Can ANYONE help!? Damsel in Distress!

Smiley012

Hi - I hope someone can help!!

My laptop has been faulty for a little while now, various issues, and now it seems to have fully died.

When I try and turn it on, it tells me that windows failed to start and that it is recommended I do startup repair, or I could try windows normally.

Either selection goes straight into start up repair.

I have files that I would like on the harddrive, and I dunno how to get them off. I tried to put my ubuntu disk in, but it's not running that - ya know you can try it without installing it, and I tried that, but it didnt work - the graphics go all strange.

Is there anyway that I can access files? Is there a disk that can access the harddrive?

Its a fujitsu siemens esprimo mobile v5455, WIndows Vista Home

Thanks in advance.

Eily

WellyJ

Depending on whether the HDD is SATA or IDE 2.5", you simply need a USB adapter for 2.5" SATA or 2.5" IDE Drives,

Then you will be able to connect the drive to any PC and get the data from it.

These things are fairly cheap, 10-15 euro maybe.

Then just format the drive in the laptop and reinstall your OS.

Smiley012

Oh thats great - this is the hard drive: Serial ATA-150

So I should be able to get a usb cable for that? As simple as? How great!!

mach1982

Smiley012 wrote: »

Hi - I tried to put my ubuntu disk in, but it's not running that - ya know you can try it without installing it, and I tried that, but it didnt work - the graphics go all strange.


Eily

When you say the graphics go all strange, what do you get on the screen?

Voodu Child

Smiley012 wrote: »

Is there anyway that I can access files? Is there a disk that can access the harddrive?

Yes, they're called 'Live-CDs'. You mentioned one already, Ubuntu, so you obviously have a decent idea of what you're doing. If Ubuntu doesnt work, there are a lot of linux alternatives, most MUCH smaller than Ubuntu (ie quicker to download). They should do the basics, allow you to get into a simple environment from where you can access the HDD and copy off anything important.

The Unix forum would be the best place to get suggestions and instructions. But something like Puppy Linux would probably do the job.

Smiley012

mach1982 wrote: »

When you say the graphics go all strange, what do you get on the screen?

Well, it was odd, I got the ubuntu cream background, and the cursor came up, but across the screen, going diagonally were black flickering lines, the cursor was flickering too.

Very bizarre indeed. The graphics are ok when I'm doing start up repair and all that, only when ubuntu started to load up, I turned it off pretty quickly when I saw the lines.

Smiley012

voodoo_child wrote: »

The Unix forum would be the best place to get suggestions and instructions. But something like Puppy Linux would probably do the job.

That's great - I'll look up Puppy Linux now - there's not even a huge amount on there, but enough so I can get off stuff before I decide to reinstall crappy vista.

Capt'n Midnight

as an alternative you could try a knoppix disk because you can override the video mode

http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes
Use Irish keyboard / LCD panel with compatible video mode
knoppix lang=ie vsync=60 fb1024x768


Did you get a windows Vista DVD with the computer ?
if you did not then you may be painted in to a corner since you have to boot into windows to make a disk or more likely there is a recovery area on the drive that will restore it back to factory settings which deletes all of your files :mad::mad::mad:

Is the computer / drive making any sounds that end in the letter K ?
clink-clink-clink or clunk
soft "g" chuggy sounds are ok

Smiley012

No Vista DVD and no recovery partition either!

Not sure what to do about reinstalling vista if I dont have the right tools!

No the HDD isn't making any odd sounds at all, perfectly normal. I've had all kinda of problems with this piece of annoying laptop!

I'll check that out too, thanks!

spoilsport

Smiley012 wrote: »

Hi - I hope someone can help!!

My laptop has been faulty for a little while now, various issues, and now it seems to have fully died.

When I try and turn it on, it tells me that windows failed to start and that it is recommended I do startup repair, or I could try windows normally.

Either selection goes straight into start up repair.

I have files that I would like on the harddrive, and I dunno how to get them off. I tried to put my ubuntu disk in, but it's not running that - ya know you can try it without installing it, and I tried that, but it didnt work - the graphics go all strange.

Is there anyway that I can access files? Is there a disk that can access the harddrive?

Its a fujitsu siemens esprimo mobile v5455, WIndows Vista Home

Thanks in advance.

Eily

did you get a set or have to make your own set of recovery discs when u bought/recived lappy? if so they should bring ur computer back to its original condition...only prob is ul prob lose all that data your after!!!!!catcth 22!!!

Smiley012

I dont really care too much that I will have to reinstall vista - it's horrible anyway, may see if I can just pop in XP instead.

It's just that I want my files off my laptop first, so I don't end up loosing them all.

spoilsport

Smiley012 wrote: »

I dont really care too much that I will have to reinstall vista - it's horrible anyway, may see if I can just pop in XP instead.

It's just that I want my files off my laptop first, so I don't end up loosing them all.

i put of buying my new lappy 4 a gud while, because of all the bad reports bout vista, but once u get used 2her shes great, much better then xp.. in my opinion ,and i spend bout 10 hrs a day on lappy doing allsorts....gotta move wit the times girl u might find slight prob with vista but, microsoft are usualy all over em now as soon as they get a complaint, also the qaulity of ur lappy comes in2 play, not tryin 2 be rude but urs didnt sound so hot?

Smiley012

spoilsport wrote: »

i put of buying my new lappy 4 a gud while, because of all the bad reports bout vista, but once u get used 2her shes great, much better then xp.. in my opinion ,and i spend bout 10 hrs a day on lappy doing allsorts....gotta move wit the times girl u might find slight prob with vista but, microsoft are usualy all over em now as soon as they get a complaint, also the qaulity of ur lappy comes in2 play, not tryin 2 be rude but urs didnt sound so hot?

Lol, thanks for the advice. I have been using Vista for over a year now, still no closer to liking it, that's for sure! It's the same situation that happened with ME. Vista is the scapegoat until they bring out the next one... 7 is it?

Laptop was a very expensive laptop at the time, but it was obviously one of those that was originally built XP, but then they bundled Vista in it once vista came out. So I've had all kinds of issues with graphics card, freezing, BSOD repeatedly, random HDD errors, all of which, when I researched, are an illness of a laptop not being fully compatible with the OS, or the other way around

Happily moving with the times, wish the times would move a bit quicker!

gamer

try reboot,f8,directory services restore mode,it shoud restore missing boot fies,or go2 www.ntfs.com downoad ACTIVEboot demo install on a friends ,pc laptop,register it,click make image,boot disc iso,downboad,install imgburn,
cic browse to image,iso , burn the activeboot image,to 1 cdr dis,burn speed 2x max.insert cd in laptop, set bios boot mode,boot cdrom 1st,or dvdrom, boot 0,first, hardrive c boot 2,or 3.
reboot laptop,cd loads mini version of windows vista from the cdr disk, which makes it easy to copy,fies,docs,mp3s to a usb drive or usb stick.
OR GET A FRIEND TO do a this 4 you,ie downoad,make the mini VISTA OS IMAGE.the free version has a 7day time limit,go 2 peats buy a 500gig usb drive it,s 73euro.its a lot easier to use than linux,reads writes a pc format,vista ,winxp hardrives.

mach1982

If you so pissed with Vista , try one of the Linuxes, I would go for Ubuntu, they are releasing a new one at the end of the month.

elyod

You can boot into the Ubuntu live CD in safe graphics mode by pressing F4 on the boot menu and selecting "Safe Graphics Mode". Then hit "Try Ubuntu without any changes...".

If you have any trouble mounting your NTFS drives use the package manager to install "NTFS configuration tool", which will privide you a GUI to mount the drives.

Capt'n Midnight

elyod wrote: »

You can boot into the Ubuntu live CD in safe graphics mode by pressing F4 on the boot menu and selecting "Safe Graphics Mode". Then hit "Try Ubuntu without any changes...".

Beat me to it

have a look for other partitions to see if there are any large files on them