Posted on 07/29/2012 1:25:08 PM PDT by trussell
Best Buy uses the Geek Squad who don't know crap. They are also notorious for overcharging.
Had a broken screen one my laptop. Geek Swill quoted me $400 to replace. Local guy did it for $100.
time to back up your files and reload.
Ok, wait, wait, wait...I just checked my filing cabinet and found a package that belongs to my laptop...I don’t remember making the disc, but it has my handwriting and says “Dell Laptop back-up disc, 3/21/10”
What do I do with it? Will I still lose all my pictures and everything added after that date?
I also found 2 discs that say “Dell Application, for reinstalling cyberlink powerDVD DX 8.2 shoftware for Microsoft windows XP and Windows Vista. For reinstalling cyberlink powerdvd DX 8.3 software for windows 7”
And “Dell Application for reinstalling dell webcam central software”
Those 2 don’t seem to have anything that will help, right?
The next thing is to work on the clone disk to see if you can read your key files to save them elsewhere. (USB drive or the like.)
If some or all of the files that you need are unreadable, they still can largely be salvaged. At one point I had a disk crash and recovered 99% of the files using Power Quest's Lost and Found. Unfortunately, they were bought by Norton and are no longer available.
However, this site may be helpful: http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7588_102-354911/lost-and-found-or-the-storage-forum-sticky/
Most likely you can probably recover a lot of the data even if it was a disk crash. However it is critical that you make a clone copy first and stop messing with your original disk. Do NOT write any files to your disk or run any program, even check disk, until you get a clone copy. The more you screw with the original, the more likely it becomes that you will overwrite some file that you could otherwise recover.
Good Luck. The odds are that you have not lost your data files yet ...and... if some are damaged, most if not all can be recovered with a relatively cheap peace of software.
Since you're able to get this far, try what I recommend in post #51. What I'm asking you to do is not to choose the standard plain SAFE MODE option but rather try choosing the SAFE MODE WITH COMMAND PROMPT.
/johnny
then you have the backup media but it sounds as if your machine shipped with Vista...
You at some point installed windows 7 on it right?
You’ll need to find the disc for that.
/johnny
see my other posts...
Linux can be very confusing to PC users that are only use to Windows. And likely not something the OP would be comfortable using to repair their pc.
I can’t even get past the error...in safe mode or otherwise.
/johnny
what part of there are ways to get to said files when windows won’t completely boot don’t you understand?
I did...but it took me some time to get back to the thread when the computer I am using blocked access to FR because it’s considered a message board. Parental controls through norton...had to get on with norton agents through chat and have them delete the offending program. Sorry it took so long
and you are extremely rude. whats your point again?
No, it came with 7 on it originally
has windows given you the option to go back to a known good configuration?
From my readings it sounds like the machine has a bad piece of ram. Have you been able to locate the memory? It should be under a plastic door on the bottom of the machine with a screw or two holding it on. If we are lucky there will be two sticks in there. That way we can remove one and test to see if the problem went away.
really? I wonder where the vista recovery disc came from. Perhaps a different computer?
ok.. just re-read everything..
have you tried booting it with just one memory stick in it? if it still BSOD’d on you, did you try the other?
as said before by me and others, your likely going to have to find a way to recover your files and reload windows.
Have removed one of the memory chips and it doesn’t look like I’m going to get in...does it matter which position the remaining one is? I removed the first one available under the cover
The computer has norton on it.
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