I lost everything on my computer

woochucker said:
So I guess it is spinning then?
That's cheap..
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No , the files can be recovered from the old laptop. The external drive is bad and if you ever tried to survive on Social Security Disability, it is not cheap. $200 might as well be $2000.


What really chaps my a**, is I have a degree in industrial electronics and computer technology and always told people who came to me with their crashed computer "why didn't you back it up"? And my own stupidity cost me all my information. I been working with computers since a personal computer was a keyboard, a small DOS processor, and a cassette tape recorder for a hard drive. :bang head:
 
Seems like this is how a lot of the FREE on line software works out, they check your stuff find what you need and than hit you with the cost of restoring it. I guess if they can really save all the files $200.00 may be reasonable if all the stuff is not replaceable. Another thing is to always if possible have more than one backup set. After losing a computer a while ago my computer guy said I should be using an external hard drive instead of backup software. His thought was that because if years go by the newer software may not work with the backup you have. This did happen to me as well so now all I use is the external drives and just copy the whole files instead of backup program. This type of backup goes faster anyway and all you do is copy the files back if you have any issues. Good luck and hope you can still get the files you need.
 
whitmore said:
That leaves open a single happy possibility: the external drive uses both +5V and +12V
power, and connection (digital logic) uses the +5V power. Spinning the drive uses
the +12V power. So, if the +12 is damaged or disconnected, the drive might still
be workable in a dock or other external drive casing.

This is not true if the hard disk is of the 2.5" type (those, only use +5V power for
both logic and spindle motor... or 3.3V for logic... but, not +12).
Click to expand...

The drive contains 2 1/2" discs.:(
 
Chip Maker said:
Seems like this is how a lot of the FREE on line software works out, they check your stuff find what you need and than hit you with the cost of restoring it. I guess if they can really save all the files $200.00 may be reasonable if all the stuff is not replaceable. Another thing is to always if possible have more than one backup set. After losing a computer a while ago my computer guy said I should be using an external hard drive instead of backup software. His thought was that because if years go by the newer software may not work with the backup you have. This did happen to me as well so now all I use is the external drives and just copy the whole files instead of backup program. This type of backup goes faster anyway and all you do is copy the files back if you have any issues. Good luck and hope you can still get the files you need.
Click to expand...

I used to keep a backup on an external drive AND on data CD, but the new computers...... Like my new one dont have a CD drive. Nowadays you download all your software instead of getting a CD.

I got no one to blame for this mess but myself.
 
I can live without the lost files. What hurts is ..... All the people who are often emailing me asking for plans and writeups or project information...... I can no longer send them any information.

Edit: What also hurts is..... I lost the 30 page article about building the EDM machine.
 
Off the wall Mark, do any schools near you have a computer lab. Usually the do their own repairs and could help you out.

"Bill"
 
Bill Gruby said:
Off the wall Mark, do any schools near you have a computer lab. Usually the do their own repairs and could help you out.

"Bill"
Click to expand...

The local school districts around me do not, but there maybe one or more elsewhere within traveling distance. It wont hurt to check around.

Thanks.


The most important lost files are all the machine shop project plans, articles, and photos. The old family photos I can live without .... hell, none of those people have anything to do with me anyway. since my youngest brother died in March, me and my dog are on our own against the world. This forum is the closest thing to family I have.
 
While sitting around I opened the offending external hard drive. I got it to spin up, but it can't read the top disk (which holds the needed data to connect to the computer) because the top arm lost its read head in the shock of hitting the floor. It is definitely not going to be readable.

20170511_181036_HDR.jpg
The only option now is to recover from the old laptop drive and that is too expensive to get my 30 page article back.

Oh well I tried. This tragedy is over. No files will be rescued.

Thank you all for your suggestions.
 
Well that sucks! Sorry to here.
 
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