any computer hardware savvy people in the Ohana?

justleesa · Sep 4, 2006

My lap top is giving me a hard time, I have to wiggle the plug in the socket of the computer for it to work. I have already tried a new plug and it doesn't work at all with that. From what the folks at CompUSA told me the plug it attached to the motherboard and will be trouble....Can some one help me just get the data off for now?

kidspot · Sep 4, 2006

If you want to bring it over here I'll be glad to help ... sry, I'm just being ornery

Do you have a CD burner in it? If so run the files and settings transfer wizard (part of Windows XP) as it does a pretty good job transfering data. Either way you'll have to reinsall programs though.

Best of luck to you.

Aloha, Tim

KrisB · Sep 5, 2006

The hard drive should be removable, and is likely one of a couple standard laptop formats.

What model of laptop is it? Given that, I can give you better instructions as to how to remove it and whether it will just "fit" into another machine.

justleesa · Sep 5, 2006

it is an Acer and sadly I can't even turn it on anymore

diversteve · Sep 5, 2006

Any computer tech can pull the drive and slave it to another computer that you have so you can pull the data off. Even if all you have is a desktop computer. It's probably a 2.5" drive, but the power and drive connectors are standard. Or will be with a cheap adapter cable. Then you can buy a mounting bracket for it and leave it in the other computer as another drive. Store all your images on it or whatever.

Or take it to CompUsa, they can crack it open, remove the drive, slave it to one of their repair pc's and burn your data onto CD's/DVD's. I wouldn't necessarily try to install it in another laptop, they usually only have room for one drive at a time.

Later, if it's a pretty big drive (40-60GB) or so, you can buy a little external drive housing for about $30-40 at CompUsa, install the drive and have a portable external hard drive you can take on trips etc. It's useful for moving lots of data between computers.

KrisB · Sep 6, 2006

My thoughts were more a swap with a working computer -- that way it's the same data, software and settings.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd be trusting CompUSA or similar big-box stores to handle stuff like this -- the ones we have around PG are minimum-wage flunkies that barely know their screwdriver from *ahem*.

www.scubamazing.com · Sep 8, 2006

yeah, you should just be able to put the HardDrive in another computer and take care of it. (LIttle more complicated than this but not much).

I'd think a quick search on the internet could tell you how to do it. I'll try to post some links in an hour or 2.

justleesa · Sep 12, 2006

Thanks for the ideas....I'll see what I am able to do

www.scubamazing.com · Sep 13, 2006

I coudln't find anything specific to an ACER. I found this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Acer_Aspire_9800/9603-3121_7-31958939.html?messageID=2504803

but the only advice for actually removing the hard-drive was: "Then look in your user manual for how to remove the hard drive"

Any chance you still have that manual?

justleesa · Sep 13, 2006

Thanks! I'm sure it's on a disc somewhere...I'll look (might take a bit)

any computer hardware savvy people in the Ohana?

Please register or login

justleesa

Neither here nor there

kidspot

Contributor

KrisB

Contributor

justleesa

Neither here nor there

diversteve

always tired

KrisB

Contributor

www.scubamazing.com

Guest

justleesa

Neither here nor there

www.scubamazing.com

Guest

justleesa

Neither here nor there

Similar threads