Urgent, need computer help
I would really like some help with this.
My laptop won't turn on; it says Toshiba and then turns into a black screen with a white dash in the upper left corner.
I've looked at many sites for help and tried pressing the F8 and F10 and other buttons, but nothing works.
I even tried putting in the Windows 7 CD so I could boot from there, but nothing happens...probably because I don't really know how to do that. [url=http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100410052332AAeGBmz]This link[/url] has instructions, but I'm really bad with computers.
The computer shop is closed today since it's a holiday.
I'm really starting to panic, I have a LOT of important information on there. Even if my computer goes kablam, as long as I retrieve those files/information, that's fine.
The previous night I shut down properly, but this morning I asked my mum to turn my laptop on for me and she pressed the start up button while it was still starting up so it went to sleep. I turned it back on and it froze for a long time, so I had to crash it. When I turned it back on again, it took me to the black screen with the white dash.
Will my files be lost forever? Will the computer shop be able to fix it tomorrow? I'm really starting to worry...
Any help is very much appreciated
4 Comments • Newest first
[quote=KingKokoro]Is there any way I can fix my computer AND for certain get my data back? The data is what matters the most, not the computer itself [/quote]
Take the computer to the shop, tell them what happened and tell them you need to try to recover whatever data they can from the existing hard drive.
You'd be better off letting them do whatever it takes (including anything like freezing the drive) because they're likely to have a lot more experience with this kind of thing and you're very likely to have only one chance to recover anything from the drive if it truly is dead.
There's also a possibility that your forced shutdown has merely damaged the boot files on the hard drive and the drive itself is still working.
The fix for that, as you mentioned, is a bit technical, again something the shop will be able to do.
But be certain to tell them you need the files on the hard drive, because even if the drive is still working, the "worst case" scenario would involve reformatting the drive to reinstall Windows, which would destroy everything that's on the drive now. They can remove the hard drive from your computer and connect it to another working computer to backup your files before they have to do anything radical to your drive.
HDD crash. I had the same problem with my laptop. Just restore it and its no problem. To restore just keep hitting F11 and F12 at start up.
[quote=angramainyu]Your HDD is dead. You can boot from a recovery disk or install your drive in another computer and run chkdsk to assess the damage, but in all likelihood you won't get any of your data back. If you want to use a recovery disk, you'll need to set the boot order to your optical drive in the BIOS, which should be either F2 or F12.[/quote]
Is there any way I can fix my computer AND for certain get my data back? The data is what matters the most, not the computer itself
If you're able to, open up the computer and carefully check that all the components are secured in their respective slots. You might wanna use RP7 / WD40 (whatever they sell that would increase conductivity to spray onto the connectors. In addition, use an AIR compressor to blow out all the dust in your fan. DON'T BRUSH IT WITH ANYTHING, AND NO VACUUMS. It'll create static electricity which will damage it. Btw, avoid wearing woolen socks / having a cat on your forehead when handling components. And make sure you are grounded.