Rangerland Forum Information

[Pymonte]

So, anyone know how to get data off of a crashed hard drive without spending two grand?

[Sed]

Just to revive an issue we've discussed roughly 1045 times here on this forum.

I'm thinking about buying a new laptop. My previous laptop is about six years old, worn to bits, and the display screen just cut out, rendering it useless as a laptop. Fixing it is probably not an option because it would require both an internal and external repair: the bridge between the screen and the keyboard/computer center is cracked and missing, which exposed the wire connecting the two -- I imagine that the wire shorted, so to fix things they would both need to both replace the wire and fix the bridge with replacement parts. I'd estimate the repair at about two hundred dollars, which is a lot to pay for a computer with outdated software and hardware, missing keys, cracked frame, glitched sound, and the occasional crash/reboot error. I was going to buy a new laptop in the next six months anyway, so this only quickens the process.

What do people like? I'm getting a PC and won't even consider a Mac because I'm cranky and stubborn. I use my computer only for minimal functions: web, email, Word, music storage and occasional gaming. I want something durable, reliable, user friendly (but not overloaded with retarded crap). It doesn't have to be ultrafast, but I want to incorporate it into some of the work that I do. The wireless network for it is my own home, of which I'm the only user. Storage capacity is important, though that's just a matter of harddrive selection.

Do people like the Dell Inspirons? Seems like the logical choice right now. The previous laptop was a Toshiba Tecra, and to be honest I'm feeling loyal to them because, overall, it was a good machine. The problem is that the Tecra's are expensive and I'm not sure that the extra cost amount to much in terms of production.

If you can swing it, you might look into a tablet pc - I just got one from work to replace my aged laptop, and I don't know how I ever got along without it.

[Rick91981]

So, anyone know how to get data off of a crashed hard drive without spending two grand?

How crashed are we talking about? Does Windows just not boot, or does the drive make scratching/clunking or otherwise funky sounds? Does the drive even spin up? More detail needed.

[Pymonte]

No weird noises or anything, it just doesn't activate the drive on the computer. It turns on, but the drive isn't recognized.

[Rick91981]

No weird noises or anything, it just doesn't activate the drive on the computer. It turns on, but the drive isn't recognized.

Is this a main drive that Windows is on or is it a secondary data drive? Were and changes made in the hardware configuration lately?

[S.D.Willie]

i have a program that could be used but the drive literally has to be in SOME working capacity. At least if the bios recognizes it. A trick I've used before which works sometimes is to stick it in the freezer for a bit then hook it up to the pc. Then again, this might not work. But hooking it up as a slave in a system is highly recommended if possible. Also, at least hold the drive in your hand when you power up the pc. If its alive in the least bit you will feel it try to spin up and vibrate in your hand. If you feel nothing at all that's not a good sign. I wouldnt rule out a bad disk controller on the main board either, it happens. Could try the other one to verify if possible.

This post has been edited by S.D.Willie: Jul 29 2009, 08:50 PM

[leedsy99]

Bought an HP Pavilion dv6, which is pretty sweet though annoying at first as you have to adjust everything. The only complaint I heard about it were fingerprint marks. "Fingerprints?" I thought, "You guys must be kidding." They aren't kidding. I've had this thing for an hour and it looks like the CSI team just swept it.

[Rick91981]

i have a program that could be used but the drive literally has to be in SOME working capacity. At least if the bios recognizes it. A trick I've used before which works sometimes is to stick it in the freezer for a bit then hook it up to the pc. Then again, this might not work. But hooking it up as a slave in a system is highly recommended if possible. Also, at least hold the drive in your hand when you power up the pc. If its alive in the least bit you will feel it try to spin up and vibrate in your hand. If you feel nothing at all that's not a good sign. I wouldnt rule out a bad disk controller on the main board either, it happens. Could try the other one to verify if possible.

Yep I have some programs that are good too, that's why I am trying to find out more details of whats wrong with the drive. If the drive is completely dead and will not spin up then the only option is to send it off to a data recovery specialist who will open it up in a clean room and send you a bill for several thousand dollars.. Ha

[Rick91981]

Bought an HP Pavilion dv6, which is pretty sweet though annoying at first as you have to adjust everything. The only complaint I heard about it were fingerprint marks. "Fingerprints?" I thought, "You guys must be kidding." They aren't kidding. I've had this thing for an hour and it looks like the CSI team just swept it.

That is a big problem with alot of laptops lately. They make them shiny for aesthetic reasons but the big drawback is they become a fingerprint magnet. Just get yourself a no lint lens cloth to wipe it down with.

[S.D.Willie]

Yep I have some programs that are good too, that's why I am trying to find out more details of whats wrong with the drive. If the drive is completely dead and will not spin up then the only option is to send it off to a data recovery specialist who will open it up in a clean room and send you a bill for several thousand dollars.. Ha

Or better yet i could open up the hard drive in a dirty room in my basement, only charge 200 bucks and I can absolutely guarantee that it wont work when i put it back together for him. oh oh oh, but after wards ill have some really cool magnets to throw around my room at work.



This post has been edited by S.D.Willie: Jul 29 2009, 09:05 PM

[Rick91981]

Or better yet i could open up the hard drive in a dirty room in my basement, only charge 200 bucks and I can absolutely guarantee that it wont work when i put it back together for him. oh oh oh, but after wards ill have some really cool magnets to throw around my room at work.

Now that sounds like the better plan to me! Those magnets are amazingly strong!

[Pymonte]

Is this a main drive that Windows is on or is it a secondary data drive? Were and changes made in the hardware configuration lately?

It's a main drive, but it's on a mac, with no changes in configuration recently. It's weird, man.

[Rick91981]

It's a main drive, but it's on a mac, with no changes in configuration recently. It's weird, man.

Eh if were talking Mac, you may want to summon GK as I have very little experience with them.

[Lester Patrick]

The other day I was reading about the pros and cons of the different web browsers, so I decided to try out a few others. Well, a problem has arisen with Chrome that I do not have on the others.

With the numeric keypad, if you look at the numbers 2,4,6 & 8 you see directional arrows on them. Well, with Chrome those arrows are activated. I have to stop and deliberately hit the key 2 or 3 times in order for the number to register. The num lock light is on, but the caps lock and scroll lock are not.

I also notice a similar problem with the mouse (in Chrome). If you are scrolling slowly with the wheel, every now and then, while scrolling down, the picture will all of a sudden scroll up when you are moving the wheel down.

A friend suggested powering down the computer, disconnecting the mouse and keyboard for a minute, reconnect and then power up again, but that did not solve the problem.

An unused computer at a job I used to have had the same problem. Any ideas?

[Giac]

An unused computer at a job I used to have had the same problem. Any ideas?

Just sayin'.......

[Andy from the LE...]

I'm looking to network my existing desktop with a brand spanking new desktop given to me and the Missus by her parents (long story).

Here are my stupid newb-to-anything-more-advanced-than-a-cellphone questions:

1) I'd like to also network my wireless-equipped Laptop. What kind of gear would I need? A Linksys box?

2) how do I connect all this stuff?

3) How do i integrate my printer into this?

thanks...

[Giac]

Andy, I have a desktop and my wife has a laptop. We use a Linksys wireless router for the computers to the modem, and a Liksys wireless printer router so we can both print off the one printer we use. I know some folks here don't seem to like Linksys, but they work fine for my needs.

I was able to install both just by following the directions that came with each device, and they work very well for us. One hint, though -- you'll definitely want to make your home network a secure (encrypted) network. It's easy to do (again, by follwoing the directions). Otherwise anyone else in your immediate area with wireless will be able to piggyback off your internet access, and could possibly get into your computer and files.

[Rick91981]

The other day I was reading about the pros and cons of the different web browsers, so I decided to try out a few others. Well, a problem has arisen with Chrome that I do not have on the others.

With the numeric keypad, if you look at the numbers 2,4,6 & 8 you see directional arrows on them. Well, with Chrome those arrows are activated. I have to stop and deliberately hit the key 2 or 3 times in order for the number to register. The num lock light is on, but the caps lock and scroll lock are not.

I also notice a similar problem with the mouse (in Chrome). If you are scrolling slowly with the wheel, every now and then, while scrolling down, the picture will all of a sudden scroll up when you are moving the wheel down.

A friend suggested powering down the computer, disconnecting the mouse and keyboard for a minute, reconnect and then power up again, but that did not solve the problem.

An unused computer at a job I used to have had the same problem. Any ideas?

Sounds like a bug within Chrome.

[Rick91981]

I'm looking to network my existing desktop with a brand spanking new desktop given to me and the Missus by her parents (long story).

Here are my stupid newb-to-anything-more-advanced-than-a-cellphone questions:

1) I'd like to also network my wireless-equipped Laptop. What kind of gear would I need? A Linksys box?

2) how do I connect all this stuff?

3) How do i integrate my printer into this?

thanks...

You will need a router that supports wireless. Basically 99% of the ones on the market do. Take your pick of brands, Linksys, Netgear, D-link, etc. Personally I always use the Linksys ones.

To connect the stuff, you will need to either have a wireless card in each machine, or have it wired using an ethernet cable. Typically I prefer desktops to be hardwired and laptops to be wireless but there are no rules to that. To set it all up you will need to connect the modem to the uplink port on the router(this will be a port that is seperated from the rest of the ports, but will look the same). And computers that will be wired, will also be plugged into this device, but will be plugged into (any of) the ports that are grouped together. This will make more sense when you look at the pic below.




Next, as Giac said, you you will need to configure the router for security purposes. It will work just as is, but anyone would be able to use it. I will go into more detail with this once you buy the router and let me know what brand/model it is that way I can be more specific in my instructions. A brief overview is you will log into it, change the administrator password, change the SSID, and setup a WEP(or WPA) code. It's alot easier than it sounds.

As far as your printer, what model is the printer? If it is newer, it is entirely possible that it is a network ready printer and all you need to do is plug it in and it will automatically obtain an IP address. Then install the network software which will find the printer automatically and thats it. If the printer is not network ready, then you will need to purchase a print server. They range in price but will definitely be under $100. Expect to pay in the $50-$75 range for a decent one. This will be a little more convoluted than if the printer is network ready but it still isn't terribly difficult.

Let me know when you get the equipment and what you get and I will be able to give you better instructions.

[Andy from the LE...]

Thanks guys! I plan on getting the stuff in a week. As for my printer, I have an HP c4480...I'll check if it has what you guys were asking about...

[Rick91981]

I looked up that model and unfortunately, it is not a networkable printer, so you will need to get a print server if you want it to be usable by every machine. Unless you connect it to a machine that is always on and you enable sharing, but that can be a bit unreliable, especially if you have Home version of Windows and not Pro/Business/Enterprise versions.

[Lester Patrick]

Sounds like a bug within Chrome.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the computer at work had the problem with IE.

[Rick91981]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the computer at work had the problem with IE.

Then I haven't a clue. Sorry. I did a quick search and couldn't find much on the issue. Take a look at the Chrome knowledgebase maybe you can find some asnwers there. http://www.google.com/support/chrome/?hl=en

[Andy from the LE...]

Bumping this thread because I'm (FINALLY!) getting the hardware this coming week.

Quick question though: I need, ASAP a decent VGA switch box (to switch between two laptops to one output). Any recomendations? I saw some cheapo ones on amazon, but I hear that bad ones distort the signal. Any advice?

[Rick91981]

Bumping this thread because I'm (FINALLY!) getting the hardware this coming week.

Quick question though: I need, ASAP a decent VGA switch box (to switch between two laptops to one output). Any recomendations? I saw some cheapo ones on amazon, but I hear that bad ones distort the signal. Any advice?

Best bet would be looking into a cheap KVM(Keyboard/Video/Mouse) and just use the V part of it. Something along the lines of this should be ok. The cheap ones can be flaky(not so much as video distortion, more along the lines of not functioning), but Belkin makes pretty solid products in general. Your other option is to go high end. We typically sell our customers Avocent KVMs but those can be several hundred dependent on the model, but I think that might be overkill.



After tomorrow night, I will be away for a week and have little to no internet access, so if you need help hopefully someone else can jump in and help you out.

This post has been edited by Rick91981: Aug 20 2009, 06:17 PM

[Alitaki]

We're getting some old drives ready for degaussing and disposal as they're either too small or older IDE drives and all our new machines are using SATA. So I'm getting them together to send out and I find two drives that the manufacturer has listed as 80GB drives. The HP sticker though has them at 40GB. I tossed them onto my external USB adaptor and sure enough they're reading 40GB. Any idea how (or if) I can get these drives to be 80's again? I can't imagine HP removes a plate from the drive so they must do something to get them to read 40.

I've used disk management in Win7 to blow out the partition but that still only shows 40 GB of available to create a new partition on. Have you ever seen this?
I'm going to try throwing the drive into a machine as a primary and boot up with partition magic. we'll see what happens.

This post has been edited by Alitaki: Aug 26 2009, 03:13 PM

[HDH]

We're getting some old drives ready for degaussing and disposal as they're either too small or older IDE drives and all our new machines are using SATA. So I'm getting them together to send out and I find two drives that the manufacturer has listed as 80GB drives. The HP sticker though has them at 40GB. I tossed them onto my external USB adaptor and sure enough they're reading 40GB. Any idea how (or if) I can get these drives to be 80's again? I can't imagine HP removes a plate from the drive so they must do something to get them to read 40.

I've used disk management in Win7 to blow out the partition but that still only shows 40 GB of available to create a new partition on. Have you ever seen this?
I'm going to try throwing the drive into a machine as a primary and boot up with partition magic. we'll see what happens.

U r gay.

[Sed]

U r gay.

[Rick91981]

We're getting some old drives ready for degaussing and disposal as they're either too small or older IDE drives and all our new machines are using SATA. So I'm getting them together to send out and I find two drives that the manufacturer has listed as 80GB drives. The HP sticker though has them at 40GB. I tossed them onto my external USB adaptor and sure enough they're reading 40GB. Any idea how (or if) I can get these drives to be 80's again? I can't imagine HP removes a plate from the drive so they must do something to get them to read 40.

I've used disk management in Win7 to blow out the partition but that still only shows 40 GB of available to create a new partition on. Have you ever seen this?
I'm going to try throwing the drive into a machine as a primary and boot up with partition magic. we'll see what happens.

Try going to the drive manufacturers website and see if they have any drivetools available that may be able to work. They may have hidden partitions or something to that sort.

[Rhino]

Okay professor Rick, now I have a question for you. I have a Linksys wireless B router in my house. I had signal problems in my old place and now I have signal problems in my new place, too. We keep the router in the office but the wifi is mainly needed in the living room (a couple of rooms away). I recently bought an antenna to extend the range. It has helped a little, but has not totally solved the problem. My question is would I benefit by switching to a wireless G router, or will the problem persist? Thanks in advance.

[Rick91981]

Okay professor Rick, now I have a question for you. I have a Linksys wireless B router in my house. I had signal problems in my old place and now I have signal problems in my new place, too. We keep the router in the office but the wifi is mainly needed in the living room (a couple of rooms away). I recently bought an antenna to extend the range. It has helped a little, but has not totally solved the problem. My question is would I benefit by switching to a wireless G router, or will the problem persist? Thanks in advance.

The range is effected by a lot of things such as the walls or other wireless interference in the area such as cordless phones microwaves etc. It could possibly help with the range, but the max theoretical range of both b and g are the same (150 ft, but don't ever expect to get that much) so don't count on it. You could try to change the channel that the wireless signal is operating on to possibly cut out some interference. But b is so outdated I would recommend upgrading to a g for speed purposes as long as your computer has a card capable of g.

If you need to extend your range, you can install a 3rd party firmware onto the router, such as dd-wrt, which will give you an option to boost the output power, thus extending your range. Be careful not to push it too far though as you could fry the router. Find more info here.

[Rhino]

The range is effected by a lot of things such as the walls or other wireless interference in the area such as cordless phones microwaves etc. It could possibly help with the range, but the max theoretical range of both b and g are the same (150 ft, but don't ever expect to get that much) so don't count on it. You could try to change the channel that the wireless signal is operating on to possibly cut out some interference. But b is so outdated I would recommend upgrading to a g for speed purposes as long as your computer has a card capable of g.

If you need to extend your range, you can install a 3rd party firmware onto the router, such as dd-wrt, which will give you an option to boost the output power, thus extending your range. Be careful not to push it too far though as you could fry the router. Find more info here.

Cool, I'll look into it. Thanks again Rick.

[Rick91981]

Always glad to help out.

[Kusand]

Rick, I get lots of wireless interference from over 18 different wireless networks I can detect from my bedroom. How can I make routers competing for vital airspace explode spontaneously?

[Rick91981]

Rick, I get lots of wireless interference from over 18 different wireless networks I can detect from my bedroom. How can I make routers competing for vital airspace explode spontaneously?

No spontaneous explosions possible. That feature will not be available until the wireless z standard.

[steamroller]

Weird question: When my windows 7 goes to from Screen Saver to sleep/energy saving, it hangs when I put it on. Any clue where im going wrong?

[Rick91981]

Weird question: When my windows 7 goes to from Screen Saver to sleep/energy saving, it hangs when I put it on. Any clue where im going wrong?

Is it going into sleep mode, or hibernate? Hibernate can take several seconds to come back from.

[BoomStrakaLaka]

I am looking for a little help in purchasing a netbook. I am a high school teacher, and I am looking for a convenient laptop to utilize at my school. I am trying to buy a netbook that costs $400 max, since I already have a decently strong PC at home. It's not like this will be my main PC, nor would I expect it to. That being said, I dont want something that is extremely limited in its performance.

I am trying to buy one from Sears. I have had a Sony credit card for a year and a half, so I have accumulated over $200 in rewards points. I can use those points to get 2-$100 gift cards to Sears. Hence, why I am buying it from Sears.

I did some searching on here if anyone has asked similar questions. I noticed Rick's advice to check out notebookreview.com. It seems to be very helpful.

The ASUS PC1005HA seems to have gotten very good reviews. It ranks high on notebookreview's performance evaluation. Here's my predicament. NR's review was done on a netbook with an Atom N280 processor. It seems Sears sells different 1005HA submodels (did i make up that word?). Some of them have a N270 processor. The one with the N270 is $60 cheaper.

How much of a difference is there between the Atom 270 and the 280? Is it worth the $60?

Also, if anyone has any advice they would like to add, I would be extremely grateful. Thanks guys.

[steamroller]

Is it going into sleep mode, or hibernate? Hibernate can take several seconds to come back from.

Seems like sleep, it comes on then just locks up. Comes back after a while.

[Rick91981]

I am looking for a little help in purchasing a netbook. I am a high school teacher, and I am looking for a convenient laptop to utilize at my school. I am trying to buy a netbook that costs $400 max, since I already have a decently strong PC at home. It's not like this will be my main PC, nor would I expect it to. That being said, I dont want something that is extremely limited in its performance.

I am trying to buy one from Sears. I have had a Sony credit card for a year and a half, so I have accumulated over $200 in rewards points. I can use those points to get 2-$100 gift cards to Sears. Hence, why I am buying it from Sears.

I did some searching on here if anyone has asked similar questions. I noticed Rick's advice to check out notebookreview.com. It seems to be very helpful.

The ASUS PC1005HA seems to have gotten very good reviews. It ranks high on notebookreview's performance evaluation. Here's my predicament. NR's review was done on a netbook with an Atom N280 processor. It seems Sears sells different 1005HA submodels (did i make up that word?). Some of them have a N270 processor. The one with the N270 is $60 cheaper.

How much of a difference is there between the Atom 270 and the 280? Is it worth the $60?

Also, if anyone has any advice they would like to add, I would be extremely grateful. Thanks guys.

If you don't want something that is extremely limited in performance then don't get a netbook. They are very underpowered and strictly for email and internet. Anything more demanding than that will really tax the machine. If you can up your price range to $500 or $600 then you can get a very halfway decent laptop.

[Rick91981]

Seems like sleep, it comes on then just locks up. Comes back after a while.

Hard to say what's going on. Could be any number of things. First thing I would do is eliminate all unnecesary processes that are running and see if the problem repeats. If that works, then you need to go through them one at a time to find out which it is. I would also drill deep down into the power settings and see what its doing. If it is turning off the harddrive, that takes several seconds to spin back up and could be a factor.

[steamroller]

Hard to say what's going on. Could be any number of things. First thing I would do is eliminate all unnecesary processes that are running and see if the problem repeats. If that works, then you need to go through them one at a time to find out which it is. I would also drill deep down into the power settings and see what its doing. If it is turning off the harddrive, that takes several seconds to spin back up and could be a factor.

Thanks ill have a look at the processes (i have suspects)and then harddrive situation. Im not too concerned, ive changed some of the settings already.

[BoomStrakaLaka]

If you don't want something that is extremely limited in performance then don't get a netbook. They are very underpowered and strictly for email and internet. Anything more demanding than that will really tax the machine. If you can up your price range to $500 or $600 then you can get a very halfway decent laptop.

Thank you for your response, Rick. I agree with what you are saying. However, what I like about netbooks is their light weight. Can a laptop in the price range you mentioned be as light as a netbook? I will be carrying around a bag that will a decent amount of papers, books, and such. I dont want to add too much weight.

[Rick91981]

Thank you for your response, Rick. I agree with what you are saying. However, what I like about netbooks is their light weight. Can a laptop in the price range you mentioned be as light as a netbook? I will be carrying around a bag that will a decent amount of papers, books, and such. I dont want to add too much weight.

No laptop would be as light as a netbook. Netbooks have small screens which in turn makes them smaller and lighter, so no, you can not get one that light in that range. Netbooks are great, but could never serve as a replacement for a laptop unless all you do is email and internet. Even word processing on it is a slow task. It handles it fine, but programs are slow to load, etc. Really it depends on what your needs are for it.

[BoomStrakaLaka]

[quote name='Rick91981' date='Aug 31 2009, 10:59 PM' post='272971']
No laptop would be as light as a netbook. Netbooks have small screens which in turn makes them smaller and lighter, so no, you can not get one that light in that range. Netbooks are great, but could never serve as a replacement for a laptop unless all you do is email and internet. Even word processing on it is a slow task. It handles it fine, but programs are slow to load, etc. Really it depends on what your needs are for it.
[/quote

Understood. I guess it would be foolish for me to get one, especially if word processing is slow and I have a blackberry. I suppose I will re-analyze my budget. Thank you for your input.

[Rick91981]

Understood. I guess it would be foolish for me to get one, especially if word processing is slow and I have a blackberry. I suppose I will re-analyze my budget. Thank you for your input.

No problem, always happy to help when I can. It isn't foolish to get one as long as you understand the limitations. It is only foolish if you think you can use it as you would a laptop.

[elessar]

My @ key is replaced with the " key the "key is replaced with the [ key it goes on and on. I tried a virus scan nothing came up. Please Help.

Obviously i am on another computer

[Rick91981]

My @ key is replaced with the " key the "key is replaced with the [ key it goes on and on. I tried a virus scan nothing came up. Please Help.

Obviously i am on another computer

OK new rule folks, if you don't give me pertinent information such as what operating system and any other details you think I should know, then questions will be ignored until the information is provided!



As for the problem at hand, it sounds like it could be some form of Malware. I would download and install here and run a quick scan. Fix any problems it finds and report back.

[elessar]

Sorry, it is windows vista hp pavillion notebook

[Rick91981]

Sorry, it is windows vista hp pavillion notebook

Wasn't trying to be mean, it is just very difficult to help people without knowing the details.

First I would scan with malwarebytes as described above. If that does not work, go into your control panel. Double click on region and language settings. Click the keyboard and languages tab. Click the change keyboard button. Does the default language show up as English US? In the bottom half on the installed services section, you should see a section for keyboard and underthat it should say US. Click on the US and then click the properties button to the right. It should come up with a keyboard layout. Does it look correct?