Lost Everything and have to hand in IT coursework tomorrow...HELP

loobyloo2

fannyadams wrote: »

I would take the computer to school and show it to the IT teacher. tell them what's happened and get them to fix it. They're teachers they've gotta have some kind of nous about 'puters surely...

hope you get it sorted. fingers crossed for you.
FA
x

Hi and Thanks, that was my thought, but... she has an English exam at 9am so getting to one of the IT teachers and technicians will have to be after her exam has finished, so I may be better off going to school myself and trying to sort it early in the morning, I just hope it isn't lost forever.

The_Grandmaster

Well let's try and do what we can. We're very happy to help (although we are doing a lot of arguing as we can't seem to agree what the best steps of action are).
What are you running: windows xp, vista or 7?
Also do you have another computer?

loobyloo2

A big thankyou to all of you on here, you are diamonds.
I am too scared to be quite honest to go any further with this, it is so confusing, and I don't want to do anything that may cause more problems.
I will stay online for the evening so please keep posting, but, I will take it into the school tomorrow, and show this thread to the technicians, hopefully they will be able to help.
She has emerged from the bathroom now, and it is just winding her up even more, the fact that I don't really know what to do.
Daughters with laptops.. who'd have em;)

loobyloo2

The_Grandmaster wrote: »

Well let's try and do what we can. We're very happy to help (although we are doing a lot of arguing as we can't seem to agree what the best steps of action are).
What are you running: windows xp, vista or 7?
Also do you have another computer?

Vista... and no other PC just an iphone

debitcardmayhem

loopyloo , have you got access to another pc, and do you have a usb disk drive or stick, and or a cd writer with blank disc? Cos sorting out the dd1 work is first priority and sorting out the lappy is secondary

RussJK

loobyloo2 wrote: »

Vista... and no other PC just an iphone

Does your account have administrator privileges?

I've never tried fixing a computer from a limited user access account, but IIRC it should ask for your daughter's password whenever you try to install or run anything requiring proper access - so should be able to do Option 2 okay, and possibly Option 1.

You could try Option 1, but download programs from your Guest account and possibly install them (typing in your daughter's password when it prompts) . Run them, see what happens - at worst just log into your daughter's account and run them. The errors and warnings are fake, and designed to frighten people into paying money.

asbokid

sounds like you should stop using your daughter's laptop.

the more you use it, the more things you do on it, the more likely it is that the coursework will be lost.

Typically in Windows, when a file is deleted, it is only hidden through the use of filename masking in the file allocation table.

However, in time, the operating system reclaims disk space taken up by those deleted files. That freed space is then allocated to whatever process needs it and, at that point, it's lost for good.

At this juncture, you should use a recovery CD, or a Linux Live CD to boot on the laptop. Ubuntu Linux makes a very nice Live CD that is free to download.

Once you've booted from that CD, the hard drive will probably "mount" automatically but in read-only mode. You can then safely recover her wretched coursework files to a pendrive. Another day you can sort out whatever viral infection caused the system to b0rk.

The_Grandmaster

Advocating drug use is probably not the best advise you could give now or ever.

Yes loobyloo2 may not be an expert PC user but if we all give CLEAR instructions which she can follow, it should work. How are you doing loobyloo2?

debitcardmayhem

Hmmm just a question for now, but no-one has yet suggested either safe mode(or with networking) nor system restore let's first of all quickly discuss the merits of this bearing this is the only pc the op has use of. I would suggest that since the guest account is still working it may be of use to save a couple of rescue options to USB/CD not least that it may be possible to save the course work before trying other esoteric options ??

The_Grandmaster

Are you suggesting logging into the daughter's account in safe mode? I'm not quite sure if OP can log in or not (if that is possible?)
If OP can log on, what exactly do you think should be done - make a copy of the harddrive?

Once the file is located e-mailing it etc. would secure the documents away form the computer but not sure how to even find it at the moment.