Oh Nooooo, I Have An Uh-oh :(

[rachelac]

when i try to start my laptop i get a black screen saying that a change of hardware or software has caused my computer to shut down and gives me two options, run windows repair (recommended) or start windows normally - i tried starting normally several times, turned on and off, did ctrl+alt+del, unplugged all USB items, than i tried running windows repair, i ran the quick test and it said no errors were found, under tools i chose check and repair hard disk for C drive - it took an hour, said an error was found and repaired, did the same for E which took about 5 minutes and said no errors were found, than i tried to start again and i see the windows start up, than it just goes back to the same black screen with the same message, when i try windows repair it gives me a message saying my computer is running on a limited mode or something and cannot run the repair, when i "x" out of the repair screen or push "esc" it tells me that something is wrong with the OS C drive - but i don't want to run the C drive repair because i have years worth of work on the computer that is not saved anywhere else and cannot loose my files - please help, i know nothing about computers and how to fix this and am freaking out, plus i have a huge meeting on tuesday for which i NEED my computer! :(

[classicsoftware]

First, Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums....


Second, take a deep breath.

Listen very carefully.

Please remove the hard drive from the computer. Stop trying to do anything to this drive if you want to avoid a very expensive professional recovery.

Get to another PC and download a copy of GetDataBack (http://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm). There are two versions depending on the file system.

Now that you have installed the software on a second PC, shut it down and install the drive int the second system. The easiest is to disconnect the ribbon cable from the master on the secondary IDE controller, usually the CD ROM. The attach a power cable to the drive. The drive can just hang in the system as long as it is not dangling. If it does not reach the bottom of the case, place something under it so it does not move.

Boot the system.

Run the software.

The trial version lets you restore only one file at a time. If it works, you buy the license and copy everything at once.

[Paul Komski]

Since DataRecovery is of the utmost importance then I agree with ClassicSoftware that you should try to access the data and attempt to back it up as the first priority. I think he has overlooked that you have a Laptop so to access its hard drive in another computer you would need an adapter cable or an appropriate enclosure (SATA or IDE) for the 2.5" laptop hard drive.

There are USB adpater cables (http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-USB-DSC5-3-5-Inch-Converter-Adapter/dp/B000HJ99DI) that allow you to attach all the various sorts of hard drives to a USB port and there are also adapters that can allow you to access a 2.5" IDE hard drive inside a desktop that has slots and cables for 3.5" IDE desktop hard drives.

It is possible (even quite likely) that even though Windows is abreacting and not allowing the PC to start normally that you may still be able to access the data directly from (a) another PC by attaching it as outlined or (b) by backing it up using Knoppix (as in my sig). If not then using DIY recovery software as outlined by ClassicSoftware would be the way to go while the disk is still accessible.

Don't be afraid to post back for any further help or if terms like IDE and SATA are confusing for you.

[classicsoftware]

Paul:

Thanks, I did indeed overlook the fact the OP has a laptop.