Help, my Quantum Fireball HD died!
I can program anything your heart desires but when it comes to hardware, beyond where to plug it in I don't know jack. So I had started my computer and did whatever it is I do, then I went away for a few hours and left it on. I only ever have 2 things running but I'm not one to like to wait for it to start up. Anywway, I came back and turned on the moniter and there was a message telling me it failed to write to drive C:\. Well, I just turned it off and restarted it because sometimes Windows Me is just like that, but when I turned it back on it told me there was an invalid BOOT diskette and told me to throw one in A:\. This has happened before, and after a few more restarts it went away before...but not this time. It just won't recognize my HD. I put it into other computers and they didn't recognize it, nor could they boot from it.
I gave it to a hardware guy and he said I should get a new card and see if that works. Also, I could send it to somewhere and have the data extracted for a price. Well, it's everything I've programmed, written, composed and digitally drawn for four years plus I'm an insomniac so you can imagine the importance of this vast amount of work. Basicly, if this isn't resolved, I better find a job as a tour musician quick or I'm out of luck. Any help at all would be wonderful. Please don't hesitate to ask questions if I was too vague in some area or another. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Jer
I gave it to a hardware guy and he said I should get a new card and see if that works. Also, I could send it to somewhere and have the data extracted for a price. Well, it's everything I've programmed, written, composed and digitally drawn for four years plus I'm an insomniac so you can imagine the importance of this vast amount of work. Basicly, if this isn't resolved, I better find a job as a tour musician quick or I'm out of luck. Any help at all would be wonderful. Please don't hesitate to ask questions if I was too vague in some area or another. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Jer
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Comments
2nd: download this - it will create a bootable floppy. Boot off the floppy and run the advanced test. It MAY be able to fix your drive long enough to get data off of it.
Try that and report back to us.
beyond what I can do you will pay thousands and thousands of dollars to have the drive taken apart and the platters read.
The less times you even power that thing up the better shot I got. If your not good with hardware and stuff STOP NOW if that data is important to you and box it up and send it to me.
If the drive is pretty functional it may only take a few hours. I had one for a relative of Flinstones that took a friggin WEEK as it kept locking up and hours later restarting.
I did one a few weeks ago for a guy at 2cpu.com that was paniced as it had the only copy of his wedding photo's and stuff. I got it off in a couple hours and the friggin drive would never boot and be recognized again.
Every time you turn the computer on you cut my chances to recover anything on it.
Just stop now and send it to me.
Your lucky as this can be time consuming and I'm expensive. I have been in this buisness over 20 years. But in cases like this for forum members ONLY (and usually only if its an emergency even then AND I happen to have spare time) I usually just work for beer. (grin) And you gotta promise me you will start using a cd writer and back your stuff up! I have bought dvd burners off ebay recently for under 15 bucks a pop that work fine. So there is no excuse not to back stuff up these days. Hard drives die. Even brand new ones croak more then you would think.
If I get your data back you owe me a 6-pack of regular Bud. None of that sorry Lite Beer crap for me. I want the old fashioned fat beer. (big grin)
Otherwise your only out shipping both directions.
If the drive is bad and I get data off I'll burn it to cd's or dvd's... your choice.
You will never in your life get a better offer. Especially as your not a hardware guy.
but every time you hit the power button you are cutting both our throats so just pack it up and send it.
PM or email me for a shipping address and my home phone number. Primesuspect, Shorty, MM and most the mods/admins here know me and will vouch that I am safe to send the drive to for recovery.
Tex
While you wait, contemplate the cost of a back-up system vs the cost of what you may lose. ( 4 years of work). Good luck,
Tex, you da man!
Not sure what type of surgery she had but I have gutted fish that came out looking better then that poor girl Flintstone.
I couldnt see for 5 days after checking that pic so I figured you deserved the same fate after suckering me into recovering that drive for ya.
Don't know what surgery she had but WHY WAS SHE POSING FOR NAKED PICS IN THAT STATE? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I almost up chucked again........
And tell the pilot guy he still owes me the beer... (grin) If he doesnt cough up the beer I am posting naked pics of his wife all over the internet.
Tex
With his home phone and the caption "Hot babe looking for geeky guys"
"I've seen several Quantum Fireball drives die, all within a few days of purchase. I'd never buy one".
THESE ARE OLD DRIVES NOW. When they were made several years ago they were fine drives and were sold in millions of computers.
I have used or supported several hundred and had a handful die in the waranty period.
This is a 15 gb quantom fireball. So its probably 4 to 6 years old.
If you get 3 to 4 years out of most IDE drives ya done good. Count your blessings, backup and move on.
BACKUP your data. There really is a reason to do that.
Tex
Do that, and the data on the drive is FU*KED! Unless Tex has a cleanroom... that'd be mighty handy.