Computer DEAD - any advice appreciated - HEEEEELLLLPPP!!!

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Arvon: I have a couple of questions. One did you make a startup disk 3.5 or zip? This MAY help you recover a bit. Second do you have Norton? If you made a rescue disk you can get a start and maybe save your stuff. Sounds like neither is true through.

*bangs head on desk*

[harleyquinn]

Hey TL!!! Does your law firm have System Administrators? If so, they may have a copy of the CD that you can use to get your laptop up.

[Timber Loftis]

Currently attempting that route, Harley. The firm uses Win2000 though. I talked to tech support folks, who will consult their gurus. Hopefully, someone is willing to help. Non-work-related, though, so in a firm of 400 lawyers it takes a back seat.

[Ziroc]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Frikkin' Sony bundles the installation software. I have no XP disk which will allow me to boot up for diagnostics purposes. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img] Sony's version of tech support is "run the application software." Translation: erase everything and begin again with the computer we gave you. [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] My view is that they owe me at least one CD with XP files that can act as a BOOT CD. Did you hear that: SONY DOES NOT GIVE BOOT CDs! Be forewarned. Sony tech support sucks. EVERYONE TAKE HEED. I hope I can take some of their business away. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img] This is an attempt to hurt Sony by making statements about its business. Were it not so very true, it would be libel. Luckily TRUTH is an absolute defense to libel. I see this as an insurmountable hurdle. Any ideas anyone? If anyone would be willing to make me a boot CD would you email me? This would not be illegal or a breach of the License, as I own my own copy of XP. Sony just won't let me have it. [img]graemlins/1pissed.gif[/img]

I also have a Sony.. it's a year or so old too.

Now, if you REALLY need that stuff saved, you can send me your laptop, and I will try everything I know to get that to boot. I know all the tricks (I build and fix PC's sometimes). Plus, I have an official WinXP CD.

I won't go unscrewing anything... just software and bios stuff. It's the least I could do since you donated money to Ironworks, guy!

Email me if you want, also, give me the hard drive serial number! If it works with MY laptop, you can just send the hard drive triple rapped in bubble tape and taped.

I've saved SO many machines from crashes, and Kernel errors are easy to restore.

Lemme know! My Sony Harddrive Serial is: HDD2169 AND MK3018GAS

My Laptop is Model PCG-GRX650

[ 04-07-2003, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[andrewas]

GO to microsofts site and download the XP boot floppies. Not as good as a CD in that you cant reinstall, but you can at least get to console and might be able to copy your files to floppy - but the console you get is crippled. Thank you M$. Worth a shot though. Win2Ks boot CD should also work, I think that console is less crippled as well.

But its odds on that someone will have an XPpro CD they can either lend you or copy for you. Failing that, kazaa would be legal (I think) since you have a license.

[realbinky]

TL, I'd be happy to burn you a CD of XP for "backup purposes." If/since you HAVE a valid XP key, you are only lacking the media. Also, do you know if you used NTFS or FAT/FAT32 file system? If you used NTFS, you must go the XP or 2000 console route, if you used FAT you can boot using ANY 3.5 boot floppy (DOS, Win95, Win98) and get access to your files. You could then copy your files to floppy and then IMMEDIATELY to some other PC (maybe a work PC for now?) If the files are too big for floppy, you can use a DOS version of PKZIP (the horror [img]smile.gif[/img] ) to zip across mulitple floppies, again moving RIGHT to another PC. Once you get your files, follow Sony's poor-ass advice and restore the system, then put your files back. I recommend a USB CDR/CDRW so you can burn your files to a CD every month or so (my M$ money file backs up to CD every time I use it, I put my mail and any docs there whenever I do any other clean-up maintenance). Get in touch with me here or email and I can give you the PKZIP instructions and/or the CD.

PS You won't hurt anything if you try to boot with a DOS/95/98 floppy and your HDD is NTFS, yo just won't be able to read it.

[andrewas]

You can actualy. You cant write to them, not with the free version, but

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/fr.../NTFSDOS.shtml

will let you read them. Muchly useful.

[realbinky]

Originally posted by andrewas: You can actualy. You cant write to them, not with the free version, but http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/fr.../NTFSDOS.shtml will let you read them. Muchly useful.

Well, I KNEW that, I'm just trying to take the simple path by saying you can't, but it *is* true, you CAN with additional software.

Smarty-pants [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Timber Loftis]

Weird of all weirds: it's working again, reports the wife.

Can you believe that. [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] The "application recovery" CD made it start working. She's afraid to re-boot, but I'm having her run the full panopoly of Norton programs to diagnose it (I'm thinking maybe bad HDD sector).

Z-man, thanks so much for the offer. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] I hope I don't have to call on you, but I may. I also have a guru here at the office who is willing to look at it tomorrow. I can tell that your Kung-Fu is better than his, but he'll be a great fist-diagnosis point.

BTW, Z, mine's a PCGFX370.

The critical info is now backed up, and if it's an HDD problem, I'll send it off to Sony to fix.

Wish me luck in my continued adventures. Hopefully, adventures in Amn rather than Sony hell.

[Timber Loftis]

Oh, and thanks for the offer to burn a backup, realbinky, but I hope it doesn't come to that.

Get this: during the process my wife tried to boot using a Win98 CD. It said it could not identify a hard drive. Now, of course it's working. Hmmm... increasing suspicions of HDD problem is you ask me.

Oh, and the machine is FAT32 and NTFS - partitioned. The restore programs from Sony force you to create a partition with a 8GB C: drive and a 12GB D: drive. Talk about frustrating. This is exactly what drove me to get a 40GB external drive. Which is where all critical documents now are located.