[brown2808]

My old computer would shut off on it's own. I normally leave my computers on continuously unless a restart is needed. It started shutting off on it's own and now when I try to turn it on it will not boot up. I get to the screen where I can choose several options such as safe mode, normal restart, etc. and it doesn't matter which one I choose it will get to the point where a Windows progress bar shows at the bottom then shuts back down and will go no further.

I have a lot of stuff on the hard drive which I would like to retrieve. Including family pictures and videos, songs, saved emails, etc. I would also like to save some of my old game save files if possible, but this isn't that big of a deal. The family pictures are the most important thing.

I had read somwhere that you can slave the old HD to the new HD and get the files that way. The old HD is a SATA and I do not know how to slave it. Normally I would use flash drives, etc. to transfer the files but this isn't possible as I cannot boot up the comp.

Can someone please help me save the files to my new comp.

Old HD info. - WD3200AAJS - E machines - Vista

New HD info. - Gateway - XP SP3 -
looking at device manager without taking the case apart I find this - WDC WD2500BB-22RDA0

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Get Puppy Linux from my signature below...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd
..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files get Burncdcc from my signature...it is a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....
To change Boot Sequence in your BIOS

Reboot the system and at the first post screen (where it is counting up memory) start tapping the DEL button
This will enter you into the Bios\Cmos area.
Find the Advanced area and click Enter
Look for Boot Sequence or Boot Options and highlight that click Enter
Now highlight the first drive and follow the directions on the bottom of the screen on how to modify it and change it to CDrom.
Change the second drive to the C or Main Drive
Once that is done then click F10 to Save and Exit
You will prompted to enter Y to verify Save and Exit. Click Y and the system will now reboot with the new settings.




Make sure the cd you burned is in the cd drive before clicking Y and then your system will reboot. Puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all your data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...

==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..

Thanks to happyrock

[rshaffer61]

Get Puppy Linux from my signature below...Get puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso download it and burn it to cd
..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files get Burncdcc from my signature...it is a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its puppy-2.16-seamonkey-fulldrivers.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....
To change Boot Sequence in your BIOS

Reboot the system and at the first post screen (where it is counting up memory) start tapping the DEL button
This will enter you into the Bios\Cmos area.
Find the Advanced area and click Enter
Look for Boot Sequence or Boot Options and highlight that click Enter
Now highlight the first drive and follow the directions on the bottom of the screen on how to modify it and change it to CDrom.
Change the second drive to the C or Main Drive
Once that is done then click F10 to Save and Exit
You will prompted to enter Y to verify Save and Exit. Click Y and the system will now reboot with the new settings.




Make sure the cd you burned is in the cd drive before clicking Y and then your system will reboot. Puppy will boot and run totally in ram...if your hardware is is good working order you will know...
after you get it running and your at the desktop...you take the puppy linux cd out and then you can use the burner to copy all your data to cd/dvds
you can also use it to backup your data to a external usb harddrive..just have it hooked to the computer when you boot up with puppy...

==========================
quick guide for saving data...music..files on a system that will not boot using puppy Linux..


after you get to puppy desktop..
click on the drives icon...looks like a flash drive...top row..it will list all the drives connected to

your computer...

click on the red icon for the drive you want to mount...in this case its a flash drive ...puppy will

mount the drive..the drive icon turns green when its mounted...
minimize the drives mounter window..you will need it again in a few minutes..
drag the right edge of it sideways to shrink it to its narrowest size...about half the width of the screen...then drag the window to the right edge of the screen...

now click on the icon that looks like a filing cabinet (kind of yellow) on the main drive...it should
already be green..
you will see a list of all the folders on the main drive Usually your C: drive..shrink that window to
the narrowest you can..about half the width of the screen...drag that window to the left side of the screen...
at this point you should have 2 windows open on your desktop..the flash drive on the right side..
go back to the folders on the C: drive...click on the documents and settings folder...then your user
name or all users..find the folders that has your data..
drag and drop the folder with the data you want to make copies of to the flash drive window...

your options are to move ..copy ect...JUST COPY..if its to big you will have to open the folder and
drag and drop individual files until the flash drive is full...(I have a 120 GB external USB drive for
big data recovery jobs and a 4 GB flash drive for the smaller jobs)..after you get the files copied to
the flash drive...
Click on the drives mounter you minimized earlier
UNMOUNT THE FLASH DRIVE by clicking on the green icon..you will once in awhile get error messages when
unmouting the drive..ignore them..when the flash drive icon turns red again its safe to remove the
flash drive..trot on over (stroll if you want to look cool) to another computer and plug in the flash

drive and copy all the data files ( I drag and drop) to the other computer..
make sure the other computer can read them...

now delete the data on the flash drive...take it back to the misbehaving computer and plug it in

again..click on the drives icon again and repeat until you have all your data transferred to the working
system..

Thanks to happyrock

[brown2808]

downloaded the puppy file.
I dragged it to a blank CD. It coppied to the CD just fine.
followed directions on old comp. It is booting up usind CD drive first.
It still will not boot up.

edit...

NVM ... computer beginer here.
I copied the iso file exactly as is instead of actually burning the image to a disc. Let's try this again.

ok, now it is booting under Puppy. It gets to a screen that looks like a list of different Puppy commands or something. It goes so fast I don't have time to read any of it. Then it shuts completely down as before. I tried 3 times with the same result.

Edited by brown2808, 13 September 2010 - 11:36 AM.

[rshaffer61]

Ok well that tells us something. Since you are not actually using the hd during this then it is not the hd causing the error.
Your issue may be a faulty psu, cpu fan or motherboard.
You could purchase a external hd enclosure and connect it to your other system via usb. This should allow you access tot he data files on the hd so you can either copy them off or burn them to a cd, dvd or flash drive.

Then it shuts completely down as before. I tried 3 times with the same result.

Does it shut down at the same place when booting?
If this is a desktop system you can take the side off [b](Left side looking from the front of the system)[/b/ and turn the system on. Look inside and watch the fan on the cpu. Does it turn on when the power is turned on or is it turning slowly?

[brown2808]

Yeah, it's a desktop. I've had the side panel off, because the first thing I tried was to clean the dust bunnies out of it. The fan is working on the mother board and on the power unit. Not sure what is considered fast. It is fast enough so that I can't distinguish the blades from each other. But it still seems kinda slow to me.

I've got to go to work. I will check back in tomorrow. Thanks so much for your time and for helping.

[rshaffer61]

Have you tried to boot into Safe Mode and if so are the results the same?
When trying safe mode it should scroll through the drivers it is loading. Is there a driver it sticks on and then resets or turns off?

[brown2808]

Sorry about reposting. I wanted to edit my old post but I am doing this from my Blackberry and could not see the edit button.

I am thinking my next option is to buy an adapter and hook the old HD to my new comp via usb port. Does anyone have an idea how much these adapters cost? And I'm assuming this isn't something I can pick up at a local walmart but have to go to a computer specialty store?

[rshaffer61]

Actually from what I see HERE you can buy a 3.5 inch external hd enclosure from walmart.
They look like it will start out at 18.00 USD plus tax with a USB 2.0 connection.
Make sure you get one that matches the type of hd you have either IDE or SATA.

[brown2808]

In response to earlier post, I did try safe mode, normal mode, and every other mode. I also tried to boot from the manufacturer's cd. None of it worked. I'm beginning to agree that it isn't the HD but the cooling fan or the mother board which is the problem.

I'm going to try the external mounting kit. I work 12 hour shifts so it might be this weekend before I can try it. I will update if I'm successful or not.

[rshaffer61]

I also tried to boot from the manufacturer's cd.

Did you make sure the cdrom is the first boot device in the bios?
If not it won't boot to it.