System Crash: Computer Repair for Complete Idiots

[Dumbledork]

The drive has always made that noise, so that's nothing new. Like I said it's really faint... and I have to put my ear against it to hear it.

[Spokavriel]

That's disconcerting to me. But yeah if you can get the drive taken out of the external enclosure and put it into another connection with the system then get it recognized it will show if the drive is the problem. But there's just as much a chance that when you open the external enclosure you will find that the connectors may have come loose. That can happen in drops.

[lwf58]

Some buzzing is to be expected; it's the sound of the drive motor spinning the platters. A distinct clicking noise is the sound of the read/write arm slamming against its stops at one end of its travel, and is a definite death-knell for a hard drive.

So yes, it looks like you may just need a new enclosure for your drive. Empty enclosures are readily found in computer stores or online. You just need to know two things to select one: the size of your drive (they come in either 3.5" or 2.5") and whether it's PATA or SATA.

The size is easy; 2.5" drives are about the size of a deck of playing cards. 3.5" drives are closer to the size of a paperback novel. The only way to know whether it's P- or SATA is to look at the drive itself. PATA (also known as IDE) connectors are a set of two rows of pins, and hook up using a ribbon cable. SATA uses a much smaller cable that attaches to a plastic L-shaped projection on the end of the drive, with a few flat contacts on it.

Once you know those two things, you're ready to shop.

BTW, if you are uncertain of the connector type, all you really need to now is the size. There are external enclosures made that have two sets of plugs so you can configure them for either P- or SATA.

[Dumbledork]

I'll try and open it this weekend. Too bad I've lost the booklet. And I can't find any information on the net. Even Maxtor's homepage doesn't have any information on the drive.

It's a 'Maxtor Basics Personal storage 3200' 400 Gb

[Comartemis]

Blast and damnation! I thought I'd fixed that problem with the activation key but apparently it's not as fixed as it needs to be, and now I'm locked out of my own computer! Damn Bill Gates and all his flunkies into the nine circles of hell!

[CRBWildcat]

Easy there, Artemis. Could you clarify it a little, please?

[Comartemis]

When I reinstalled Windows XP last month I got a timer of 30 days built into the PC in which to register my copy of XP with a product registration key. Problem is, like I mentioned a page or two ago, that I don't have the activation key needed for this because I bought my computer second-hand and wasn't given the key by the guys I bought it from.

Now every time I try to log on, the computer immediately jumps to a screen telling me that I need to register Windows NOW. Canceling this process or refusing to register leads to the computer logging off and refusing to let me use any programs.

[CRBWildcat]

...Crud. Could someone get a tech in here, please?

[Sky]

Recover your data first, then worry about Windows. There are bootable CDs (including the Ubuntu 8.10 installer, which doesn't have to install anything) that can read your Windows HD and copy data out. All you need is a USB key or drive and you're good to go.

Are there no methods of getting a cheap, yet legal version of Windows for you to use?

[lwf58]

Problem is, like I mentioned a page or two ago, that I don't have the activation key needed for this because I bought my computer second-hand and wasn't given the key by the guys I bought it from.

Then you're SOL. The product key should have been on a sticker attached to the PC; it's the really valuable part of a windows installation. Chances are very good that the original Windows install was pirated, which is why there was no key included.

You have two choices. You can either buy a product key to use your current install, or you can switch over to a free OS like Ubuntu Linux.

Sky is correct in that any data you have on your hard drive is still accessible. You can get to it by removing the hard drive from that computer and hooking it up to another computer as a second drive, or by trying out the method he suggested.

In the shop where I work, we see that kind of thing a lot. Dishonest system builders get their hands on a VLK (volume license key) and the matching installation disk and then use it to put Windows on dozens of computers which they sell without ever giving the buyer a windows install disk or the product key sticker. Then they disappear, and leave the PC owners with no way to repair their computer if something goes wrong. No reputable tech will install Windows XP or Vista on a PC without a license number, so they have little choice but to dig up the $100 to $170 their OS costs, or do without.

There is one other option, though, which I use sparingly. Microsoft does not enforce licensing on OSes older than XP. (I know this because when I called up MS tech support once, they told me so.) That means that when a new customer walks in who had been screwed that way, I can install Windows 2000 on the PC using any Win2k product key at all, even reusing them as needed for multiple PCs. I don't give the key I use to the customer because they haven't purchased it, but Win2k is solid enough that it rarely breaks down.

When I recondition a used computer for resale, it always has a product key sticker on it. I don't give them the install CD (there's actually a rule about that in MS's contracts), but they have the most important part - a license - and can borrow an install CD from anyone who has one and their key should make it work.

When I build a new system, of course, the buyer gets a standard Windows product key, owner's manual, and install disk.

[Comartemis]

Dammit. I'd much rather avoid Linux and its' variations if at all possible; I've got too much running on my computer that isn't compatible with it. Guess it's either the new key or the Win 2000 options for me, then.

[Comartemis]

Alright, good news: my dad's tech support guys have come through for me again, and gave him/me a boot disk for a corporate version of Windows XP, XP Pro. I'm assuming these guys know their stuff and that this thing will work as it's supposed to, but my dad warned me that his head tech support guy said it's possible that installing Pro will format my hard drive and erase all my stuff.

Before I go through with this, I wanna run this by Larry and anyone else who has experience with this sort of thing; is this just a matter of choosing not to format my drive like I did when I reinstalled XP Home last month, or is it something more like an incompatibility issue between the two OSs and not something that can be avoided?

[Sky]

Before I go through with this, I wanna run this by Larry and anyone else who has experience with this sort of thing; is this just a matter of choosing not to format my drive like I did when I reinstalled XP Home last month, or is it something more like an incompatibility issue between the two OSs and not something that can be avoided?

Be safe.

As a general rule, back up any and all data first before installing any operating system. If your data is on a second or external drive make sure it's disconnected. The idea is to limit your opportunities to make mistakes.

I can't remember if the Windows installer says "Are you sure?" before formatting.

[lwf58]

You're hampered by your lack of ability to get into your current Windows installation. If you were able to do that, you could try to perform an upgrade.

The other option is to try performing a system repair, which uses the same functions as a format. I haven't attempted to do that myself, because at my shop, we always install the version of Windows the owner has a product key for. If the owner wants to change OS's, we back up their data manually and do a clean installation because it's more reliable.

To perform a repair, you start the PC using the installation disk as the boot device. The first choice you are presented is to install or enter the recovery console, and you choose to install.

After accepting the license agreement, it looks for previous versions of Windows. That's where this will either succeed or fail.

You should be given a choice of repairing your Windows install or performing a clean install. If it gives you the option of upgrading there, you're in luck. If it gives you the option of repairing, choosing that option would likely mess up your current install because your disk is a different version. The last option, clean install, is also to be avoided until you have your information backed up.

The best solution all around is to back up your data by attaching your hard drive as a second drive on another PC and copying your data into a folder on that machine's hard drive. Then you can perform a clean install of the new OS, which is the way to avoid the most trouble.

Before you begin installing Windows, there are three important drivers to have. Your motherboard's chipset drivers, the video drivers, and the LAN drivers (or Wireless LAN drivers if appropriate). Those should be collected before you begin so that you can install them immediately after you install Windows. With those in place, you can gather and install the rest of the drivers needed to run your computer after it's running properly.

The drivers are often in a folder on the hard drive named "drivers", either directly, or as a subfolder of one named after the PC's manufacturer. (I.E., "Dell", "HP", etc.) If you don't have a drivers folder on your drive, then you have to find them and download them off the internet.

When backing up your info, you will find most of it in the "Documents and Settings" folder on your drive. There are two main areas to look: in the "All Users" folder, grab the shared documents. That should be kept as a subfolder of All Users, because it might otherwise get mixed up with the My Documents folder in your account.

The second place is your account folder, which will be whatever you named it, or a default name assigned when the PC was built. Ignore the Administrator and Default User folders unless there is no other account folder there; then the Administrator folder is where your stuff will be.

When you open your account folder, you need to click on the "tools" pulldown menu at the top of the folder and then click on "folder options". In folder options, click on the "view" tab. Find and select "show hidden files and folders" and select it, then click okay.

In your account folder, save "contacts" (which may or may not be there), "desktop", "favorites", and "my documents".

Open the "application data" folder, and then find the microsoft folder. Open that and save the address book. Back out of the microsoft folder and look for any other folders that may have data you need. For example, if you have Firefox, your bookmarks are in the mozilla/firefox/profiles/{account number}/ folder.

Back out to the account folder, and look for "local settings". Open that, and then "application data".

If you use Outlook Express, then your email is stored in "identities". Open that and follow the folder chain until you find the one that says Outlook Express. Save that folder.

Back out to local settings/application data. Open the Microsoft folder.

If you use Microsoft Outlook, there will be an Outlook folder here to save. Also look for Windows Live Mail if you use that, and your Live Messenger Contacts will also be here if you use that program.

That's it for the most part. If you use other programs, your data will either be stored in their folders in Program Files on your root drive, or in Application Data in your account folder.

Good luck. It's all easy for me to say - I do this stuff sometimes several times a day!

[Comartemis]

Alright, just one more question: I've never done any messing around with my computer's hardware except to do occasional cleaning. Is there anything I should know, any precautions I should take, or anything else I should do before I try swapping hard drives?