Advice needed re hard Drive please.

Happy_Bunny_6

It's a long story..but I had a virus on my computer, the computer was still working but slowly, so I wanted to start my computer in safe mode, and along came a friend and said"do it this way"
That was the last I saw of my computer working, apart from the blue square dancing around the screen!

I can interrupt it starting and get into the Bios, but nothing I alter in there gets the computer going again.

So,my next idea is to get another hard drive in it, and use my original as a slave drive so I can get my "inportant stuff " off it before I reformat.
The guy who built my computer said I need a A.T.A hard drive, but I've looked on ebuyer and there's so much choice I'm lost!

Do I just buy the cheapest that says ATA on it?

timbim_2

You clearly have acess to another computer with internet, so, assuming it has a CD writer, and you have a spare CD, you could download and mount a copy of Ubuntu onto the CD, and then pop that CD into your old computer, boot off the CD from BIOS, copy the documents off onto a USB drive and then put them onto somthing a bit more permanent. Then you can format the drive and do a fresh install. Sounds easy!:rolleyes:

Happy_Bunny_6

Thank you for that, I do have a windows disc, but I can't make the computer boot up from the windows xp disc, so would it be likely to boot from the one you've suggested?

I don't know enough to work that one out! lol

SteveCutler

Alternatively you could "hook up" your broken hard drive to your working computer (would require opening up the PC to display the inside) and have it run as a "secondary hard drive".

Upon boot, Windows will detect the new second hard drive and do a scan if it thinks it needs repairing. It can scan and fix usually without deleting any of your files, and it will always ask you first if anything it does would involve deleting your files.

If it does "scan and fix" successfully (which will depend on how your drive has 'broken'), you can re-connect it to your broken PC and boot up as normal, then sort out your virus problem from there.

Happy_Bunny_6

My other computer, that I'm on now, is a laptop, I'm not sure if the two can be joined?

SteveCutler wrote: »

Alternatively you could "hook up" your broken hard drive to your working computer (would require opening up the PC to display the inside) and have it run as a "secondary hard drive".

Upon boot, Windows will detect the new second hard drive and do a scan if it thinks it needs repairing. It can scan and fix usually without deleting any of your files, and it will always ask you first if anything it does would involve deleting your files.

If it does "scan and fix" successfully (which will depend on how your drive has 'broken'), you can re-connect it to your broken PC and boot up as normal, then sort out your virus problem from there.

fwor

Happy_Bunny wrote: »

I do have a windows disc, but I can't make the computer boot up from the windows xp discl

.

That's probably because the BIOS boot order is set to boot from (dead) hard disk before the CD.

The following shows you how to change that so that you can boot from a CD:

http://www.whitecanyon.com/how-to-change-boot-order.php

Obviously ignore the last step about installing the WipeDrive CD and put your XP CD in instead!

SteveCutler

Happy_Bunny wrote: »

My other computer, that I'm on now, is a laptop, I'm not sure if the two can be joined?

Ah, that makes it more difficult. Laptops can usually only do a hard drive "swap" without having to open it up and wondering where on Earth things are.

I'd follow the other guys' advice :money:

Happy_Bunny_6

I've downloaded Ubunto, but when I try and do anything with it, (copy to cd or open) it says windows can't open it.
Any further advice/instructions would be appreciated

timbim wrote: »

You clearly have acess to another computer with internet, so, assuming it has a CD writer, and you have a spare CD, you could download and mount a copy of Ubuntu onto the CD, and then pop that CD into your old computer, boot off the CD from BIOS, copy the documents off onto a USB drive and then put them onto somthing a bit more permanent. Then you can format the drive and do a fresh install. Sounds easy!:rolleyes:

Stephen_Webber

OK, what you could do to rescue your data, is to take the hard disk out of the old PC and place it inside a USB enclosure (something like this one) and connect that up to the laptop via USB. Then format your hard disk and reinstall via the XP install disk.

Hope that helps?

Donnie

Happy_Bunny wrote: »

I've downloaded Ubunto, but when I try and do anything with it, (copy to cd or open) it says windows can't open it.
Any further advice/instructions would be appreciated

Is Ubuntu in the form of an image? If so, you can use ImgBurn to create your bootable disc.

Guide.

Here are a list of alternatives to Ubuntu: Live CDs

Happy_Bunny_6

I've got it onto a disc now to try when I get home, thank you very much, :j

If it doesn't work I'll try the other usb option....
Thank you all for your help

Donnie wrote: »

Is Ubuntu in the form of an image? If so, you can use ImgBurn to create your bootable disc.

Guide.

Here are a list of alternatives to Ubuntu: Live CDs