Computer help please

[Systreg]

My laptop wont boot up, yesterday it took about 30 minutes before I turned it off from the mains and removed the battery, started it again and it booted straight up.

Today, same again, wont boot up, removed battery to turn it off completely and tried again, it's been sitting there for about 2 hours and nothing happening, the blue lights on the buttons are going on and they go off and back on at regular intervals, and I can hear the hard drive whiring away every now and again, but nothing much else happening.

I know there is an F key I can tap fast to boot in safe mode or normal mode when I first turn the computer on, but I can't remember what F key it is, F7 F11? Anyone know please so I can try that?

Laptop is a HP DV6000 series that I got new in March 2007, but I never used it at all until about November 2009, all I've ever done with it in the previous 2 years was turn it on every now and again to keep the battery topped up, so it's not like it's had thousands of hours of use.

 

[Edwin]

Assuming it's XP, hold down "F8" to get Safe Mode.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...ll/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true

 

[Systreg]

Hi Edwin, sorry should have mentoned it's Vista home premium edition, never had any problems with it before.

 

[Edwin]

Still "F8" it seems

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode

 

[Systreg]

Cheers, tried holding F8 down when I turn the computer on, nothing happens, can't hear/see any activity on the computer at all when turning it on. I dont have a Vista disk as vista came pre-installed, any other ideas anyone?

 

[boxerdog]

you have to keep hitting "f8" from start up holding it down wont work

 

[Systreg]

Cheers Wayne, tried that as well, continually turning it off and removing battery to reset it, just getting a black screen after switching it on F8's not doing anything apart from hearing the hard drive making the usual whiring noises it normally makes

Was only the other day I said to the Mrs that I should get get a memory stick to save all my folders, photos, domaining stuff and html site files to, bugger, probably have to call out a computer repair person nw, failing that. buy a new laptop, not that I should need one after hadthis only having a few months use

 

[Edwin]

I assume you have access to another PC since you're able to keep posting to this thread?

One solution might be to get a little external connector for your laptop's hard drive so that you can plug it into a USB port, and then pull it out of your laptop and plug it into your other computer. That way, you can retrieve all your files if the hard drive itself is still working (but some other component e.g. the graphics card or the screen isn't).

Quite often, the value of the files on a PC far exceeds the value of the machine itself (aside: that's why I have 3 separate backups of everything) so it may be worth spending the few quid to buy the connector so that you can see if anything's salvageable. Certainly cheaper than calling on a data recovery specialist!

Something like this product would probably do the trick, though I've not tested that particular solution:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001A5SK56/?tag=acorn06-21

Whatever you do, don't try to "recover" the computer to its initial state - you run the risk of having the hard drive reformatted as part of the system reinstallation process.

 

[accelerator]

Some of these HP laptops are quite prone to failure. It sounds like it could be the graphics system. I would try the Overclockers forum:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/

for more advice. If you're lucky it might be graphics rather than hard drive. Hard drive might need a specialist to recover your data. I would search on the forums for the model name and Google on the model name as my gut feeling is this fault is not uncommon with these laptops.

Rgds

 

[charlie]

does it stop before or after the bios?

you can check for HD errors by downloading a copy of ubuntu - it runs from CD so no HD required but has excellent disc management tools.
http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download

 

[redbird]

I used to have a similar problem with my HP DV6000 but removing the battery always fixed mine. There is a known problem with them losing wireless connections and I think the booting problem may have been one as well just can't remember..... However as it was a manufacturing fault HP repaired it free of charge (think it needed a motherboard change) even though it was outside of guarantee, they even came and collected it and that was about a year ago and all is fine now. If you do a search like I did for the wireless problem you should find the forums I found and then the links to the HP site...


Hope that helps. In any event your data should still be retrievebale from hard disk so don't reformat it until you get it off.

Edit: If memory serves me correct it was an overheating problem, and re Edwin's post it's very easy to remove the hard drive just a few screws from underneath and out it pops.

Dave

 

[charlie]

ubuntu will also enable USB drives etc - so if the data isnt damaged you can just copy it off

obviously you can see i've done this before and am now a great fan of the ubuntu disc!! :mrgreen:

 

[Systreg]

@ Bens, the laptop didnt come with any recovery disks, there is an option in the Vista control panel to make recovery disks, but I didn't make any.

I know the problem isn't due to an update as I have Windows updates disabled since the day I bought it the laptop.

Would I be right in thinking that if I install Linux from a Linux disk I have, and choose the dual boot option, providing that the hard drive isn't screwed and the install works, would I be able to insert a usb memory stick and that will still show all the files/folders on the windows part of the laptop so I can save them?

 

[accelerator]

Yes, Edwin's suggestion is a good one, there are a fair few connectors available for connecting a laptop harddrive to other computers, so that's something you could try if necessary.

I know it's after the horse has bolted but I would always advise backing up all data on a laptop. It's usually only so long before you get some kind of failure, but it sounds as though you've been particularly unlucky.

Rgds

 

[Retired_member41]

Why not buy a disk adaptor from tandy/dabs etc and take out the laptops hard disk, then using the adaptor plug it into your other pc and check all the files. They only cost a few quid.

At least this way you get to save all the files you want without doing a full restore.

Obviously if that was the last resort.

SORRY, never read Edwins post. Same answer.

 

[redbird]

@ Bens, the laptop didnt come with any recovery disks, there is an option in the Vista control panel to make recovery disks, but I didn't make any.

On mine there is also a recovery partition (Drive D) which will do the restore, but you will lose all data if you go down that route, so use it as a last resort.

Dave

 

[Systreg]

I have 2 Linux CD's, one is a for installation and the other is a Linux live CD, tried the live CD, but again, plenty of whirring from the laptop, but just a black screen.

Will have a look at the PC World website to see if they have any of those data cable things that Ediwn posted, as I have a PC World store close by in Bexhill, but I don't really want to start unscrewing the computer and taking hard drives out as I have no idea what to do with stuff like that and will make things worse, thanks for all the help and advice.

 

[retired_member13]

I have 2 Linux CD's, one is a for installation and the other is a Linux live CD, tried the live CD, but again, plenty of whirring from the laptop, but just a black screen.

Will have a look at the PC World website to see if they have any of those data cable things that Ediwn posted, as I have a PC World store close by in Bexhill, but I don't really want to start unscrewing the computer and taking hard drives out as I have no idea what to do with stuff like that and will make things worse, thanks for all the help and advice.

On most laptops the hard drive slots out of a bay on the side / underside of the laptop body with one or two retaining screws, so it's isn't difficult to remove it (only slightly harder than removing the battery in most cases).

I think this is your one:

 

[redbird]

On most laptops the hard drive slots out of a bay on the side / underside of the laptop body with one or two retaining screws, so it's isn't difficult to remove it (only slightly harder than removing the battery in most cases).

I think this is your one:

Yes, got one in front of me and it looks like that

Dave

 

[Systreg]

@ Ty, yes, my laptop looks the same as that image.

@ Bens, the screen is just completely blank. There is no burning stuff on this computer to burn one a recovery disk, thanks though.