a question for a pc hardrive technician

Babrew


Joined: 15/09/2010
Posts: 486

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:38

Can anyone confirm, if one has lost their hardrive will all items still be on the desktop when a new one is put on? For example word documents and pictures etc that I previously saved to desktop

LaptaMike


Joined: 07/10/2009
Posts: 1679

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:45

no they will not still be there. Your operating system (ie Windows) will not even be there. Everything will have to be re-installed from scratch. If you did not make backups of your documents then they are lost forever.

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:49

The desktop is part of the hard drive and operating system. Unless you have a dual boot system, that would be 2 hard drives and the one you haven't lost has the operating system on it (windows or Mac OSX) you will have nothing at all on your computer. The hard drive is the base memory where everything is stored, when you install a new hard drive it will require the installation of an operating system, see above and then it will be empty until you install more items.



When you say, lost your hard drive, do you mean it is nor reading, if so there are some companies that can use other devices to read and copy the data to a new hard drive, although I am sure there are some in Cyprus I don't know where they are at present.



In my exerience it is normally the drive motor that fails in a hard drive but if you wish to attempt it, not a suggestion if unsure, you can try to buy another drive of the same type and mix parts to get it working.



Do a google search for hard drive data recovery

LaptaMike


Joined: 07/10/2009
Posts: 1679

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:49

my above message is assuming that you are talking about a computer with only one internal hard drive that has failed. Other configurations such as an external hard drive failing is a different matter.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:49

Sorry, bad news: DEFINITELY N-O-T. A "desktop" is created by your Operating System and everything you put there is stored in a folder on your hard disk. If your hard drive crashed and can't be revived by you or a technician in a shop, your only chance is a specialised company (try Google) - but it's very expensive and there's no guarantee that they can save all your files.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 22:54

Back-up! Back-up! Back-up! Back-up! Back-up! Back-up! Back-up!

... because EVERY hard drive will fail one day.

spider


Joined: 03/01/2009
Posts: 5527

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 23:47

So I must be a little bright spark as I want to try and upload all my photos onto DVDs but I have yet to understand how.But its a must for me. :(





Spider,X

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 23:50

Spider,

It is extremely simple to do if you have a DVD burner, as many blank DVD's as you need and burning software, there are many different ones out there in cyberspace and several are free. Go to google ad search for free DVD burner software download.

If you don't have a DVD burner you can do the same with a CD burner and about 6 times as many disks.

splinters24hr


Joined: 17/01/2010
Posts: 66

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 23:52

Hi there are lots of free data recovery tools to recover your files from your hard drive, Google "data recovery software". You dont actually say what the problem is, it may well be that you can recover your operating system, more info would be useful, do you have a recovery disk?? data is not erased from hard drives unless it is overwritten, so if you are thinking of buying a new hard drive you will have to install an operating system, then get the data recovery program, connect up your old hardrive and then recover the date to the new drive. Most problems I have experienced with with hard drives is loss of the master boot record, which basically tells the computer where to look for the operating system. This can be recovered normally by your recovery disk.

Hope this helps.



Dave

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 23:54

Spider a DVD burner comes with Windows....



Look for Windows DVD Maker on your program list..

YFred


Joined: 06/05/2009
Posts: 1471

Message Posted:
05/01/2011 23:57

Take it to a PC expert. They will replace your hard drive and recover all your data. If you are not used to this sort of work, you will not be able to do it.

Babrew


Joined: 15/09/2010
Posts: 486

Message Posted:
06/01/2011 19:14

ok I need to explain what I am really trying to dig at....4 weeks ago my computer guy said my hardrive had gone so he put a new one in and of course there was nothing on my desktop to which Id saved some documents before and which I already knew I would lose. However about 5 weeks later I had a problem again and he said its the hardrive again which is under guarantee for a new one, which I was happy about, but I was just surprised to find all my documents still on the desktop. Do you think there was a porky pie involved?

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
06/01/2011 19:21

RE msg 12, Babrew: (...) all my documents still on the desktop (...)

▶ Documents that were on the first "gone" hard disk? And all was back when your computer guy replaced the first "replacement" hard disk? Have you actually SEEN him change the disks?

mmmmmm



Joined: 19/12/2008
Posts: 8398

Message Posted:
06/01/2011 19:29

Hi Babrew



Sorry to hear about your hard drive..



IF it hadn't 'gone' completely.. may be it was just bad enough to prevent window loading then your desktop may still be there..



Depending on the flavour of windows in would have been in a windows directory under your user name - often putting the old drive as a second drive can allow a technician to access the data and allow a good recovery.. sadly the only way to know is to try and clone the hard drive ( if possible) and allow someone to 'play' with the data on a sound hard drive..:(

Babrew


Joined: 15/09/2010
Posts: 486

Message Posted:
06/01/2011 22:24

D Crusader, no it wall all done out of my view.

yrret


Joined: 17/08/2010
Posts: 761

Message Posted:
07/01/2011 07:47

Babrew,

If the person replaced you HDD, did he give you the old one back? sounds like not.

If no, then you need it, it has your personal info on it, and of as he says he has replaced it then he can easily give it back to you, sounds to me like he might say he has thrown it away, hmmm!

If you had another disk replacement and suddenly all your data was back, then it's a little suspicious to say the least.

I'm guessing you may now be told that the data was recoverable from your old disk, hmmm!

If all is above board, your original non working disk is still out there, ask for it back.



Definitely sounds like your original disk 'might' have found it's way back.



I guess the tip for anyone here sending a PC for something like this is to remove the outer case, and put a small indelible inconspicuous mark on the damaged components, and photograph it.