The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 09:00:16 AM

Title: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 09:00:16 AM
My laptap (Dell) finally gave in and went blue screen/black screen and cycles between the two.  It's old as hell so I don't care to fix it but if someone can tell me if I can recover whats on the hard drive, I'd appreciate it.  Otherwise, it's getting removed and destroyed.

thanks in advance.

Tim

Celeron processor with 512 of Dell RAMM, 20 Gig HD.  Nothing fancy, just a cheap notebook...
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Texas_Bryan on March 03, 2010, 10:32:30 AM
Find out what kind of physical interface its running and buy an external USB enclosure for it.  Then you should be able to access your data, cost you about $15.

This one's dual interface.  Kind of a universal setup.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817388010
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Pathfinder on March 03, 2010, 11:40:29 AM
Better yet, use it as a second drive in a new computer - works only if the new one is a desktop, not a laptop. And, it is assuming that the drive did not crash.
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Texas_Bryan on March 03, 2010, 11:51:53 AM
Better yet, use it as a second drive in a new computer - works only if the new one is a desktop, not a laptop. And, it is assuming that the drive did not crash.

Unfortunately, running a 2.5" drive strait out of a desktop is abit hard to do.  No 2.5" brackets, interface is probably wrong, and the such.  Not to mention its only a 20GB.  I think the external is the way to go, you may even find yourself using it as big out dated flash drive, little bitty flash drives are past 100GB now though. ;D  My favorite thing to do with old drives is just whipping them up against concrete walls.  Oh and don't buy a new Dell.  Unless you need data of the drive, I wouldn't save it at all, not worth the money.  Easy destruction method is a few seconds in the microwave by the way. ;)

In the future start saving data to multiple hard drives on multiple machines, redundancy on data and access of.  Or you can do bi-weekly CD/DVD archiving.  Do something other than old ass laptop. ;)
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 12:11:13 PM
Though I've grown up with Uni-Blabs and use them daily, I've also learned to HATE them.  I have another desktop I can slave too but don't know or care how to do it.  If there is no easy, english, simplistic way to do this without reading another tech-manual.  It's going to the shed and eventually, a 20 lb sledge will take care of the problem. ;)

Yes, I'm an engineer of sorts but Bill Gates is the anti-christ as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for the tips Bryan but I can afford to lose the information on this laptop.  If it ain't easy, it's toast..

 ;D
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: shooter32 on March 03, 2010, 12:14:26 PM
a 20 lb sledge will take care of the problem. ;)


Or your .45  ;D
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 01:12:47 PM
Or your .45  ;D

True.....rather pricey though...! ;D
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: TAB on March 03, 2010, 03:04:25 PM
I've had good luck with dell over the years.  you can get a great laptop for less then 300 right now.
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 03:13:29 PM
I've had good luck with dell over the years.  you can get a great laptop for less then 300 right now.

I've already decided on a MAC....I've had enough of Windows op systems.
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Texas_Bryan on March 03, 2010, 04:06:45 PM
I've already decided on a MAC....I've had enough of Windows op systems.

Good luck with that hippie boy.

Note the lack of a smiley face...

Windows Seven is really solid.  I'm running it on my three computers.


Alright!!!  ;D
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 05:18:23 PM
Good luck with that hippie boy.

Actually TB, I'm to young be a hippie and too old to care what you think of me!  I was using mainframes while Gates, Wazniak and Jobs were busy stealing everyone else technology and calling it there own.  Don't take my hatred of Windows operating systems personally there young man but after thirty years and tens of thousands of computor crashes, I'm ready for a change.

It's pretty much all Chinese made junk these days anyways, does it really matter what I think?

Be well.  It's the sledge hammer or the 1911 for my laptop, I just don't want to clean up the mess... ;D
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Texas_Bryan on March 03, 2010, 06:04:56 PM
It's pretty much all Chinese made junk these days anyways, does it really matter what I think?

No.  But some Chinese made computers do more than others.  Just make sure your 'change' is a good thing, cause I've installed Windows on several Macs after friend's change didn't work out the way they dream it would. ;)
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 06:27:07 PM
No.  But some Chinese made computers do more than others.  Just make sure your 'change' is a good thing, cause I've installed Windows on several Macs after friend's change didn't work out the way they dream it would. ;)

Fair enough.  I only use them at home to pay the bills and surf the net.  I have a turbocharged beast at work running my design software with Windows XP, latest kernel whatever that is today.  The IT guys get to make sure things are working properly or they get an earfull from the boss.  We can't have all us overpaid boneheads sitting around playing games all day!   ;D  If that were the case, we'd all be Dept. Managers...... ;D ;D

FWIW, I ran the laptop through the dianostic utility and it can't find anything wrong other than my battery is fried.  I thought, just maybe, my RAMM had gone kaput but I think it's probably the hard drive.  Oh well, seven computer years is like a hundred human years, right?

Lots of pictures but I'd backed them up over my home network a few months ago so the loss isn't too bad.

Hell, maybe I'll just go drop a couple hundred on one of those little laptops, a grand for a MAC seems like a huge waste of my money...now that I have some, I don't feel like spending it anymore and there is that little lever gun I've promising myself... ;)
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: sledgemeister on March 03, 2010, 09:25:58 PM
a 20 lb sledge will take care of the problem. ;)



 ;D

I give ya the hint I am a little more than 20lb and I dont like having my noggin smacked with a Hard Drive!

Besides they are more fun to shoot  :P
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: philw on March 03, 2010, 09:39:30 PM
I've already decided on a MAC....I've had enough of Windows op systems.


nice work   I would of said that


also FYI  if you can wait a bit if you are looking at a Laptop again   as they (should) be bringing out new ones soon ( I hope this month or early next )

just don't 100% know as Apple are not saying anything 
Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: philw on March 03, 2010, 09:41:34 PM
No.  But some Chinese made computers do more than others.  Just make sure your 'change' is a good thing, cause I've installed Windows on several Macs after friend's change didn't work out the way they dream it would. ;)



all a matter of how it was set up to start with   and the training / help they get at the time as well


I am just doing a PC to Mac transfer and set up at the moment  just waiting on the data transfer ;)

Title: Re: Laptop Blues
Post by: Timothy on March 03, 2010, 10:12:06 PM
Well, I booted it from the install disc and got it running.  Lost all the files I had through the reformat but it's working again.

Must of got internet syphylis or something.  Windows herpes!