Can't get to desktop

  • Thread starter Thread starter Al Botteon
  • Start date Start date
A

Al Botteon

Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
 
Al said:
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...

1. Take the drive out and connect it to another PC using a usb adapter.
2. Grab your files.

:)

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
Al said:
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Get to another computer with the harddisk,
and copy all *.mp* files from it.
Or get a new harddisk(cheap), reinstall xp
on that, then install your disk as secondary
drive, copy all *.mp* files form it and re-format
the old drive.
Dont try to run anything from that old drive,
it might re-infect your computer.
After reformat use it as backup storage.
 
Al said:
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Knoppix
 
Al Botteon said:
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...
A Linux Live CD is your friend. Boot with that, insert USB memory stick
into computer and copy them to the memory stick.
 
Al Botteon said:
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly
way into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want
to access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...
All the above ideas are good and would work for you. To clarify:
You could buy an IDE to USB adapter to connect you hard drive to another
working computer which would recognize it as an external storage device and
then you can copy the files you need from it to the other hard drive.
You can also remove your hard drive, jumper it as a slave drive (for a
system that is not on Cable Select) and connect it to another working PC on
the slave plug and it will be recognized as a secondary drive and then you
can copy the files you need from it to the other hard drive.
The Linux CD's run from the CD so you do not need to install an OS to gain
access to the hard drive.

Once you are up and running again, please do yourself a favor, and back up
you user data.
 
TVeblen said:
All the above ideas are good and would work for you. To clarify:
You could buy an IDE to USB adapter to connect you hard drive to another
working computer which would recognize it as an external storage device and
then you can copy the files you need from it to the other hard drive.
You can also remove your hard drive, jumper it as a slave drive (for a
system that is not on Cable Select) and connect it to another working PC
Click to expand...

You'll need a 2.5" IDE to 3.5" IDE adapter for this.
on
the slave plug and it will be recognized as a secondary drive and then you
can copy the files you need from it to the other hard drive.
The Linux CD's run from the CD so you do not need to install an OS to gain
access to the hard drive.

Once you are up and running again, please do yourself a favor, and back up
you user data.
Click to expand...


--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
GMAN said:
Why? He/she never mentioned this was a laptop they were dealing with.
Click to expand...

I guess this goes to show that one should not respond to newsgroups with
only 3 hours sleep :)


--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
Appreciate all the help. Jumpered the HD as a slave to my desktop, copied
everything needed. Kids happy (plus another adult). Now going to just format
it and start from fresh. And will run a virus scan. Thanks again to all.
 
Running Xp on a Dell desktop. Encountered virus from email at daughter's
college to us. Problem is that ok to format the hard drive, but we want to
recover a lot of mp3s. Windows will start to point of getting to desktop
wallpaper w/out icons yet, and stalls. Tried safe mode and still wont get
past certain point. Tried booting from xp cd and repairing, and suddenly way
into it, it start not being able to find files from the cd. Just want to
access the mp3s and get out, but can't get in. Anyone? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would download Ubuntu Linux from http://www.ubuntu.com/, use disc-
burning software to burn the file as an image to a recordable (not re-
recordable) CD/DVD. The resulting CD/DVD is bootable. (Remember that
the CD/DVD drive must be set as the first boot device in the BIOS in
order to be able to boot from a bootable disc). Then you can use a
memory stick to remove the MP3 files.

Eric,
PC Buyer Beware!
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/
 
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