the big one..

i think it may have happened,, i just need someone to confirm it,, i was burning a disc, then i heard a clicking in my tower,, it was kinda like a typwriter,,, anyways, my comp froze, then i tried to reboot, since then, i cant get the computer to boot from the hard-drive, it always tries to boot from the floppy, and when i try to boot from floppy, i cant get anything started. at one point i read something about not having a FAT or FAT32,,, i think i just lost 3 years of work, and would you believe it, my warranty expired on sept 26, 2003.. not a word of a lie, this all happened on sept 27... anyways, is there any hope, or is my harddrive done for, all lost?

thanks guys,, after i read a reply, i may not be bugging you guys for a long time...

sox.

 

Hello bigsox,
I don't know how to fix your problem, but, concerning the warranty, I would call the company and see if they would give you a prayer of judgement...I can't count the times that this has worked for me...Be persistant and work the phones so to speak but try not to be rude...If you have to, go up the chain of command.

J. M.

 

can't help with the freezing, but if you paid for your computer with a credit card, check to see if your credit card doubles the warranty. I got my new machine that way.

 

thanks guys, i will do... if indeed my hard drive is done for, is there ways to salvage any of the files???

 

There was an article in PC World Magazine back in the summer about how to revive a failed hard drive (I believe it was the July issue)...I can't remember all the remedies but one was to put the hard drive in a freezer for 2 hours, reinstall the device & then try to retrieve your files. One reader said that this actually worked for him...You might be able to search their web site for more info. Go to: www.pcworld.com for more help.

J. M.

 

Is money an issue or not?

If you risk losing your livelyhood, search for a data recovery service in your region.

There is now a good # of co.'s that have white rooms and will source an identical / compatible HD, move your platters into it, and save the day.

Issues:
- Cost. They usually charge an upfront fee, and only some charge a bit of succes fee.
- It must be an electronics / mechanical problem that has not affected the platters. If scratched / written over data will be partly or wholly lost. Eg they recover data from burned down offices of the HD is dead but the platters did not warp or demagnetize. So a fire MAY be less of an issue than a running failure.

See http://www.drivesavers.com/fame.html