Hansenhaus
The OP is probably a troll but the lesson that should be learned from this thread is ALWAYS use AUTO SAVE. It has saved my butt many times over. Especially when I do something to a mix I can't reverse like accidentally holding the CTRL key without a quick group selected and moving a fader. All the faders end up moving and there is no way to undo that level of damage. I just close the project and load my last auto saved version and I'm good to go. I typically have my autosave set to 5 minute intervals and 2 versions being saved.
Eric, this is why for me, that I rely on SPECIFIC backups, as often these phantom movements don't get noticed right away, and it makes it hard to know sometimes if a particular auto-save captured everything in a good state.
In the TINY portion of my brain responsible for responsibility, the act of KNOWINGLY saving at a certain point - after completing some definite edit point cuts down on the guesswork, as I make sure that things are sounding and looking OK prior to actually hitting Save.
Again, it's whatever kind of water floats your however you made it boat - personal choice.
There are 2 common factors here: First, most of us who are buttly-retentive about backups do so because we got lazy at some point in the past and paid dearly enough for it that we don't want that to happen again, and secondly, since dearest Joe is blaming Obama and disco for his troubles and not taking ownership over not backing up he is realistically not ready to make an internal commitment to doing backups. As such, I predict a painful future for him - even though it will be the fault of the DAW, Microsoft, Gremlins, and alien abduction.
I went to sleep at 11 last night, once my backup started, and you know what? I feel RESTED, knowing that if the sun does not rise this morning, I can easily make it yesterday once more (thank you Karen Carpenter), and that knowledge makes that first cup of Joe (pun intended) taste better.
Bob Bone