Computer Disaster!

[Beelzebub1111]

Okay, so I was on my computer when the power went out. Now, when I turn on my computer, all I get are 6 clicks after the HP logo comes up. then I get a "boot load" error or something like that. on a DOS looking screen. all the while clicking six times over and over again.

[Obrysii]

Sounds like when your power went out, the hard drive crashed (the reader hit the disc) and the drive is dead. The computer is simply going to the BIOS, trying to see the hard drive, and failing. That DOS-like look? That's the BIOS.

[tyckspoon]

all the while clicking six times over and over again

Click of Death. Most often, this means your hard drive has suffered a severe mechanical failure. The error pattern you're getting is the BIOS loading, attempting to access and load the operating system proper, and failing. Your operating system and data you had on that drive is most likely toast. Sorry, dude. Hard drives are fairly cheap these days, and if you remembered to burn down your recovery disc set (and know where they are) you can use those to reload the OS, but you're going to have to reinstall and relocate anything else you had on the system. Hope you didn't have anything absolutely critical without a backup.

[Obrysii]

Click of Death. Most often, this means your hard drive has suffered a severe mechanical failure. The error pattern you're getting is the BIOS loading, attempting to access and load the operating system proper, and failing. Your operating system and data you had on that drive is most likely toast. Sorry, dude. Hard drives are fairly cheap these days, and if you remembered to burn down your recovery disc set (and know where they are) you can use those to reload the OS, but you're going to have to reinstall and relocate anything else you had on the system. Hope you didn't have anything absolutely critical without a backup.

You beat me to it.

Hopefully the OP has a backup copy, because yeah - sounds like his drive is dead. You can do some recovery stuff through a paid service - but it is expensive and the results are not always perfect.

[Beelzebub1111]

Lost my campaign notes and my...personal stuff. my up-to-date resume, but I think I have everything important backed up. Just have to use an old laptop for internet for now.

[thubby]

stop trying to start it, you could be damaging the disk.
if its important enough you can take it to a computer repair place and, if the problem is in the read/write mechanism, recover the data.

[Obrysii]

if its important enough you can take it to a computer repair place and, if the problem is in the read/write mechanism, recover the data.

Note that it will be expensive, and you'll need to reorganize the data.

It's very difficult to completely eliminate data on a hard disk - so much so that a recovery company was able to get useful data off of one of the Space Shuttle Columbia's HDDs...after the hard drive fell out of an exploding space shuttle, reentered Earth's atmosphere (at somewhere around 17,000mph), slammed into the ocean at terminal velocity, and sat at the bottom of the ocean for a few weeks.

[thubby]

Note that it will be expensive, and you'll need to reorganize the data.

It's very difficult to completely eliminate data on a hard disk - so much so that a recovery company was able to get useful data off of one of the Space Shuttle Columbia's HDDs...after the hard drive fell out of an exploding space shuttle, reentered Earth's atmosphere (at somewhere around 17,000mph), slammed into the ocean at terminal velocity, and sat at the bottom of the ocean for a few weeks.

the process they used for that is spectacular overkill. the solution to a problem like the OP describes is usually a matter of unscrewing everything, getting at the disk and transplanting it into a healthy case.

but yes, it can get expensive.

[factotum]

Space Shuttle Columbia's HDDs...after the hard drive fell out of an exploding space shuttle, reentered Earth's atmosphere (at somewhere around 17,000mph), slammed into the ocean at terminal velocity, and sat at the bottom of the ocean for a few weeks.

Er, that's a slight exaggeration. Columbia was already in the atmosphere and decelerating strongly when the disaster happened, and she most certainly didn't explode--she lost a wing, causing her to slew sideways at Mach 18 or thereabouts, thus causing aerodynamic forces to tear the ship apart. Also, all the parts that came off her landed on land, since she broke up over Texas.

Or are you talking about Challenger? She wasn't even out of the atmosphere when she broke up (that happened at about 48,000 feet), and while the flames and smoke might have looked like a massive explosion, in fact it was also aerodynamic forces that did for that Shuttle too.

[Beelzebub1111]

the process they used for that is spectacular overkill. the solution to a problem like the OP describes is usually a matter of unscrewing everything, getting at the disk and transplanting it into a healthy case.

but yes, it can get expensive.

how expensive? New computer expensive?

[thubby]

how expensive? New computer expensive?

its over $100. (specifics depend on the place and the damage)
its probably more expensive than a new HD, and you'll need a new one anyway. so its a question of how much the data on it is worth to you.

if all you're losing is your browser favorites and some game files, it's definitely not worth it.

[shawnhcorey]

Talk to your geeky Linux friends. They may be able to remove your data using a LiveUSB (or LiveDVD or LiveCD).

[Obrysii]

Er, that's a slight exaggeration.

Er, does that matter?

Ok. So it survived an exploding ("disintegrating" if you'd like to nitpick details) shuttle as it was reentering Earth's atmosphere, plunged tens of thousands of feet to hit the Earth at terminal velocity, spent six months outside exposed to the elements ... and they were still able to extract data.

So the details were wrong, but my point still stands: it takes A LOT before a hard drive is totally destroyed to the point where no data extraction can occur.

[lesser_minion]

Talk to your geeky Linux friends. They may be able to remove your data using a LiveUSB (or LiveDVD or LiveCD).

Erm... how? It's physical damage to the hard disk.

I guess it's possible that booting off a Linux LiveCD will cause his computer to miraculously heal itself by the divine grace of the Most Benevolent Kernel Devs, but I don't think that's ever happened before.

[shawnhcorey]

Erm... how? It's physical damage to the hard disk.

I guess it's possible that booting off a Linux LiveCD will cause his computer to miraculously heal itself by the divine grace of the Most Benevolent Kernel Devs, but I don't think that's ever happened before.

Usually when a hard disk fails, only one track is involved; in this case, the boot track. You can still mount the partitions if the partition map is intact. You won't know this until you try.

[lesser_minion]

Usually when a hard disk fails, only one track is involved; in this case, the boot track. You can still mount the partitions if the partition map is intact. You won't know this until you try.

Hmm... OK. I'm not a hardware expert, so I'll take your word for it.

[Friv]

Hmm... OK. I'm not a hardware expert, so I'll take your word for it.

Yeah, that happened to me once. I had a boot drive that failed, and I was able to plug the hard drive into my friend's computer, copy all of the information on it onto an external hard drive, and keep all of my information when I rebooted.

So definitely give it a shot, OP. You'll still need a new hard drive, but all of your stuff could still be there.

[Phishfood]

Talk to your geeky Linux friends. They may be able to remove your data using a LiveUSB (or LiveDVD or LiveCD).

Maybe. Given the clicking sound I would guess that the motor to spin the platter(s) has gone and the clicking is the head trying to scan a dead disc.

Recovery of these things can vary, we were quoted £300 to recover a disc but that was a dropped disc.

Trouble is to do any work on a hard drive you need a clean room, but once you have that its relatively simple to transfer the platters to a new hard drive casing and retrieve data.

Do try a live CD first, its free. If you want a basic test you could shove the windows install disc in and see if it can detect the drive. That would tell you if the drive is physically working.

[shawnhcorey]

A dropped disk that doesn't work usually means the head is a out of alignment. The only way to recover the data would be, as you say, take it part and place it in another enclosure with a new head.

But the OP said the problem was after a power failure. That usually means a head crash, which damage part of the disk, in this case, most likely the boot track. Simply by booting from another source and mounting the disk can determine if the partition map and file system are still intact. If so, just copy everything to somewhere else.