Has this happened to You, Yet?

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CNF2002 · #11 Unread post by **CNF2002** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:01 am

Well maybe...I use computers more than my fair share (at least according to my wife), I'm on them at work and at home almost all day, and I've never had a hard drive fail on me (knock on wood). Never had to reinstall an OS or reformat.

I think most of these problems are with people installing conflicting software, probably messing up their registries and system files, improperly uninstalling software (or never bothering to uninstall software they never or no longer use).

Get rid of all the clutter, defrag monthly, clean up adware and spyware at least weekly, keep your CPU in a well ventilated location (not in a closed cabinet), run full system virus checks at least once a month, clean your cache at least once a week, remove unused software programs using the add/remove tool in the control panel (unless it comes with an uninstall program), dont download MP3s and 'file-shared' programs, stay off bad websites, dont open emails from senders you dont know.

I liked the comparison to your auto maintenance, if you dont take care of it, its going to fall apart - well cared for, these things will run forever.

My .02

oldnslo · #12 Unread post by **oldnslo** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:49 am

It won't boot in safe or any other mode, and the tower is in open air on a glass-topped desk. Running the tests of various things accessible by F12, the hard drive is the only thing that fails. Won't pass the read test.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:53 am

oldnslo wrote:It won't boot in safe or any other mode, and the tower is in open air on a glass-topped desk. Running the tests of various things accessible by F12, the hard drive is the only thing that fails. Won't pass the read test.

Toss it into the celeron machine as a slave drive and see if you can read it that way (so it's not booting from it at all). You MIGHT be able to save some files that way.

basshole · #14 Unread post by **basshole** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:51 pm

Sounds like you be screwed blued and tattooed!!! I hope you regularly back up your files.

Like GeoffXR200R says, slap it in your other system as a slave and try to save the files. I wouldn't run Ghost on it because if you have a virus you'll transfer it if memory serves me.... Total bummer! Thank God new drives are dirt cheap. Plus it'll make a great paper weight!

oldnslo · #15 Unread post by **oldnslo** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:07 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions, even if confirming what I suspected. I'll just get a new drive.

TechTMW · #16 Unread post by **TechTMW** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:24 pm

GeoffXR200R wrote: Toss it into the celeron machine as a slave drive and see if you can read it that way (so it's not booting from it at all). You MIGHT be able to save some files that way.

This is a good idea. IF you really need the data. I had a computer sent to me once that looked like the US postal system dropped it from a 10 story building. The CPU had popped out of the motherboard forchrissakes.

Anyway I thought the HD was screwed, but I actually got data this way.

(Of course it helps that my wife is a federal agent and has friends in computer forensics ...)

bikeguy joe · Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:07 pm

XP? Try a simple system restore first.

#18 Unread post by **Jamers!** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:39 am

its a dell, thats the problem right there. Dells, compaqs, gateway. All crap IMO. They got junk on there ya dont need. THey dont mediocore parts. And tech support blows for all 3. Id either get a top of the line sony or a custom built and just sell the dell. THe BSOD is "dog" and could mean many of 1000s of things. I got one once cause there was dust in my CPU fan and it slowed it down to a point where my dell said ok we should shut down and BSODed me. But ya, i really hate those three. good luck though

JWF