Dear God No...Laptop Crash.

[Dubai182]

OMG!!!

My laptop has just taken a severe dump.

It just randomly restarted itself except it won't go past the windows loading screen...it just keeps repeating it and then starting again. It never loads.

It's got some extremely important data on for my racing and work and I'd be truly up s**t creek without a paddle if it's unretrievable.

I'm going to take it in to a shop tomorrow but what's the probability of me being able to retrieve any data?

 

[dwjeviltwin]

If you download a copy of ubuntu, and boot into it from the disk, it should be able to read the directories of the windows partition to allow you to back up any information you need to an external drive.
I've had to do this trick before....

 

[Dubai182]

How do I download anything? It never goes past a the black screen where it says loading.

 

[Final Maxim]

burn ubuntu to disc, throw it in and boot from the cd. run it from the disc live, dont install it

 

[bmh.01]

Not got another computer i'm guessing? And here is a textbook example of why you should back stuff up. Might end up being a costly lesson tbh, only other option is to remove the drive and stick it in another computer and you should be able to pull data off it. Another idea is will it start in safe mode?

 

[Lacey]

I had this problem at work, and the IT bloke said that if I turn it on and keep pressing F12 it will boot up, it did... I don't know if he just said something random but it worked.

If that doesn't work he told me to press F8 which apparently runs the computer in safe mode.

 

[Dubai182]

burn ubuntu to disc, throw it in and boot from the cd. run it from the disc live, dont install it

Thanks, I'll give it a go now.

Not got another computer i'm guessing? And here is a textbook example of why you should back stuff up. Might end up being a costly lesson tbh, only other option is to remove the drive and stick it in another computer and you should be able to pull data off it. Another idea is will it start in safe mode?

Won't start in safe mode, i have another laptop but I didn't backup my data since March and I've added a huge amount since..

 

[Saundo]

Had the exact same issue, wouldnt boot even in safe mode. Used Nopix to view all my files but it wouldnt copy them. Got IT to look at it and they could fix the drive but only by formatting which was about as much help as they ever are. Ended up using Nopix and emailing myself all th files i wanted to keep.

 

[bmh.01]

Ubuntu or another live distribution of linux is probably the best bet them to fish the data off onto a usb stick or otherwise, going to be a bit of a learning curve if you've never used linux but you should manage it i've never used ubuntu and how user friendly is it?

Its going to need a format anyway after by the sounds of it.

 

[Dubai182]

Never used Linux before, I seriously hope this works..

 

[DrR]

Take the hard drive out put it in this, then plug it into the USB of a working computer, but remember it could have been a virus that fecked it up.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5-USB-EXTER...ryZ86759QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Dubai182]

Take the hard drive out put it in this, then plug it into the USB of a working computer, but remember it could have been a virus that fecked it up.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-5-USB-EXTER...ryZ86759QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Total complete noob, which one is the hard drive? I know it's all screwed in but there's like 3 panels?

 

[ChrisR]

I think you should fly me out there to come and fix it for you, it's the only way

 

[DrR]

Hard drive looks like this, on my laptop it's located on the left of the Key board (Toshiba)

They look like this

http://www.laptoprepair101.com/wp-images/external-laptop-harddrive-2.jpg

usually have a plastic tag you pull

 

[dk]

if the computer has two partitions on the hard drive (so a C and a D drive) you can put a windows disc in and install it on the D partition, then you can then back up all your files from the C drive and then reinstall windows onto C and then just delete the windows directory on the D drive and you are back to normal, done this before so i know it works.

 

[dwjeviltwin]

The latest build of ubuntu is very good, but if you want an XP lookalike version, then use Kubuntu, its set out very similar.
Dont use the KDE 4.0 version though, as its effectivly a vista clone, and buggy as hell. Version 3 is fine.

 

[Dubai182]

Well I had a mini brainwave and rang my brother as he has the same laptop as me... I installed my hard drive but the fucker still won't load so has the hard drive been ruined?

I also bought those HDD enclosure things, a SATA and the other type but both didn't fit the pin formation of my hard drive?

So now I'm resorting to phoning a company and seeing if they can recover any files..

 

[Final Maxim]

did you try running ubuntu in live mode and recovering the files?

 

[mr_merc]

Look mate, not being funny, but stop f**king about with this yourself and take it to a professional.

You obviously have a few quid and what is on this machine is obviously worth a great deal to you.

As such, take it to a professional with appropriate indemnity insurance so that if he/she f***s it up, they pay for it, not you and your grubby little mitts

 

[dk]

did you try running ubuntu in live mode and recovering the files?

ditto, do you have two partitions to try my method?

2 quite easy solutions here, you seem to have tried the hard ones first and then given up.

 

[bmh.01]

Look mate, not being funny, but stop f**king about with this yourself and take it to a professional.

You obviously have a few quid and what is on this machine is obviously worth a great deal to you.

As such, take it to a professional with appropriate indemnity insurance so that if he/she f**ks it up, they pay for it, not you and your grubby little mitts

Its a computer, not a nuclear reactor. As long as he doesn't start playing with partitions he won't do any more damage than has already been done. And some of these "professionals" are a joke tbh arse from elbow comes to mind.

 

[Dubai182]

did you try running ubuntu in live mode and recovering the files?

I couldn't download it as it kept saying my location wasn't valid?

did you try running ubuntu in live mode and recovering the files?

ditto, do you have two partitions to try my method?

2 quite easy solutions here, you seem to have tried the hard ones first and then given up.

I have two partitions yes, I couldn't find the windows CD for the life of me, tipped the place upside down, found everyone else's but mine..

It's going to a I.T speciailist tomorrow that looks after several large companies I know and they recommended him so I'll see what he can do.

 

[dk]

you could actually use any windows cd really, just to get a temporary copy on the laptop to allow you to attach an external hard drive and copy all the info off.

looks like you are sorted now though anyway.

 

[KDF]

I could fix this no problem, take it to someone who knows what they are doing.

You have admitted yourself you know nothing about it.

 

[The Hoff]

*Cough* take more regular backups, no excuse.

 

[Pettsi]

CHKDSK can fix this problem in the windows recovery option on any copy of XP.

 

[Mike_182]

CHKDSK can fix this problem in the windows recovery option on any copy of XP.

Almost never. Dunno where you get that from but CHKDSK only checks the disk itself, not the data on it as such... If you were extremely lucky an install over the top would leave most of the structure in place - Vista's good though...

 

[Timb1984]

Saw on tv that there are companies who specialise in data recovery from broken hdds and stuff.

 

[The Hoff]

CHKDSK can fix this problem in the windows recovery option on any copy of XP.

Almost never. Dunno where you get that from but CHKDSK only checks the disk itself, not the data on it as such... If you were extremely lucky an install over the top would leave most of the structure in place - Vista's good though...

Not so sure, CHKDSK /R isn't bad. Although it won't always fix it first time around. With a combination of CHKDSK/FIXBOOT/FIXMBR/BOOTCFG you can fix the majority of non-hardware failure related issues in my experience, and if they don't work it's Knoppix time.