Help with broken/old PC

[Clownio]

Never been that much into repairing PC's so don't know why I offered but I have a friends old PC at home that I'm trying to salvage some data from. It was running Windows ME ( I know , I know ) but all I get when I switch the thing on is an intermittent manual clunking sound ( presumably from the hard disk ?). Sometimes it gets as far as the "Safe Mode" menu but wont even boot into that now.

Is there anything I could do or should I just hand it back and say its a gonner ?

[Pondlife]

Try booting it using a CD/floppy first and see if you can read the disk afterwards Or put the disk in another machine (but not as bootable)

Hth

[DaveB]

It's dead Jim. The clunking is probably the HDD stepper motor which means the HDD is fecked beyond DIY recovery. If there is anything hugely inportant on it they could pay a professional data recovery outfit to get it back but thats about it.

[Cowboy Bob]

You could always try the old Hard Drive In The Freezer trick.

[Clownio]

You could always try the old Hard Drive In The Freezer trick.

Thanks all, and as for the "Ice Station Alpha" suggestion, I'll give it a try as I've got nothing to lose, though the owner of the PC unfortunately does.

I'm off home now to wind down for the weekend - so if anyone asks...

You aint seen me, right ?

[tim123]

surely you should just try seeing if you can read the disk with another PC first.

tim

[Paddy]

Unscrew the top cover off the hard disk. Now use it as an ashtray.

[Clownio]

Its a Maxtor, a very cold one at the mo, as it's been in the freezer since yesterday evening.

Fingers crossed eh ?

[Clownio]

Bloody hell - 300 posts and each and every one of them (apart from the last couple) complete drivel.

[DaveB]

Have you seen Zeitghosts post count?