i still think the remove hdd from pc, put into external enclosure and read the hdd from another computer via usb is still the best bet for now on also partition the hdd to the size u think u will use for windows / apps only and all the downloads and data should be saved elsewhere... but the idea to find out if is a dead hard drive, place on your on top of the hdd while turn on of the pc and feel if it is spinning or not;
I totally agree with this approach. According to Google you can also try the following: -------------- Note that this doesn't always work. When you are booting your system, press the F8 key during the start of the bootup sequence, meaning after it does the Power On Self Test. Once you press the F8 key, you will be taken to a Menu. Select "Boot Using Last Known Good Configuration". It will now attempt to load Windows XP using a past set of configuration files. -------------- If the hdd was dead, he wouldn't even get this far. On the other hand, the hdd might be becoming defect though (e.g. bad sectors). So I would try to get the data out of the hdd ASAP! Whether it's via a boot CD like Hiren or via a USB enclosure.
Lets face it, the man needs a new PC, I had this problem a few years ago, it was a burnt out motherboard. A part/chip did not function, so I replaced the motherbaord with a new one with a few parts to go with the compatibility. Then I could be wrong... I always did a CD clean Reisntall of the OS to iron out the registry when I get constant blue screen errors... suggestion: Do a clean install with a new HDD as with your HDD take it out and put it into a HDD caddy and connect it by usb and copy your files after. good luck... fixing a PC always costed me a hole in my pocket.
if there is bad sectors the solution you agreed on will probably not work either... but putting into another enclosure you can still access the files on it...
No problemo! The Hiren's bootCD can fix this matter as well. It contains many utilities, like the HDDRegenerator. This tool can fix/regenerates the bad sectors till you get the message 'disk is healthy'. <--Used it myself, works perfect! Unlike the other methods, the bootCD is free. Downloading the *.ISO and burning it, will take like 30 minutes.. IMO there's no harm in having a copy as a backup for future PC problems~
i doubt a software can fully fix a bad sector and make the drive work as new... maybe for temp to backup the files but i will not reocmmend re-use the hard drive, buy a new one or if is under warranty get a replacement back =) fixing pc issues are time consuming, i would never go with those software to fix my computers. if the hard drive doesn't work, i just buy a new one; imaging u are getting paid $20 per hr at work and fixing the pc issue takes you 5 hrs, that = $100, buying a new drive is probably better with time shortened...even customers will do that, they are unwilling to pay $35 per hour for you to fix their PC, they will just pay $40 or whatever you charge to wipe the hdd out and reinstall OS; but lesson learned; never put important files on the hard drive (esp the one internal with your OS installed)
I have also used HDD Regenerator before with mixed results. It fixed a few bad sectors which allowed me to at least create an image of the hdd after which I was able to recover some of the files using a recovery program. It was very time consuming though. FYI, here is what they say on the HDD Regenerator site: -------------- How it works Almost 60% of all hard drives damaged with bad sectors have an incorrectly magnetized disk surface. We have developed an algorithm which is used to repair damaged disk surfaces. This technology is hardware independent, it supports many types of hard drives and repairs damage that even low-level disk formatting cannot repair. As a result, previously unreadable information will be restored. Because of the way the repair is made, the existing information on the disk drive will not be affected! -------------- That is only true if you do not have any important data to recover. It is also not a matter of where you put your important files, but whether you make frequent backups of them.
yes agree; but when you have files on the internal hard drive, it gets run longer and each har drive has a life...the more you run it, the easier it will die...but where as if you have use an external hdd, it will run less time than the internal, the failure rate compared to internals are far less...backups aren't that safe either, the backup file could get corrupt, the medium (hard drive, optical discs) can wear & tear...so nothing is permenant... alright, enough discuss, everyone has their way of fixing PCs home users will use download (cracked) software to fix, but for me, corp environment use genuine software and can't compare.... negiqboyz...what's your status
Exactly, everything has a life span on this world (sadly even humans). My point was that it doesn't matter where you have your important files stored (floppies, mem sticks, implanted in your brain, etc.) as long as you have recent backups of them. If you are paranoid, then make multiple backups and use RAID arrays, but that would be a bit overkill for a home environment. For people who have a conscience, they can buy all the software that are on those boot/live CDs, so it shouldn't be an issue whether you are from a home or corporate environment. Anyway, I was merely stating a point that you would not fix negiqboyz's problem by replacing the hard disk, because he has important data on it. It would of course be the easiest way, but not the best one for him. And believe me, I understand where you are coming from, at least from the business point of view. If negiqboyz brought his PC at my (fictional) shop for repair, then I would just replace the damn hdd since it can be very time consuming to recover his files and I would bill him even extra for the time that I supposedly tried to recover his files -devil ... LOL I think his PC and the rest of his laptops exploded since we have not heard back from him for some time now
LOL .. Thanks ya'll for your help. The baby finally arrived on Feb 1st so yeah .. too busy. I wasn't able to retrieve my stuff from the computer so I asked my assistants to redo the work for me instead .. lol. I just reinstalled everything and it's working great. I tried all the methods - Window page, Hirens, and more from the web searches except taking out the hdd (too complicated for me) but nothing seemed to work. I could've brought it into a shop for repair but like Phantom said, they could've charged me way more than the computer's worth and there were confidential files in there. (don't want another Edison's scandal j/k) Just glad I am in management so yeah .. just transfer the workload to another pawn scum .. lol Btw .. for the Hiren BootCD .. I tried on the laptop but doesn't seen to even work .. it's also xp. Lastly .. I bought and buy all my softwares.
My computer broke down again but I finally found out what's the reason behind it. It's the All-in-One HP printer that I got recently. It's not very compatible with the com system. You have to turn it on before starting com and turn it off after com is shut off. Otherwise, it just crashed. That's good news. Thanks ya'll for your help.
Yay!!! I would have never ever guessed that since you never told us about a new printer, but I guess we never asked
