FR withdrawal!

8/24/02 | me

[Former Fetus]

HELP!

My PC is giving me an "error reading drive C" message and it won't boot. I have been told that the hard drive has kicked the bucket and all I can do is replace it. Fine, but I have oodles of my children's pictures in that hard drive!

I know, I know, I should have burned disks with those pictures, and from now on I will, but I'm devastated at the loss. Anytime I have asked a question in Free Republic I have got invaluable advice, so is there anything I can do before tossing the hard drive, and some very dear pictures, away?

I am sorry, I know this is not the kind of stuff you post in FR. Please, Jim, don't pull this thread. I'm just a mother who doesn't know where to turn for help. Thanks.

[dennisw]

Install your hard drive as a slave on another computer. See if you can find your photos this way and transfer them to a sound hard drive.

[mrsmith]

If you or a friend are comfortable going into the case:
Unplug the power cord and then unplug the cables at the drive and then plug them right back in exactly as they were,
unplug the data cable at the motherboard and plug it right back in.
You could replace the cable and try the drive in another machine too.

Good luck! ( Try the advice about booting from a floppy first!)

[Vidalia]

OK, jesting aside and I bet your mom was a wonderful lady.

I completely understand the "shake the soda machine" and the "kick the candy machine".

The mind's eye conjures up a construction framer's hammer and a "not so delicate" touch.

Rubber/plastic (not plastique) I would think, but not for the faint of heart...

[freedom9]

I had a similar problem several days ago. Try reinstalling what ever operating system you have from the CD, BUT don't do a clean or new install. There is a good chance you will get your drive working again with all the files intact. If and when you do get it working again do a virus check. (I had every .exe file on my HD infected with a virus called CIH. I think that was the cause for my drive messing up. They say that a version of CIH will try to rewrite the BIOS in a computer on the 26th of any given month rendering it useless untill another another BIOS chip is installed.)

[Radix]

I concede that.
I insist though, The Tech Support at Gateway is seriously lacking. That is why I swore. I was so frustrated.
I have read a number of things about recovering data. You can stick the hard drive in the freezer and later quickly get your data back. It is almost comical (if it didn`t hurt so much) all of the things that I have been advised on. I haven`t done anything yet though. I have been too busy learning my way around FR!

[Radix]

Oh yes, and another thing, The design of the particular system that I purchased is flawed. It is junk. The plastic fan blades did indeed melt. Gateways are crap.

[RightOnline]

Had a similar thing happen to us recently. Our "second" hard drive in our primary "family" system has a problem. The system sees that the drive is there.......but that's it. That's the bloody limit. Can't "explore" it; won't even show how large the drive is, etc., etc. So, the system knows it's there, but can't get a lick of additional information on the drive......let alone access it.

Think I'll try the "gentle rap" method described here. Nothing to lose...........except, like you, some irreplaceable pictures..............sigh................

[Vidalia]

You'll get over it whether it is gateway or another brand later on like everybody else.

At least you are on the Learning Curve and not just damning the technology a la one of the mutant "AlGorites".

I have lost mucho data in the past, not due to a malfunction of a small (fixable)component, but because I threw the noted CPU case out of a second story to the driveway below.

It is not recommended...

[RightWhale]

It might not be the "C" disk drive at fault. If you replace the disk drive with a new one [not expensive anymore], keep the old one handy. If you still have the problem after installing the OS on the new disk, then the problem is farther down toward the motherboard. In any case, it is possible to read a disk that won't boot so long as the new disk is working right and the bad, old disk has been installed as drive "D". Unless the old "C" disk really is completely trashed, which could be a mechanical problem like physical head crash or bad bearings, or electronic, which is tougher to deal with.

[Radix]

Ha,
I used to get very worked up when my mouse would stop behaving properly. The last time it happened which was probably the 10 th time for me. I took the Mouse and smashed it with all the muscle that I had. It was terribly frustrating.
The next day I went to the nearest tech store and I purchased a laser mouse. That thing is awesome. It works great.
By the way I am not a violent person. LoL, It is just that it was so frustrating after all those cleanings. I have had probably a dozen mouses of the old kind. The new laser mouse has lived longer than anything else.
I do not know who invented the wheel but it has worked well. I do not know (remember) who invented the Mouse .I do know this, The laser mouse is awesome!

[Vidalia]

The firstist and bestest of all (if you know the contents of your motherboard and are not afraid of the components) is to UNPLUG YOUR COMPUTER.

Take your case off.

One by one (just like the spark plugs on a car) take the bus and power connections off and check them for corrosion or dirt, remedy the problem if necessary and gently but firmly replace into the original position.

After that there are a million things that will be proposed.

Don't depend upon the various "diagnostic" programs out there unless you were an originator of the program...

[nutmeg]

bump

[Vidalia]

The live and learn curve...

[chnsmok]

Install your hard drive as a slave on another computer. See if you can find your photos this way and transfer them to a sound hard drive.
Best advice. Saved a lot of data for people that way.

[johnboy]

I took it out after testing, tapped it on the floor several times and put it back in.

called the "connor (conner?) manuever" (named after now defunct hd manufacturer). balance the hd on edge (the long side) then tip it over, kerplop. attach it as a slave to a working machine, and post haste copy data to another disk.

[MarkL]

I smell a bit of horse jest, if not, maybe that's what your mom did to get you to make your first sound?

Actually, it's not... Many years ago, there was a company that made what was called a "Hard Card," which was a hard drive and conroller on a bracket that was installed in a computer's expansion slot. The manufacturer (I can't recall the name) actually sent out a technical bulletin referring to a known problem of "stiction," where the drive would refuse to spin up... Their answer was in three steps:

1) Remove Hardcard from system

2) Hold with both hands at chest level, at a 45 degree angle

3) Shake like a ketchup bottle

I'm serious here. Also, certain hard drives, like the Seagate ST-4096 were known to have similar problems. I've given many a hard drive a sharp "whack" with the handle of a screwdriver to get them to spin-up, but if that happens, it's just a matter of time before the drive fails permanantly!

Mark

[Young Werther]

Percussive Maintenance....Heh heh.

Wally Shirra, on Apollo 7, used the more common terminology. His control panel lights were "actin' funny". He told mission control that every thing was honky dory when he applied some brogan maintenance!

[Vidalia]

OH YEAHHHHHH!

[Arthur McGowan]

Tell the FBI you are an active pro-lifer. They'll recover everything on your hard drive for you, and you may be able to get the data through a FOIA request.

[mrsmith]

Is there a bump list for this? bump