Cheap ass data recovery

gareman

gareman

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So my girlfriend's computer isn't working after restarting from an anti-virus update.

I am still trying a few more things, but if I can't get it to work and the hdd is shot, then any suggestions on how to retrieve her work files?
 
It's kind of bizarre it just goes into the black screen with "run windows normally" or start repair process. If i hit repair process it just goes back to the same screen like a second later, and if I hit run normally, it goes back to the windows load screen then back to the black screen with run normally and repair process again.

Its vista.

Right now I have the Windows disc in and I am running system recovery repair, and its been going for like 20 minutes.

If it detects the partition, does that mean that the hdd is not shot?
 
yea, but when I try to boot in safe mode it just load for about 30 seconds then goes to first windows load screen then back to that "start normally" or "start repair process" screen.
All those things go back to the same screen. I tried safe mode, restart from last stable start or whatever.......


I complete the repair recovery and restarted the computer, and it still does the same dame thing.
 
Is this a prebuilt computer (dell, hp?) or a custom built one?

I would try to get to safe mode any way you can and then do a System Restore (roll back) to a few days BEFORE you updated the Antivirus. Was it norton or something else? I hate norton as it bloats your system and boggles everything down.

I don't think the hard drive has crashed/died or else you would have had some major boot problems after POST to the point it had trouble finding an OS to boot to (A message saying No Operating System Found..).

I don't have VISTA installed so I don't know if there is something other than safe mode to work with.
 
Its a dell :(

Its a macafee anti-virus.

I will try the linux live and hdd.

So would I just attach the external hard drive, and put the boot disc into the laptop, and then boot from the disc?

I tried using a vista live cd that someone built, but it would not load (could just be the iso?) it just did the same thing as before.

The main screen it keeps going to says something like, "Windows has failed to load because of a new software or hardware error".
 
[quote name='gareman']
So would I just attach the external hard drive, and put the boot disc into the laptop, and then boot from the disc?
.[/QUOTE]

Yes...If you use Ubuntu (which I recommend), the external drive should show up on the desktop.
 
ok, so Dell sent her a new hdd, and her laptop has a spot for two hard drive. I was wondering if there was a way to access and transfer not only files but also programs from the bad to the new hdd.
 
[quote name='gareman']ok, so Dell sent her a new hdd, and her laptop has a spot for two hard drive. I was wondering if there was a way to access and transfer not only files but also programs from the bad to the new hdd.[/quote]

Programs will be tough, as they deposit files throughout the whole file system. (/windows, /windows/system32, etc.)

Files on the other hand, put the old hard drive into the second slot. New hard drive in the first. Reload the first hard drive, and the second should be accessible via Windows. (That is, if the hard drive is still good)
 
Will Norton Ghost be able to transfer programs more effectively (not messing up the registries and what not?), or is there another program I should check out?
 
[quote name='gareman']Will Norton Ghost be able to transfer programs more effectively (not messing up the registries and what not?), or is there another program I should check out?[/quote]

Ghost will take a full image snapshot of the drive, not programs itself. Back in the good ole dos days, it was easy to transfer programs. Now... re-installation is the easiest way.
 
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