I just updated all my customer files, scheduled for the year, made a backup onto the hard drive but didn't upload it yet. I was looking at online bills and the mouse took on a life of its own. Then the screen zoomed to a ridiculous size and locked. I had to reboot. Nothing. Tried shutting down by holding down the power button but after a minute it starts back up but again does nothing. This went on for about an hour and then it is ran some sort of diagnostic and now says "Repairing disk errors. This might take over an hour to complete." From time to time it emits a beep like the old Coleco handheld games. I'll let it go for the rest of the day and then take it to a repair shop if it doesn't start working.

Anyway, I need a new computer for work. Unfortunately, it has to be windows. Windows can go screw itself. I thoroughly believe that if every software company created their apps for both windows and Mac that windows would have died long ago. I hate windows.

In the past Lenovo was suggested heavily but that is what my failing computer is and it's barely a year old.

I'm thinking that I should go with a desktop as they tend to be more robust.

Suggestions? Advice for getting the broken computer running for a few minutes to get the backup uploaded?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark123,

If it’s barely a year old, then it’s still under warranty.

Also, if it’s out of warranty, and you purchased it with a credit card then most of them extend the manufacturers warranty by an additional year.

If you DO need a new computer, I’d recommend the Dell Business line (not consumer). Look for a Vostro or Latitude model, I’d check out the Dell Outlet for some deals on those.

Sort sounds like some sort of malware.

Did you try to boot to safe mode?

quote:

Advice for getting the broken computer running for a few minutes to get the backup uploaded?

Just mount the drive in new machine (internal or usb enclosure/cable) and copy off the data.

quote:

Originally posted by jbcummings:
Sort sounds like some sort of malware.

Or more likely failing hard drive.

quote:

Originally posted by jbcummings:
Sort sounds like some sort of malware.

I run scans regularly.

I personally don't care who the manufacturer is, what's inside matters.

Check to see if the manufacturers warranty is valid. If it's less than a year old, and was new, it likely carries at least a one year warranty. You will not see quick turn around but it should be free.

Pull the drive out and read from another computer to get your data if you have to.

The beep is probably the MOBO telling you something is wrong. Count the beeps, then look up your make and model and see if you can find what the beep(s) are trying to tell you.

Without knowing what your requirements are...
Look at this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073...ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Something cheaper?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...ilpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The hard drive mounted on a Mac with a SATA to USB adapter. The folders showed but the files inside did not. The drive doesn't seem to work in my Vista or Win 7 machines. Does Win10 use a different file system?

No, sounds like you have a dead or dying HDD.

quote:

Originally posted by xantom:
No, sounds like you have a dead or dying HDD.

I think it's dead.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
The hard drive mounted on a Mac with a SATA to USB adapter. The folders showed but the files inside did not. The drive doesn't seem to work in my Vista or Win 7 machines. Does Win10 use a different file system?

The answer to your question is yes. If your folders and files were configured to work on MacOS, then you might be running into issues. Is the drive format FAT or NTFS?

I believe it's NTFS

Oh, I have a Dell OptiPlex 780 that I can use for the business. I'm going to clean out the dust today and get it set up. I'm hoping my friend can extract the database file I need from the failed drive.

Get a Lenovo "business class" computer, i.e. one of their "Thinkpad" models. I have had 2 of them and have never had a problem. I bought my wife a cheaper Lenovo Yoga and it only lasted a year.

Or get a Dell Latitude, which also a business class one. That's what I bought my wife to replace her Yoga. Plus I have a Latitude that is about 10 yrs old and doing fine -
(I updated it to Win 10 which was an improvement in performance for it.)

quote:

Originally posted by ranger312:
Get a Lenovo "business class" computer, i.e. one of their "Thinkpad" models. I have had 2 of them and have never had a problem. I bought my wife a cheaper Lenovo Yoga and it only lasted a year.

Or get a Dell Latitude, which also a business class one. That's what I bought my wife to replace her Yoga. Plus I have a Latitude that is about 10 yrs old and doing fine -
(I updated it to Win 10 which was an improvement in performance for it.)

I think I'm going to skip the laptop this time around.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I believe it's NTFS

It is if the drive contains your windows OS. Good luck on the recovery!

If it's just the hard drive going bad then don't go out and just buy a new computer. I would get a SSD and slap it in there.

If you can find another windows machine to use you can then create install media for your version of windows. Once installed it should activate it based off the fingerprint of your machine.

If you need it in a hurry have your computer place do this for you. You're computer place may try and sell you a computer, but I would insist they try the path above.

I bought a premium dell laptop last February. Near the end of the year where it was covered by premium warranty, I started having a few problems with it. I called the premium warranty services a few time.

I received an offer to extend my warranty. I considered how it was good knowing I can call someone when I've exhausted my meager abilities, so I extended it for 3 years.

I'm glad I did. Not because of the laptop itself but for software issues. I've called them over a dozen times already ever since I renewed in March. The cost was a discounted $125 a year but I consider that cheap to hire IT help.

After having had to restart Windows 10 at least twice and reinstalled programs, I now have two USB self-booting recovery drives from two different backups - AOMEI and Acronis and I use both of them on two different USB backup drives and two clouds.

I don't want to experience it but I think my next reinstall should I require it should be easy peasy.

If you think your HD is failing, likely you would have experienced trouble shutting down the machine before or it wod have made pauses in the middle of a process and you would have likely noticed,

If the disk, you think, is going the way of the dodo, you better stop writting to it. Only read files but avoid making changes. Data recovery is performed reading the contents only, no mods,to the contents.

If you think the drive might not be the issue, suggest you boot to safe mode and perform a,drive test. It will tell you that checkdisk will be performed at the next boot.

You likely have a,lot of crap and maybe some malware but tan't tell if the hardware is,comñromised. If it's,just software, run ccleaner and some,antimalware and antivirus software.

Another clue. If your drive is dying, you would also likely see a,lot of activity on the HD led. The drive trying hard to read itself.


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