eh...

[basshero1107]

soooo....my PC crashed.
it will still start up long enough for me to start itunes but it shuts off after like 45 seconds.
lucky for me, i didnt backup my hard drive. i have a mac that i want to put all my music on but i dont know if it is possible.

[Jiggybass]

If it's 100% the hard drive the problem, you can throw it in the freezer for a while. It should work one last time, and you can then transfer however much possible onto an external HD. It's worked for me before.

[selfblessed]

Originally Posted by Jiggybass

If it's 100% the hard drive the problem, you can throw it in the freezer for a while. It should work one last time, and you can then transfer however much possible onto an external HD. It's worked for me before.

I would really like to hear the theory behind this one.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by basshero1107

soooo....my PC crashed.
it will still start up long enough for me to start itunes but it shuts off after like 45 seconds.

Sounds like a power supply problem. Shouldn't be too bad to get it checked out and fixed.

[Jiggybass]

Originally Posted by selfblessed

I would really like to hear the theory behind this one.

Google it, you'll find a bunch on it, not sure why it works, but it seems to in a bunch of cases.

[Mazatleco17]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Sounds like a power supply problem. Shouldn't be too bad to get it checked out and fixed.

Or overheating.

[deggial]

If the hard disk has no problem, you can simply buy a USB external hard disk case so that you can transfer your data to your Mac.

As for the problem itself, it does indeed seem either as a power supply issue or overheating. Overheating is usually easy to figure out, as long as the motherboard provides some form of hardware monitoring. When you boot up your PC, enter the BIOS and check if it has a utility named 'Hardware monitor' and check CPU's temperature and if the CPU fan is working. Any CPU temperatures above 85-90 degrees Celcius are dangerously high.

In any case, I suggest you always use a scheduled backup utility that automatically backs up all your data in an external hard disk drive. In Macs, this is easily done with Time Machine. In PCs, the best solution is probably a software called TrueImage.

-----------------------


On freezing hard disks: if it's not completely a myth (1, 2, 3), there is a high chance of causing further damage. Unless someone is desperate enough and cannot afford professional data recovery, I wouldn't recommend it.

[basshero1107]

is it possible to transfer files via ethernet cable or firewire WHILE the PC is turned off? if so, how? i cant keep the pc on long enough to transfer anything. it gives me a dark blue screen saying something like:

"P: c000021a {Fatal System Error}
The Windows Logon Process system process terminated unexpectedly with a status
xc0000005 (0x00000000 0x00000000).
The system has been shutdown."

The screen cuts off the first few letters of each line for some reason so this isnt the complete message.


I have NO EARTHLY idea what that could mean but im positive its not overheating or power failure cuz im running a few other things through this same power strip and ive taken them all off and the PC still does this. help please!

[Trevor.A]

Check here.
Good news is that it's very unlikely that your HDD failed, sounds like a software error or something. All your data should be recoverable.
Did you install anything or make any changes before the crash? Do you have Windows Update on automatic, maybe it installed an update silently that could've done this...?
Can you boot into safe mode at all? If not, load a Windows CD and enter the recovery console and run 'fixboot', it may help.
You are getting the Windows loading splash screen, right? It just blue screens after you've booted up?

EDIT: No, it's not possible to transfer data while the computer is shutdown. You can, however, take the hard drive out and connect it externally or however you want to another computer and copy the data from that. And I doubt it's a PSU error, although those can be obscure and random so I'm hesitating to say that, but if it is, it has nothing to do with your power strip, it's the internal power supply that's failing. If you have another computer that you can borrow the power supply from, that would be the first hardware test I would run besides memory (memtest86+).

[basshero1107]

VICTORY! i successfully got all my music off the pc onto the mac. wasnt too hard...only took 2 HOURS!!! haha. its all good. thanks for the advice guys. no more PC-ing for me. too much trouble.