrygaga

A) did she really uninstall on purpose out of spite

B ) lol apple products

C) always make backups of everything important to you, this really should be common knowledge by now

D) not that it excuses the daughter if she did do it on purpose

theartistformerlyknownas

themuffinman16 said:

And lolo883.... you're pregnant?  Congratulations!!! 

I sure am! Thanks!

themuffinman16

Her stepdaughter used the computer the day it was uninstalled, and when questioned lied, but had admitted it to friends in a phone call my sister overheard. Her behavior is so OTT, my sister doesn't know what to do with her anymore. My sister has a flashdrive, but hasn't backed up her computer in a long time.  Hopefully, the geniuses at apple can recover the photos.

kaitlynmichelle

If the kid knew what she was doing...wow.  That is a cruel thing to do.  I almost fear having kids that do mean things, because some kids just don't seem to respond to certain punishments.  When I was bad (and I really wasn't, my parents were excessive with punishments for things) I would have my favourite thing taken away - like internet access or the computer in general.  I didn't have a cell phone until I was in university.  

But I feel some parents try taking away things like that and it doesn't do any good.  Seriously, mean children freak me out.

Hopefully the Apple folks can work their magic. That is what I would suggest.  Also, she should then back up all of her photos!

ohannabelle

How old is she?

That child would be losing her computer privileges immediately, in my house. She would have to earn them back, over a very long period of time, and after that, would not be allowed to use a computer unsupervised for another very long time.

(Supervised computer use is a heinous and cruel punishment for teenagers. That's how I roll.)

morewineplease

I thought there was a way to resort the MAC to a specific date, before the program was uninstalled… I would think the Apple store will be able to do it for her in the morning.

bride2b71614

Check the trash bin icon? Things don't get wiped clean...

Also where is your sisters husband? If I were him I'd give his daughter a stern talking to and there would be consequences for her actions.

ETA added daughter.

hellosweetie1015

OS X Lion I KNOW does something like compartmentalizations where you can restore to a date earlier than the beginning of the "issue". The geniuses can do it. A lady in AppleCare walked me through it over the phone, even.

themuffinman16

She is 17.  She claims she needs it for homework, so my sister can't be against it. She will do her homework, but I am guessing when my sister leaves the room to watch over two kids under 3, her step-daughter is using the computer for something other than homework. I told my sister to never let her use her computer, and she can use the computer lab at school from now on, if she needs to do homework.

  If they punish her, niece finds way to get back at her father and my sister. It's just a really tough situation.

rcher912

themuffinman16 said:

She is 17.  She claims she needs it for homework, so my sister can't be against it. She will do her homework, but I am guessing when my sister leaves the room to watch over two kids under 3, her step-daughter is using the computer for something other than homework. I told my sister to never let her use her computer, and she can use the computer lab at school from now on, if she needs to do homework.

  If they punish her, niece finds way to get back at her father and my sister. It's just a really tough situation.

Hey, guess who's getting transferred to military school? OH RIGHT THAT'S YOU.

I agree with you - the kid can stay after school or get driven to the library or whatever, she does not get to TOUCH my computer after something like that. That's beyond mean. And counseling is hella important, I really hope the appointment is coming up soon, this kid sounds out of control.

ashley8918

firebabe6519 said:

Have you tried contacting the merchant for the app. I'm sure others have had mishaps with their program being uninstalled before. Maybe they can help. As for the stepdaughter... In my family your ass would be getting spanked for that shit. Who the hell does that to someone? Evil child.

Because corporal punishment is sooooooooo effective...

sophhabobopha

ashley8918 said:

firebabe6519 said:

Have you tried contacting the merchant for the app. I'm sure others have had mishaps with their program being uninstalled before. Maybe they can help. As for the stepdaughter... In my family your ass would be getting spanked for that shit. Who the hell does that to someone? Evil child.

Because corporal punishment is sooooooooo effective...

Especially on a teenager.

lc07

morewineplease said:

I thought there was a way to resort the MAC to a specific date, before the program was uninstalled… I would think the Apple store will be able to do it for her in the morning.

There is if you have Time Machine set up and running with an external drive but it doesn't occur natively without being set up.

larrygaga

firebabe6519 said:

Have you tried contacting the merchant for the app. I'm sure others have had mishaps with their program being uninstalled before. Maybe they can help. As for the stepdaughter... In my family your ass would be getting spanked for that shit. Who the hell does that to someone? Evil child.

Don't spank a 17 year old. Wait until she turns 18 and film it and then you can make money off it. 

Are you kind of uncomfortable from reading that? Because that's exactly how inappropriate it would be to spank someone almost fully grown if you aren't about to bed her. 

larrygaga

But let me be the devils advocate and ask again if you know for sure she did it on purpose. As a former badly behaved teenager, I got into huge trouble for so many accidents because my parents didn't bother finding out if I really deserved punishment. It make me super un-trusting of those in authority because when I decided to be good and turn my life around nobody believed or supported me. Give her a fucking chance she's a kid. Your sister isn't perfect either.

Dreamergirl8812

A 17 year old doesn't accidentally uninstall something. All those little bastards are computer geniuses.

themuffinman16

My sister has had to record her step-daughter's phone calls to protect her own ass . A month ago, I overheard her talking to friends that she was thinking about doing the same thing to my sister that she has done to her father to get emancipated . BIL buries his head in the sand, and likes to think there is no problem. I told my sister to protect herself and record conversations. 

    In a phone conversation. step-daughter laughed to her friends that she got rid of what they talked about, and now her step- mom is flipping out and crying. Her friend asked if her step-mom did anything, my niece said no, like she was disappointed. My sister has never and would never lay a hand on her step-daughter. 

    I am not all for spying on kids, but when the kid's lies will really hurt everyone around her, then you should find out the truth. My sister's step-daughter isn't just messing up her own life, she is actively messing with the lives of others. This isn't drinking underage or smoking pot, this isn't typical teenage behavior. I am sure there will be a lot of slack for invading step-daughter's privacy. I have known some badly behaved teenagers, myself. Their behavior was always self-destructive and not destructive of others . My sister hopes step-daughter will move out when she is 18. It's becoming a lot to handle.

wandajune6

The Kid has had some judgment issues with computers so DH made this fix: he got him his own laptop but has locked it down so hard that The Kid can't do much-- or harm anyone else. We then have our machines protected sufficiently that he couldn't get in if he wanted to. It doesn't help for now but it's prevented The Kid from being murdered.

As for iPhoto- the Genius Bar may be able to help. She should also be careful about any synch changes with other devices- she needs to be careful not to lose anything else accidentally. I hope she can recover them!

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User]

themuffinman16

A month ago, the father has called the school to discuss with them the problems they are having with his daughter.  The guidance counselor said,  "We have been informed of your household situation.  A meeting won't be necessary."  The guidance counselor hung up on BIL.  The guidance counselor is who my niece first talked to when she claimed she was being abused. It is obvious they don't care to hear the other side of the story. CPS is closing the case against sister and brother in law, finding no abuse, and suggesting counseling. 

  They have an appointment next month.  There is little they will be able to do for her, at her age, to help her.  (As said by the counselors). The counseling is is more for the family.  This is who she is.  I think it will take her moving out, and learning a cold dose of reality that her friends aren't really her friends. They were never out for her best interest.

crackktheskyy

themuffinman16 said:

A month ago, the father has called the school to discuss with them the problems they are having with his daughter.  The guidance counselor said,  "We have been informed of your household situation.  A meeting won't be necessary."  The guidance counselor hung up on BIL.  The guidance counselor is who my niece first talked to when she claimed she was being abused. It is obvious they don't care to hear the other side of the story. CPS is closing the case against sister and brother in law, finding no abuse, and suggesting counseling. 

  They have an appointment next month.  There is little they will be able to do for her, at her age, to help her.  (As said by the counselors). The counseling is is more for the family.  This is who she is.  I think it will take her moving out, and learning a cold dose of reality that her friends aren't really her friends. They were never out for her best interest.

Whoa. I feel like I missed something in all of the posts prior to this one. I didn't realize CPS was involved.

While it's definitely messed up that your sister's SD deleted all of her photos, it is WAY more concerning that she is reporting abuse in the household. That's really, really, really messed up. 

I'm not a legal expert, but maybe your sister should speak to a lawyer and figure out how to protect herself? I mean, if this kid is lying about being abused, that's some serious shit. 

I was definitely an asshole to my parents when I was a teenager, but I just did things like dying my hair blue to piss them off. Crying wolf and reporting abuse to a school guidance counselor is unconscionable. 

I'm really sorry this is all happening to your family.

themuffinman16

There is little my sister can do without the support of her H. He thinks she is punished enough, but she now has another secret cell phone in the house.  Step-daughter only uses the house phone sporadically, now. My sister has searched her room to no avail, and has not found it.  I think she is keeping it on her person, but my sister knows better than to search her.

  Sister's step-daughter's door does not have locks on it, but the floor is really noisy, so it is hard to see what she is up to, without her noticing. She has been keeping things in the toilet tank and took a box cutter to her mattress to keep things in there. I don't know what she is keeping in there, but I hope it is nothing dangerous that would harm my niece and nephew. 

paperpusher

JFC.  I remember your other threads about this girl.
17 is old enough to know what the fuck she's doing.
Soon as she turns 18 I'd be kicking her out on her ass.

Give her a cake like this:

crackktheskyy

themuffinman16 said:

There is little my sister can do without the support of her H. He thinks she is punished enough, but she now has another secret cell phone in the house.  Step-daughter only uses the house phone sporadically, now. My sister has searched her room to no avail, and has not found it.  I think she is keeping it on her person, but my sister knows better than to search her.

  Sister's step-daughter's door does not have locks on it, but the floor is really noisy, so it is hard to see what she is up to, without her noticing. She has been keeping things in the toilet tank and took a box cutter to her mattress to keep things in there. I don't know what she is keeping in there, but I hope it is nothing dangerous that would harm my niece and nephew. 

I'll be honest: Your BIL's response is pretty appalling. I dated a man for 3 years who had a son with some serious problems. His son was terrible to me and he never did anything about it. He turned out being a terribly abusive person. Your BIL should be handling this and is likely enabling her behavior.

While I thought deleting the photos was evil, it sounds like your sister's SD has some serious problems and that your sister's H is in denial. Every post seems to include more information that seems way worse to me than the deleting photos that you mentioned in your OG post.

That sounds like a totally toxic environment and the fact that your BIL is simply not doing much of anything is really bad news. I think your sister should be going to counseling on her own and also with your BIL. I think she needs to figure out whether or not this home is even a safe environment for her or her children because it sounds to me like a whole lot of shit is going down between CPS tearing through their lives, your BIL not supporting your sister, and your sister's SD doing whatever it is she's doing.

hellohkb

I completely agree with @crackktheskyy‌ . Seems odd that your BIL won't do anything.

Was your sister able to get her photos recovered? You never mentioned that again.