Computer Heaven

[biddy]

Yesterday i finally got LevelD 767, whilst i was busy taking the wrapping of the box my computer had a heart attack and died, try as i may
no amount of life support would bring it back.
I trunddled of to the local computer store to find out if anything could be done.
After looking at it they came up with two answers it was either the graphics card or the motherboard. I figured i would try the cheaper
option first so spent £100 on a new card only to find that this did not get the beast going.
After some sole serching I decided to let the machine go and let it make its way to comuter heaven, so now i am computer less until I can
get another one (more money) but worse than that i am without my flight sim for the forseable future

[RonMac]

Take plenty of Valium and a few Laphroigs (such a gentle Malt)

Helps ease the pain!

Still, now is the chance for a serious upgrade!

In UK Addi Stores had a multi media kit for £650!!!

[snakeboy]

Did your local computer store test the PSU?. Never had a graphic card or motherboard die on me, but have had plenty of PSU failures
over the years.

[Dutch64]

If a computershop cannot find out whether the mb or gc died, than it's definitely time to look for a different computer shop

[olseric]

definitely time to look for a different computer shop

Agreed. If you have a multimeter, you can actually test the PSU yourself.

[xvxmatthewxvx]

I know how frusterating a dead computer can be! Especially for me, as the TV is too boring and the computer provides almost all my
entertainment. But I had to laugh at the computer heaven part!

Although you sincerely have my condolences about the computer!
Don't throw it away yet! Perhaps I can help. I have had nothing but bad luck with computers and know alot about computers. But I am very
poor at the programming part, but as for the phsical parts I am very knowledgeable.

Does the thing not turn on at all? As if power wasn't plugged into it? If thats the case, its likely the power unit was damaged and those are
generally very cheap to replace.


Or it turns on and the screen is blank? If the screen is blank but it turns on the CPU chip could be damaged or it could be the MB or the
video card. If you dont have any spare parts, its hard to figure out. You already tried the card, I personally believe that was a bad mistake.
Cards generally don't burn out or have problems in my experience. It is likely the MB.
An easy way (generally) to figure out if its the video card is to open the computer, and listen very carefully to your hard drive. Listen and touch it (be careful) to see if its making the normal "reading info" sounds. If this is the case its likely your card. If you can't hear this its generally the MB problem. Because if the MB or CPU chip is dead, it will give no signals or commands to the HardDrive to start booting up Windows! But don't just listen for the HD turning on, it wll do that regardless! Listen if u can hear it reading/working/clicking sounds.

Anywyas this all depends! If you could provide more info I would be happy to help! You don't know how many times I have put together my
computer because of broken parts!



Post Edited ( 12-30-05 20:13 )

[biddy]

Thanks guys or all your advise, luckily for me one of the guys at work is a computer expert and says that he will look at it today as at
heathrow all is quiet.
I will let you know how it goes hopefully i will be back flying tomorrow if not it will be back to the mourning.

[biddy]

Well after a few hours of trying in vain we finally turned off the life support and let the beast go to that great computer heaven in the sky.
According to my expert it is the motherboard and as it stands at the moment my beloved machine is in bits in my office awaiting a new
board to being her back from the after life. (must ask if her life flashed infront of her eyes)
Being new year the next time i can get anything is Monday so i am flightsim less until then glad to be at work really. :lol

Happy new year to all that read this and i hope the new year brings good fortune to all at the best forum on the net.

[biddy]

Well it turned into upgrade time as it seems the motherboard i require is no longer made and nobody in my area has any in stock.
The problem i have now is the hard drive in my new machine only has a single cable coming out of the back going to the motherboard
the old one had a ribbon, does anybody have any idea how to get the info off of my old drive and onto the new one??

[snakeboy]

You need a copy of Norton Ghost or a similar. Hook up your new hard drive using the cd player ribbon and then follow instructions to
make an exact copy of you old hard drive to your new one.

[biddy]

Thanks for the help silly question any idea where to get norton ghost?

[snakeboy]

I think if you do a search on google for disk copying software there are freeware one's available, other than that Norton ghost will cost
you.

[pagir]

http://www.google.com

"norton ghost"

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=fr&q=%22n...oogle&meta=

Voilà!

Pagir

[Dynamo]

Your new computer must have IDE (the ribbon cable) - So all you have to do is put the old HDD in your new PC connecting it via the IDE
and voila - your old HDD (and data) is visible.

I imagine that you now have a SATA drive (smaller thickness cable about 1 cm wide?). You can now copy your data back accross, or if
you are felling adventourous, use your old drive as teh primary drive, and the SATA as a secondary drive.

[pegase]

Other possibility: hook your old HD on another machine and transfer the relevant data through network.

Take care with ghost
It is nice to make an image of a whole disk for repeated installations on SAME MACHINE MODEL. If you make an image of your old HD
and read it back on the new one, you go to a big mess. More likely the version of Windows are different and Load of system files and
drivers depent on your hardware. so if you replace those working on your new machine with those working in the previous... No way.

I such cases I use to do the following: use my old disk as additionnal HD and pick one after the other the installation files, the
documents, souce files etc. or, if it is too difficult to hook the old disk, make a network link.