Windows won't start up - Bad hard drive and/or Windows

[admin]

Originally Posted by Rippera

Should I try to re install Hoster? If so, should I do it buy control panel, add remove programs, ect... This will not remove my kma files right I've never had to do anything to hoster... It has always performed flawless for me since I've bought it...

I would never use Control panel to remove Hoster. Simply run the Hoster Installation program (hoster3312setup.exe) and choose REPAIR or REMOVE. Choose Repair and it will reinstall all the program. Use REMOVE if you ever need to remove it.

Uninstalling a program can only remove what it installed. Anything created when the application runs cannot be removed by uninstalling. Specifically, your KMA files cannot be removed by uninstalling.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by gpayne

I have had problems like this from time to time. What I generaly do is
re-seat the cables to my hard drives. Sometimes what is really happening is just a loose connection so windows can not find your hard drive. It comes up and says something like it can't find the operating system or no bootable drive etc. but what is really happening is it can't find the drive because of the loose connection. I have done this many times. It might have something to do with moving the computer from place to place or from being in a cold place then moving to a warm place etc. Since I stopped using my home computer for the show computer. I have not had this problem. Your original drive may not be bad. It might be that all you need do is hook it back up.

i never thought of that..but anyway my laptop is built into a case along with my board and ext. drive and my plextor drive, all i had to do is t/on the power and hooked up my speaker cables..i guessed i panicked when all these stuff started happening..and these happened once so often..if i re-seat my old drive and take out the new one do i have to re-install windows and drivers again on the new one if it the old drive doesnt worked? thanks..im in no hurry since i have a back-up ( bought it about 2 mos. ago ) which i am using till i get the other laptop i ordered supposed to be here monday nov. 13..

[gpayne]

You should not have to do anything. You should be able to hook up either drive if the operating system is good on both drives. The only difference would be that the contents of the drives would not be identical. I would intall the old drive and if everything works then just reformat it and keep it for a spare since you have already intalled a new drive and reinstalled the software. If there is really nothing wrong with the original drive everything should work as it did before. I am assuming that this was the "C" drive. (The drive that had the operating system on it.(Windows).) I must admit that I thought you were talking about a desktop or tower type computer though. I did not understand that you had two laptops. My experience was with a tower type computer case.

gpayne

[ddouglass]

I believe he would have to take the original drive to a laptop repair facility to get it reformatted, but you are correct the original should come up with no problems if it is still good as suggested here.

[Rippera]

I installed the SP2 updates and it seems to be working fine now... Thank God!!! I have everything backed up on my external HD (Just the KMA files though should I back up anything else?) Not sure what the problem was but hopefully it has been fixed... I am also running a disc clean up and defrag currently... That won't hurt any thing will it?

Ripper

[billyo]

Originally Posted by gpayne

You should not have to do anything. You should be able to hook up either drive if the operating system is good on both drives. The only difference would be that the contents of the drives would not be identical. I would intall the old drive and if everything works then just reformat it and keep it for a spare since you have already intalled a new drive and reinstalled the software. If there is really nothing wrong with the original drive everything should work as it did before. I am assuming that this was the "C" drive. (The drive that had the operating system on it.(Windows).) I must admit that I thought you were talking about a desktop or tower type computer though. I did not understand that you had two laptops. My experience was with a tower type computer case.

gpayne

wished i could still do that..i might have tossed the old drive away..tried to look for it it's gone.it's password protected anyway so i hoped if someone else finds it in a dump site it wont be operable anymore..hopefully from the moisture..

[ddouglass]

Billyo,
I never throw a hard drive away without at least smashing it up to make it unusable. You have no idea how much personal information can get cached on those drives!

[George]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Billyo,
I never throw a hard drive away without at least smashing it up to make it unusable. You have no idea how much personal information can get cached on those drives!

Right on

All passwords do is make us feel secure by keeping our equally pc ignorant
contemporaries out of our syetem...but block a person with the savvy?

Consider for a moment how many times Microsoft with all their resources have been hacked into. If they with their millions can't be secure, I wouldn't rely too heavily on a $100.00 program, with a built in password to do the job.

Don't get me wrong I still use Norton Internet Security, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

Virus and spyware protection I believe is a different story...they do work...I hope.

Just my humble take on the whole thing.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Billyo,
I never throw a hard drive away without at least smashing it up to make it unusable. You have no idea how much personal information can get cached on those drives!

i realized that now..i feel so ignorant but anyway its done and i cant do nothing about now..just hoping that the hardrive is unoperable anymore and went through the compactor..