Need help with Computer Crash.
My HP Desk Top Computer crashed. I leave it on all the time but shut off the monitor occasionally. I had shut off my monitor the other night and next morning when booted it up my screen showed up with grey lines running through the whole thing and blurry. I immediately hit CtrAltDelete and it wouldn't shut down. I tried several times and finally just shut it down and restarted thinking I could get back on in Safe Mode, but it wouldn't boot up. I could hear the processor running but I wasn't getting my Windows screen to come up...it was just black. Fooled around with Monitor and it kept saying "No Signal Found."
I unplugged everything and waited about a half hour and restarted everything. Still black screen and I could hear computer fan running but nothing was going on. Tried unplugging and waiting three more times and nothing. I don't think it was a virus because I'd just run Malwarebytes a couple days before and if it was a virus I would have had quirky things going on. So assume it's my Mother Board or CPU.
Here's my problem: I haven't backed up anything in a year or so because my Backup Drive had a problem and I just didn't around to replacing it. I use XP and my HP is about 8 years old so I will need to get all my files off there to put on my new computer I've ordered which has Windows 7 installed.
If my Mother Board or CPU are dead can I still get a Tech Help person to take out my hard drive and install everything the way it was? Or will my files not transfer from XP to Win 7? Also...does your hard drive get destroyed if your Mother Board or CPU stopped working.
I'm not computer savvy enough to open the box and fool around.
Thanks if anyone can help.
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You could have a simple little tiny memory chip that failed on the motherboard.
Or, it could be the video-related chips.
Hearing your fan running means you have power. That's about all we know.
Most likely, your data and files and everything is safe, or with very little damage if any.
I'm betting it is either a failed memory chip, a video chip, or the boot tracks on your hard drive that are no longer available for work today, one of those, probably only one. Most likely, all your files, photos, videos, etc. from your hard drive are there to be found, rescued, put on another drive, ("imaged"
or simply used again on a new machine.
Are you located somewhere where you can take it to a reliable repair location? Someone trustworthy? Someone who specializes in fixing older computers, restoring data?
They can, most likely, diagnose the problem, at least extract your hard drive, probably make a copy of the hard drive, (back-it-up). And then go on to rebuilding your system, from XP to Windows whatever.
They may want to sell you a new computer, with an image of your hard drive transferred onto the new one. And, altho that might sound like a radical step, it doesn't have to be too expensive, they could sell you a rebuilt machine with XP or whatever windows you want, a second "image" of your old hard drive data on it, and you're back in business. Cost of a reliable re-built machine can be as low as $250., plus labor.
As for not backing up your data: no excuses. On-line services, flash drives, all sorts of options available to you. A rule of thumb is once a week, but once a month is better than never, and once a day for someone that relies upon their computer each and every day of the year for work and play.
By the way, how are you posting this on DU? Do you have a second computer? Back-up files from an on-line "cloud" from your old computer can be put on this device. Seldom do people other than photographers or authors and researchers have more than 100GB of real data they need from an old computer put on a newer computer with 300-500GB of space.
You're probably going to be just fine, just out a few hundred dollars for a new motherboard, or new/rebuilt machine, and all the data you want, which, of course YOU WILL REGULARLY BACK UP this time around, right?
Some people hate to spend $$ on a new computer, some hate to spend $50-$60 a year for a an on-line backup service, yet they trade in their 4 year old car on a new one and spend thousands on the new car.
Spending more than $500 on a newer computer needs to be justified, but if the old computer is useless, why not do it? Spending $50-$60 a year on an on-line automatic back-up service, just makes sense. Never be without what you had yesterday, somewhere out there ready to get to again today.
The concept of a cloud is intimidating to many, but most are password protected, and all are encrypted.
The other option, a SSD stand-alone drive, while it sound secure, if your house or office burns to the ground, not much use.
Best option is to have yourself linked to a computer somewhere else, one that you know where it is, at home, at work, at your spouse's home/work, at your son's/daughter's home/work... a drive that you can connect to securely, on schedule, at about 12
1 am... send all files that have changed from the previous day to replace the same name files or create new files on the distant computer 5-100-2000 miles away from your computer.
Look for systems that can do that, learn to use flash drive devices for all your correspondence, all your photos, all your videos, all your lecture presentations, carry around one set of flash drives, interchange them for another set at home or at work, so you have two copies of flash drives with your data, one on your person, one at home or at work, both almost up-to-date, backed up at least weekly.
But the bottom line, your hard drive probably is NOT totally ruined, even if the boot tracks on it cannot get your computer to boot up anymore. The data is most likely there.
I have a relative who authors and publishes about 3 books every 5 years, does it all by writing on her computer, including the video clips, the photos, the on-line teachers' guides, etc. She backs up all her data once a week onto two identical 32 GB flash drives, and transfers over internet all new files from one computer to the other about every day, (home and work site). That way, she's only 3-6 days behind if both of her computers crash at once, only a day behind if only one of her computers crashes. She also has an editor who insists he have copies of her drafts and data and photos and video clips she is preparing for her next textbook, he gets a copy to his office in NYC once a week. Her email is on the cloud, through G-mail, always there, no matter how many emails, with attachments (now about 19,000 for the last 9 years), all searchable by any keyword, date, name, etc. in the email.
Consider your options carefully, if you have another few years in your career, a few hours invested in learning backup strategies, techniques, habits, etc., could save you years of work.
While an amateur (like me) would have to spend extra time researching to make sure it goes correctly. Just take a look at my thread about transferring my stuff to a new hard drive! In my case, I needed to move the Windows installation, which is harder, but I wasted two days trying it by myself before I asked here. Once I had a good program recommended, it was easy and didn't take long at all.
Oh the other hand, I used to do tech support on a printer & scanner forum so I am better with them.
For most computer stuff I know just enough to get myself in a muddle. 
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