PC wont load

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Well I live in Yorkshire so unfortunately I would not know of that area, however one of the members may know of an outlet.

[Tootech]

I've seen the same thing happen recently and the bottom line is that Windows will need a full reinstall.

 

Having looked over the hard disk of a PC that has been affected by the Acer Linux install I'd say that a large percentage of your data can be recovered, but it will take some time.

 

The disk index (MFT) will have been wiped.

 

If you do need to recover data from your drive, ask a repair shop if they can do it - if they can, most likely they will also be able to do a full install of Windows for you.

 

If you need any more help, please come back and ask.

[e_briggs]

Had a repair guy come round tonight and he couldn't do it. He said that I would need to go to a data recovery specialist which could cost up to £700!!! The PC isn't worth that much. He thinks that my best bet is to buy a new pc.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. I cant think of what exactly is on my PC that I really need to keep. Grrrr bloody Acer have alot to answer for!!!

[Spools]

Whoa, whoa, slow down. Before spending all that money, you should try pulling your data off of the drive and storing on another PC. You'll need an adapter to connect your HDD to a USB port on another machine.

Something like this: Newegg.com - StarTech USB 2.0 to IDE or SATA Adapter Cable Model USB2SATAIDE - Cables

Once you've backed up any important files, you can try wiping your current HDD and reinstalling Windows.

If that doesn't work, you can try purchasing a new HDD and reinstalling Windows on that.

Once you have a working machine again, you can work on getting your files moved back.

[e_briggs]

I would have no clue how to do that. I think the repair guy tried to, he said that he couldnt access the hard drive at all.

[Guest Wolfeymole]

What exactly did this "Repair guy" try to do because I'm not convinced that he gave you the right advice?

 

Go round a few shops and explain exactly what's happened with the Linux issue, get them to explain what needs doing and how much it will cost Briggsy.

 

Print our replies off if you want and show them.

[Tootech]

Ok, it depends on how much work you want to do and if you have another computer available to work from.

 

I have recently recovered data from a system formatted with the Acer Linux CD.

 

An onsite Tech will not be able to do the job - it needs a few hours running with a recovery tool.

 

As Spools says - slow down - let us know what other computers you have access to.

[e_briggs]

I was unfortunately doing some home tutoring while he was actually doing the assessment. I arrived just as my mum was writing the cheque and he said something along the lines of he couldn't access the drive, that the linux has been half installed, that he took the hard drive out (as in literally) and plugged it into his laptop and still couldn't get access to it. He said something about installing windows but I dont have it and (if im not mistaken PCs come with it pre-installed don't they?) that I would need to go to a data recovery specialist which could cost £700.

I have my pc which does zilch and my work laptop (which is the property of the school I work for). It isn't up to much cop either due to the school not having a proper techie to look at it and sort the problems it has... My life is filled with ICT problems!!! Maybe I should go back to chalk and talk!!!!

[Tootech]

he couldn't access the drive, that the linux has been half installed

 

Thats right, you can't read from it as the partition table has been destroyed.

 

Most if not all of your data will still be available, but you need tools that can read beyond a standard setup.

 

If I may ask, what type of data have you lost?

[e_briggs]

Umm it is mostly music, pictures, word,pp,excel etc docs. Aswell as saved games as in sims. Other than that I dont actually remember.

[Tootech]

Also, if you let us know the make and model of your PC we should be able to advise the best way to get it up and running again.

[e_briggs]

Its a tiny pc lemme go check the model number if I can find it... a tiny s35, does that sound right?

[Tootech]

If its a Tiny PC, your best bet is this company - Tiny Recovery CD's as far as I am aware are not generally available.

 

Tiny Laptop, Tiny Desktop PC and Desktop PC Recovery CDs, Windows XP Repair CDs and Restore CDs from Genner Sales UK.

 

Whichever way, it is unfortunately going to cost money to repair.

[e_briggs]

Yeah tiny unfortunately went bust about 3 or 4 months after I got my pc! lol Just my luck. Do you still think it is possible for the data to be recovered?

[Tootech]

I do - yes, based on the fact that I have just completed work on a machine with the same problem, and also the fact that the drive hasn't been used since the accidental format.

 

Most of the data will be available, although hidden at the moment.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, E Briggs,

It is more than likely that most data can be recovered, there are as Tootech states, ways of doing so. Stick with his advice as he does do that sort of thing reasonably regularly.

I hope for the best for you.

Nev.

[e_briggs]

So what do I need to do?

[BeeCeeBee]

I am afraid that the time has come for you to decide how much you want to keep your data and find someone who you trust to turn your drive over to.

 

The last thing you want to do is make it worse. Tootech can tell you just what to be looking for. I would trust his judgment, in fact I always do when it comes to these things. :) It is very easy to get fleeced.

 

Just be careful.