Problems with PC! I need to recover my data somehow...

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

i was deleting some old apps, pics, vids, and uninstalled some other useless crap that i didnt need. Then i went to restart my computer, it started to load like normal and right before it shows the "Windows XP logo and the loading bar, it just resets itself. I think it might have been something i did in msconfig with the startup apps.

but i tried the esc key and the f8 key. It keeps on restarting over and over with out me touching it. what can i do? is there something i can download so it would fix the problem and not delete my stuff?

no i will not nuke it. thanks!


I need to find a way to recover or copy my existing files on the computer. My idea is to use the ERD disc but it doesnt seem to read my external drive...

[DubbleDutch]

press the power button so the pc goes on

then keep tapping F8 untill you reach safe mode


then try to recover from there.

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

i already tried every function in F8.

safe mode doesnt work. keeps on restarting.... 

[MattZani]

uhh, you didn't wanna nuke, but.

Plug drive into other pc, and take all data off it, then format.

OR

Boot with the original XP disc, and repair system files

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

I was going to say something but i dont want to be banned... :P

Ok so i get my original XP dissccc.... insert it and click repair?

[PspKicks316]

Yeah that's it

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

I press R, then it asks for my admin password. but the only password i have set up is the windows login. i tried that and it didnt work

[PspKicks316]

It shouldn't ask for a password...try the BIOS password.

[Onii]

Well now, all this talk of restarting computers at the XP load screen is giving me some unwanted memorys of about 2 years ago.. Yeah, I went through the same deal on my moms computer... No it's not fun. Yes I was blamed. Lol.. Anyways.. All in all that computer is still a junker that will never work correctly. I say reinstall and cut your losses. Not worth the trouble of trying to "rez" the system. (by the way, this can happen at any time. It happend to me as I was loading up Halo PC, hardlock, blue screen, I restarted. It started up, got to post, blue screen before XP logo.. Restarted.. Again.. This time a bunch of hex codes ran up the screen with a stop error, restart. From there on out any restart ended with a never ending restart loop (power on, post, flashes vid card info, Gateway logo, XP load screen, Restart-continue at post). If you wanted loop to stop you had to pull the plug. No kidding. Good luck, but we've never found what really happend to that computer. Added vid card (that was for me tho :P) Changed PSU, Changed Mobo, Changed Ram, CPU, HDD. really I think its just software that gateway has that's conflicting with something else, causing something to fail somewhere along the line.. But hey! thats just me. Advice to you, stay away from the GM line of gateway products.

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

Ok, I guess i have to reinstall everything. But I need all of the data on it first. Anyone know how I would go about doing so? thanks

[PspKicks316]

Get an external harddrive, and go on a different computer and burn a linux live cd (I recommend ubuntu 8.04). Boot into the CD, plug in the external drive, and backup the data from the harddrive onto the external drive

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

dont you need to install VMware though? thats how i did it when my desktop worked...linky?

i never liked linux...lol

[Bhawan]

no you can just boot from linux cd and run linux strait from cd you dont need anything else....

[PspKicks316]

You aren't installing anything. You're only BOOTING into linux to copy the files...as I said...

[Sil3ntP3nguin]

i finally got the live cd working. anyway. ubuntu still looks boring. i dont really know how to do cool stuff as i have seen in video's. is there cool stuff to download? where?

anyhow. I have 3 HDD built in my computer. ubuntu is only showing 2. my C and my other HDD. But its not showing my D drive...

i think i explained it unclearly but i can see my DVD, my C, my filesystem, and my other HDD. but i still need to be able to view one more drive