Tech Help needed

[3Turner]

This is another type of SATA Hard Drive mount, a docking station. I bought one here local to fix my cousin's laptop...had to mount the drive to my desktop, boot from Unbuntu to read the contents of the drive to save all the data and then reinstall windows on the drive. They had some sort of ransomware installed which locked the laptop and prevented booting up.

Recently, my desktop hard drive crapped out on me. The docking station spins up the hard drive platters, but the hard drive isn't read by my computer. I have to replace my PCB board on the harddrive to get my data off that drive.

[John Bowden]

Alan........ sorry I didn't notice, but I wanted him to understand that most of the USB adapter cord type WILL require an external power source to spin up the larger desktop drives........

3Turner........ did you have to swap the bios chip?

[ViperPilot]

No worries, John... we're covered!

Alan

[AdmRevrac]

John,
DOS 2.0? I remember working with that... win 3.0 too...
As to the software search, try Vetusware.com. Large repository of "abandonware" with Win7 and Win8 ISOs hidden in there. My larger laptop suffered a similar catastrophe a couple of months ago with Win7 eating itself, and I found the 7 ISO at Vetusware but I couldn't get it to create a bootable thumb drive (lack of knowledge there) and finally managed to trick the laptop into downloading Win10(during the free giveaway of course...)

[John Bowden]

I use Rufus https://rufus.akeo.ie/ to create any bootable Flash Drives.

It has never failed me.yet. You got to have the ISO, I've used it on every version of Windows from XP to 8.1, but not 10 and many different Linux(s)..........

I refuse to go to 10..... after 7 is no longer supported (2020) I guess I'll be a Linux nerd....... hopefully by then they will have installing stuff a little bit easier.

[3Turner]

Originally Posted by John Bowden

3Turner........ did you have to swap the bios chip?

I found a place online which would help with the PCB. I send them my PCB, they transfer over the firmware in the BIOS chip to a new PCB and send the new board back to me.

If I go the route of buying a "donor drive", they want to charge me $250. Uh....not going that route.

[The-EDSEL]

OK I am Here today.
Did not have any time yesterday due to HIGH volume in both email Inboxes
that I Just DUMPED!!
Hermine Dumped too much rain Sat so I did Not bother to leave the house
and Monday they were closed (Reason inboxes were so Full!!)

I can try to see if Power supply is bad on 1534 Tower, but have that H-D in the 1423
Also, Good News on Craptop H-D
It is SATA, And Power Matched Too, so
Already stripping it down. Most files Off of it, but need a few more Thumb-Drives to finish the job
Also, 1 of the tower had me mack a Recovery disc set--5 DVDs!!-- so I SHOULD be ok there too
Though
Might like to have a backup!!!

If some one wants to test that 'Unknown" H-D that would be nice
But.....
Money is VERY tight now
Though sis gets 900.oo/month
300 is gone due to Nursing Home snafu
70+ on Electric, and 50.oo for Water!!!!

I need to check into social Services

Not going to find a Job here with NO Phone at the moment
Brother sent one, but I have NO way to add time
And if I have to buy the Higher end card, I will toss the phone or return it
Cards notice a 90 Expiration, and I will NOT use that much time!!!


Thanks you every one

You have actually reminded me of a few things!!!
(recovery DVD set for one!!)

I know on the 1534 it did a refresh 3 times and only dumped Software I had added
ie Acrobat reader, Pepekura, VLC, etc
At least it did create a List of deleted softway
BUT, that was the Onboard Recovery drive, so.....
MAY not be so lucky this time
Thus copy/Move everything I want to keep OFF the H-D BEFORE
re-installing/repairing the os!!!

OK timing out Soon
I Should be able to check in again tomorrow, Fri & Sat.

[AdmRevrac]

If my laptop crash taught me one thing, it's to make archive copies of everything]. And so, i now have several DVD-Rs full of backed up data, and at least one disc full of installers for all of the main programs I've downloaded just in case...

[The-EDSEL]

I use Thumb-Drives fr that
Have EVERYTHING (ALMOST) copied on them
12 for Paper Models Alone!!!!!
9 for KvK, 1 ea Osmonds, Partridge Family, Flashpoint,
So Weird
2 Charmed
7 Music
12+ Assorted Audio/Video
3 Lost Torrents, etc
I used DVD's. but have Several Crapout on me
No readable files left
or only most recent burned folder left on

Some discs were Duplicated 4-5 times!!!
And Still LOST info!!

OK


onto the topic
I had ALL files Off the H-D Wed Night
Last night I ran the Self made recovery discs
Worked (Or seamed to)
I have No lost use of 2 Thumb-Drives I was Sorting as the PC Crashed
while moving a Video fro one thumb to the other

Now 2 XP DELL PCs I have want to Format thpse Thumb-Drives
NO THANK YOU!!

I shut the tower off for an hour, then started it again
No crashes this time
But can NOT move files on those 2 Thumb-Drives!!
I CAN re download the clips, but will take time
Over 100 on the one!!!
And without Key I am kimited to 5 per day on the primary software I use

I am Hoping that since I got the Key from BitsDuJour I can re-install it and have Unlimited downloads!!
But...
Due to the 3 crashes last night after doing the re-install. I will wait til Mon at least before I start using that PC full time and depend on it to Live!!

those crashes did happen without a Full shutdown
It Did Restart, but there was No time between going Off and coming back on
Would simply shutting it off for a few minutes then restarting it have made a difference??



I am also hoping I can get SOME data off the original H-D from that tower
Ubuntu saw the drive but only showed me 1TB Unknown
Hopefully using the same os as that drive was, I MIGHT get a Little bit off of it

Otherwise, I have to set it aside till I win Powerball or MegaMillions!!!

I need to hope Thumb-Drives continue to drop in price too
I need several more already
though IF I can sort all the ones I used to empty the H-D of the tower
I should have a couple free

I had copied a Lot of data when I found out how to Fully MOVE it
Naturally I did many files Multiple times
I want to make sure I have all Complete before I start deleting any

Anyone know a place to get bulk assortments of Thumb-drives??
32 GB for about $5.oo each or less??
I can TRY to get a box or two next month

32 GB is now my default thumb-drive size
Though I do have a few 64's and some 128's too!!
All paper are on 16's!! as are some Music, TV, Movies, etc
Wally's has 2.0 64's for only $15.oo now
Too bad they dropped 2.o 128's for 3.o's
2's were only $25.oo
3's are either $32 or 36.oo depending on brand
PNY vs Sandisk

again thanks for all the help
Hope tower is Usable now and NOT simply a CRASH-Fest!!!

If it turns out to be I will be in need of at least a replacement H-D for it!!!!

[The-EDSEL]

OK, No replies since my last post
New question
A friend gave me an OLD DELL xp Tower
I dusted it out, and fired it up
At the time, usb Mouse & keyboard did Nothing.
I got a set of PS32 connection Keyboard & Mouse, and all worked fine
Though the tower only had a 40 GB H-D

I tried to play a game the other day, and NO steering, acceleration, etc!!
I was getting No action from the keyboard
I opened both Notepad, & wordpad, and tried typing to them
NO reaction at ALL
I unplugged the ps2 keyboard and plugged in this USB one
I got all the pop-ups
'New Found Hardware', Human Interface device, Etc
up to & INCLUDING "You device is Installed and ready
Again I opened Both Notepad & Wordpad
and again, NO Reaction

Is that Tower Dead???
Mouse works OK
but No keyboard.
is that fixable??


As to this HP p7
I tried to plug in both the original H-D, and the one from the CRAPtop
I do not get them to pop up in the 'My Computer' folder,
nor see them in the sidebar drop-down under Computer

They showed using the Ubuntu thumb-drive, but not directly
in win8
Any Idea why??

I would Love one of those cradles, or docking stations, but.......
when I asked about a way to plug an H-D into a PC using usb, no one had any idea on how outside of an empty External H-D case.

Might a place like Best Buy have one or the other????
Can anyone here offer one???

I hope some one can help on both of these problems.