Ai's Official Tech Support Thread

[愛]

It's basically the same thing. When you install a DVD player, you install the MPEG-2 codec that's required to play the DVD. I just use a MPEG-2 codec, but kitty probably has a better one.

[Kid Icarus]

Me again, no problems, just a hardware question.

I have two IDE drives on here, both going off of one cable. The newer drive should pry be working faster then the now six year old drive...

Is it because they're on the same cable? Should I have them both on their own line?

[Leonardo Mystic]

I am typing this from my brother/mother's computer. I think my computer has a virus. I get a scrambled screen, or sometimes it goes completely blank when Windows starts. It keeps randomly and repeatedly restarting itself.

However, I've talked to a manager at work who knows computers, and he's told me it's definitely a hard drive issue. That doesn't make me feel any better though. I have a lot of files on there that are very important to me. I was able to save the most important I could never replace before it completely died. I just get a completely blank screen now when Windows starts.

I sunk $1100 in that computer (it's a Gateway, btw, a Profile series) three and a half years ago, and the D drive has already been gone out for nearly a year and a half of that. A D drive I rarely used.

Either way, I just don't understand this. I have kept it up to date with the Microsoft updates I was prompted, and Norton has been kept up to date as well. I ran Ad-Aware and SpyDoctor every so often.

I have been very distraught since yesterday. That computer represents my freedom, and everything of my world is on there. Having it fixed is not an option, it's mandantory. I will pay the price tag at any cost. I can't take it to the shop that was recommended this weekend as they're closed until Tuesday. That's given me more reason to be unhappy.

*sighs* I'll just have to sit tight until then, and use this computer to the best I can with the restrictions that's been imposed for me on it.

[愛]

Running programs to keep your hard drive safe doesn't make your hard drive invincible. Over time, after repeatedly magnetizing data on the disc inside the hard drive itself, it gets worn out. The time it takes for it to wear out depends on the integrity of the company's products. I've had a hard drive go on me in one year. I've seen hard drives also go for 20 years and such.

Anyway, if your hard drive is dying, there's not much you can do to retrieve your data. You're gonna have to take the loss. Not to be mean, but it's your fault that you didn't back up your important data. It would've been best to put them on CD's and store them in a safe place. As for fixing the computer, buy a new hard drive, put Windows XP on it, and start over.

[Dr. Doom]

God, you're such a dick.

[愛]

[Dr. Doom]

[GK Punk]

[damnhooligan]

Leonardo Mystic, I apologize for the derailing. However:

[Dr. Doom]

ROFL

DH wins the internet.

[Leonardo Mystic]

Originally Posted by Ai Takahashi

Running programs to keep your hard drive safe doesn't make your hard drive invincible. Over time, after repeatedly magnetizing data on the disc inside the hard drive itself, it gets worn out. The time it takes for it to wear out depends on the integrity of the company's products. I've had a hard drive go on me in one year. I've seen hard drives also go for 20 years and such.

Anyway, if your hard drive is dying, there's not much you can do to retrieve your data. You're gonna have to take the loss. Not to be mean, but it's your fault that you didn't back up your important data. It would've been best to put them on CD's and store them in a safe place. As for fixing the computer, buy a new hard drive, put Windows XP on it, and start over.

*sighs* I wasn't looking for a lecture, I was looking for advice, and perhaps a little sympathy. I guess I looked in the wrong place.

Three points, one you seemed to have missed.

1. Back up the files how? I mentioned my CD-ROM was shot to hell about a year and a half ago. I couldn't have saved files that anyway because I'd need a CD-R.

I had no advanced warning of this that my hard drive was failing. If I'd know beforehand, I'd certainly would have saved everything. As it was, I did manage to save the most important files to me that I could never replace when I got it to work for that hour and a half before it completely died. That is the silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. All the music, and pictures, I can get those back. None of them are irreplacable. The pictures I can find all over the internet, and on this very board. They were Ninja Turtle screen shots. The music I had was all burned onto CDs months ago by a friend.

2. I am computer illiterate. I admit that. I don't know what a gigabyte from a megabyte is is all I know that one is larger than the other. I don't know all that hardware stuff.

3. I have Windows XP. Everything that was XP related was on the computer from the moment I purchased it.


*shrugs* This is why I never really post here anymore because I seem to be jumped on the moment I "speak", and I have to defend myself.

[damnhooligan]

Originally Posted by Leonardo Mystic

*sighs* I wasn't looking for a lecture, I was looking for advice, and perhaps a little sympathy. I guess I looked in the wrong place.

Three points, one you seemed to have missed.

1. Back up the files how? I mentioned my CD-ROM was shot to hell about a year and a half ago. I couldn't have saved files that anyway because I'd need a CD-R.

USB drives, zip drives, networking your computer with another, even just uploading files to a secure little corner of the internet... There are more ways to back up crucial files than to use CDs. But if you're HD is shot, the chances of recovering much of anything is pretty nil... unless you happen to be on good terms with the CSI:Miami dudes. And that's IF the HD has failed, which you can't be sure of until someone's tinkering around with your computer. Once, around mid-terms, my HD burnt out on me and I lost a near 25 page paper on Tolstoyan Influence on Western Enlightenment (Oh, huzzah.) a week before the project was due. I had no idea that it was my HD that failed and spent three days of being on hold/berating HP's tech support dudes with questions. Their solution? "All you need is a boot disk and to reinstall Windows." I invited a friend of mine who was a CS major over to take a peek at it, and within two minutes, he'd diagnosed the problem.

Originally Posted by Leonardo Mystic

2. I am computer illiterate. I admit that. I don't know what a gigabyte from a megabyte is is all I know that one is larger than the other. I don't know all that hardware stuff.

*shrugs* This is why I never really post here anymore because I seem to be jumped on the moment I "speak", and I have to defend myself.

Don't feel as if you need to defend yourself. This thread is pretty straightforward problem/possible solution thread. Simply because Ai didn't lace his reply with delicate words of sympathy doesn't mean he's lecturing you. Don't mistake directness with rudeness.

Now if sympathy and a place to vent are what you're looking for, The New Cafe is the hippest place to be. But my advice, particularly if you're not too computer literate, get thee to a repair shoppe! Sucks that it's Memorial Day weekend though, so you'd have to wait until Tuesday.

Also, sup Georgia buddy?

[GK Punk]

Yeah, I don't think Ai meant to come across so harshly.

[愛]

I...didn't mean to speak to you in a mean way? If you don't want my help, then...*shrugs*

[Jo Dawn]

Of course it doesn't give you a warning that it's gonna crash. Though I wish it WOULD, seeing as how mine did the same thing. And it was my fault that I didn't back everything up on disks beforehand... it's what you have to do. Not jumping on you, as I did the same exact thing. Just use the loss as a lesson. I lost everything, too. Comes with trusting a computer to hold everything is all. Good luck.

[GK Punk]

Same thing happened here. and I even have songs that can't be replaced that I lost It's just something most computer owners will go through at one point or another.

[Leonardo Mystic]

Originally Posted by Ai Takahashi

I...didn't mean to speak to you in a mean way? If you don't want my help, then...*shrugs*

Sorry, the "tone" just came across as sounding a little critical. I'm kind on the defensive after bad experiences.

Well, I was able to boot in Safe Mode, and save some irreplacable pictures. I don't know if that means it's not the HD or what. I'm typing this from my computer now, but I don't trust it as far as I can throw it. It's still unstable, but for the moment it seems to be working. I'm going to be shutting down though, and moving to the other computer soon.

Originally Posted by damnhooligan

Also, sup Georgia buddy?

Not much. Just trying to survive without regular computer/net access.

Ok, this has got me a little worried now. I've made no backups. I better go and backup my schtuff.

[Kid Icarus]

This thread is covered with documentation of my computer problems...

on one of them, i mention my HDD crashing. It did, for the most part, boot sector went bad on the disc, windows couldn't install properly...

you learn to fear even shutting the damn thing off, because it might not want to start back up again. >_>.

[Leonardo Mystic]

*sighs* Well, more bad news. To quote Raphael "This just keeps gettin' better and better".

I took it to the guy from work this morning, and he told me what was wrong. Norton has f*cking raped my computer. It corrupted Windows completely. I have to do a total wipeout to correct it. HD, everything, to get it back to factory settings, and get Norton's dirty fingerprints off. I advise from experience anyone with Norton, take it off immediately and replace it with McAfee or something else. Anything but Norton.

However, that's only half of my problem right there. The other, which I need in order to fix that, is a non-regulatory DVD/CD ROM drive. Meaning, it's not factory standard, and I have to special order it at $129. Gateway no longer makes the part, and only one company carries it now. They stick it to you too.

It still won't set me back no more than the origlnal estimate of around probably $200 (this includes me buying parts, and $25-$30 labor he'll charge me), but this is all a very freaking big pain in the ass. I'll have to start all over again.

Small bit of good news, however, I now have over 600 MBs of RAM. I upgraded to 512 mb, plus the original 128 was added to that. So everything will be faster.

I'll have to go back to him once the drive comes, and have him install it and reformat the computer.