Data/OS recovery

[JoshT]

Dad just called and said that their computer died. From his description it was physical damage. From his description of the location it sounds like the hard drive should be good. Sounds like either damage to the motherboard or PSU. If it's the PSU we're good, but it was probably the motherboard. I won't have a chance to go check it out until tomorrow, but I'm betting on needing a new computer.

With two computers one could do easy transfer or something of the sort to get the new computer up and running with the old info. Is there a way to do something like this with a new computer and an old hard drive? I have hard drive docks and external cases to connect the drive to the computer externally, and plenty of cables to do so internally as well. So is their any free (or nearly free) software that will make doing the transfer easy, or will I have to do it the hard way and move everything manually?

FWIW the old computer was Windows 7 Home Edition. New one will be the same, unless they decide to just buy a new one from the store.

 

[cvar]

When I've bought new (empty) Hard Disk Drives (HDD) to increase the capacity of our computers, I've used the freebie cloning software that came with the HDD. My favorite HDD cloning S/W is Maxtor MaxBlast. There are others like it, too. Every manufacturer offers one. It formats the new HDD, and copies the entire old HDD contents to it, including the bootable O/S, my files, everything. Automatically. Nice. The catch is that you often need to have that particualr manuf's HDD plugged in somewhere (eg, externally will do), although it doesn't need to be either the one being cloned.

 

[JoshT]

Don't need to clone a drive. That works if moving an OS to a new drive on existing hardware. Not moving an existing drive and OS to new hardware. Their is a way to do it if you can access the OS before moving to the new hardware, but if the mother board is dead...

Crisis averted! Had a little extra time before work so I checked it out. Only case is damaged. It was in sleep mode when damaged. Since the lights were on and it wasn't making noise dad thought he killed it, so he unplugged everything.

Still interested in an answer to op for future reference.

 

[Mark_88]

Good to hear it wasn't a crash and burn...

I'm kinda mixed on the data storage/recovery stuff mostly because if you are not a corporation with sensitive data that you want to keep...most likely a home end use will not suffer without the data...

However, having said that, the golden rule about data is backup, backup, backup...always will be unless someone comes up with an inexpensive home use cloud automatic backup...which I believe someone has...but I haven't researched that aspect yet.

Even the crash and burn situation can be fixed easily enough so probably the biggest concern for your Dad would have been doing what he likes to do when needed...so you might look into maybe a laptop as an alternative plug and play option for him...that's where I am heading some day...as I'm getting tired of the desktop tangle of wires (although I've seen some laptop connections that make a desktop seem tidy)...

 

[JoshT]

Good to hear it wasn't a crash and burn...

Me too, but by all rights it should have been. I'm pretty sure that we've all heard some version of the phrase "so mad I could shoot it" applied to a computer. Well if you ever try it, use something bigger than a 9mm.

Not sure if he was loading, unloading, or just de-cocking his gun earlier today but he had an accidental discharge. It hit the motherboard side of the case at an extremely shallow angle. Looks like the case might have split the bullet. The portion that went into the case glanced off the motherboard tray came to a rest at the bottom of the case. The only internal damage is a little dimple on the motherboard tray, and it's not even behind the board.

 

[Mark_88]

Wow...that could have been a real tragedy...good thing they don't make those cases any more bullet proof or he might have hit someone with that ricochet...

I didn't think a 9 mm could penetrate metal that easily...but, then again, it would have been close range...most people shoot their monitors when angry...so sounds like an accident...

 

[JoshT]

Entirely an accident and none else in the house, still lucky because it could have just as easily got him with a ricochet.

If he hasnt "fixed" the side cover yet I'll get a pic of it this weekend, and postitin here. He don't want to shoot the computer cause then hek wouldn't be able to get online and order his gun parts.