Recovery | Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners

Posts Tagged: recovery

Changing the XP Startup Logo

Warning: If you mess something up, your operating system may not boot.

1) First, create an image that you want to use. Paint is the easiest to use. It has to be 640X480 and 16 colors(not 16 bit). Save it as “Boot.bmp“.

2) Copy Boot.bmp to the C:\Windows\ directory.

3) Right click on My Computer > Properties > select the Advanced tab > under Start up and Recovery, click on Settings > Click on Edit > Add this to the file: /bootlogo /noguiboot > Save the file > click OK, OK. You are done.

Now restart your computer. You should see your own boot image come up instead of the windows xp one.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
22
Jul 06

When it’s gone, it’s gone

Adam eluded to a trend that he has noticed about failing computers and hard drives lately. Indeed, I have seen the same epidemic. My question to you is, do you really know what the hard drive is and what its function is?

Some computer users point to the box that sits on their desk or floor and call it a hard drive. Others know that it stores data. I think few understand how important and valuable the hard drive really is and why we spend so much time writing and talking about backup. The hard drive, in desktop computers, is roughly the size of a VCR tape. It is a mechanical piece of equipment that has motors, gears and bearings…none of which is made to last forever. Thus the reason for backup.

Many of my customers have a difficult time grasping that all of their pictures, email, address book, and other important documents exist in a tenuous digital format on the hard drive. Once it fails, it often times in unrecoverable. If it is recoverable, the expense can be in the thousands of dollars.

Twice this week, I had clients ask me, well, where is my data? After explaining that the old hard drive is sitting in the box next to them and the hard drive in the computer is brand new and only contains the programs I reinstalled, I get a stare of disbelief. In many cases, I can recover some or all the data from an unresponsive hard drive. However, when an actual mechanical failure occurs, the ONLY way to get the data back is sending it a data recovery service like DriveSavers . There are no guarantees, but they can attempt to retrieve data at a premium price.

If your hard drive dies, the data drives with it. If you are working on the next great novel or have years of financial data stored on the hard drive, all that work will be lost if the only place it exists is on the failed hard drive.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
14
Jul 06

Maybe I should run a backup today

I spent much of my day working with a client who had lost everything on his hard drive. The motor died. We checked with a couple of data recovery services on the web and one said it would cost $1100 to recover, the other said the price would start at $599 (lowest possible estimate).

I have seen clients lose important information before and it is heart breaking, but it was what my client said later that I think is of note.

People often ask us how often they should back up or how they should backup. While the answers to these questions vary, there is one time that you should always backup everything that is important.

My client said, "I thought about backing all of this stuff up last week." If there is one indicator that you should back everything up it's when that little voice in your head says, "Gosh it sure would be awful if I lost all of this stuff." Not to be superstitious, but experience has shown me first hand on several occasions that this is often a good rule to follow.

In fact, just two weeks ago, I thought about how bad it would be if our computers were stolen or our house burned down. I have a backup hard drive and some backup DVDs, but I didn't have any backup stashed in a safe place outside of our house.

So, I went to the store, bought a big pack of dual layer DVDs and backed up every photo and important file. No crisis has come since then, but I rest easier at night.

Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 6 Comments
11
Jul 06

Ordering HP – Compaq Recovery CD’s

Few computer manufacturers include the original installation disks or even recovery disks for new computers today. Almost every computer user will have a need to access these important disks over the life time of the machine. Most computer makers' web sites allow you to order these recovery CD's via their support sections. Also, you can (and should) make your own set of recovery CD's or DVD's through tools installed by your manufacturer on your computer. These tools can usually be found on the desktop or the Programs menu.

If you own an HP or Compaq computer, however, finding where to order these disks online is fruitless. The best method for ordering the Recovery CD's for HP or Compaq is calling their parts line at: 1-800-227-8164. They cost between $15 and $20 plus shipping. When calling, make sure to have your credit card ready and the model, serial, and manufacturer numbers of your computer.

Links / Windows Tips — No Comments
17
Jun 06

Recovering a dead Windows XP

Mark from Canada wrote in and mentioned that some users might want to try this method of restoring a computer that won’t boot (Windows XP) instead of a full blown recovery.

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
12
May 06

I hate to beat a dead horse, but…

I talk about this almost continuously it seems and hope that I’m preaching to the choir, but the topic comes up constantly in my travels…backup. Backup is probably the least interesting, but certainly the MOST IMPORTANT topic that we can discuss regarding computers.

Today, I ran across yet another computer user whose computer wouldn’t boot up and he didn’t have a backup. Fortunately, he knows a smart guy who can help recover the data, but data recovery is risky, expensive business and the results aren’t always 100%. I implore and beg you to start and maintain a backup program that will protect your precious digital data in the event of a meltdown. Search our site for the single word "backup" and you will be rewarded with many articles and tips covering backup.

And do your friends and families a favor, get them to start a backup program as well…send them here to HelpMeRick.com to learn how!

Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
27
Mar 06

Warning: External Hard Drives

One of my mantra’s over the years is about backup. Over the past few days, I have been working for a newer customer who hasn’t heard my sermons.

He had a "computer expert" setup an extremely complex home network and a NAS (Network Attached Storage) backup system. None of this is out of the ordinary. However, unfortunately, this was the only backup the customer had. Last week, his external hard drive failed. All of his important data existed on that drive that was seemingly lost.

External hard drives use the same hard drives we have in our computers with an added few components to allow the drive to function independent of a computer. Problem is that a hard drive is a hard drive…moving parts and all. Moving parts eventually fail and power can quit as well. These increasingly inexpensive devices work fine as a secondary backup…but should never by your primary drive.

Thus my mantra; always have important computer files saved in at least two different spots and one of those spots should be on removable media with no moving parts like DVD’s, CD’s, or USB flash drives. Search our site for the word ‘backup’, and you will find many articles and tips to help you learn how and what to back up.

IF, you have just found our site and haven’t heard or followed my mantra, here are some sites that can help you recover data from dead drives:

Drivesavers.com (expensive, but not if losing your data is the alternative)
This free utility can help recover data from some dead external hard drives.

I used the second one to recover my customer’s data.

DP Hardware — No Comments
24
Jan 06

Top 10 Digital Camera Tricks

Top 10 Digital Camera Tips:
(in no particular order)

1. Use Rechargeable Batteries:
Make sure your digital camera supports them. Look for at least 1800 mAh. Get more than one set.

2. Save those batteries:
The three best ways to save batteries are…
1. Don’t use your LCD except for macro and composition shots.
2. Don’t over use your zoom lens.
3. Don’t connect your camera to your computer (use a media reader).

3. Carry and Use Several Memory Cards:
The size of memory cards you carry is not as important as how you use it. If you carry large memory cards, try to rotate them as they get partially full. This will prevent you from losing all of your pictures if the card is corrupted or the camera is stolen or lost.

4. Keep the Camera Set on Highest Resolution:
You can never raise the resolution of an image. The lower the resolution, the lesser the detail and print size.

5. Use the Camera’s Hand Strap.
The small hand strap that comes with most cameras will help you hold the camera still and prevent you from dropping it.

6. Don’t Be So Anxious to See Your Photos:
It is easy to get in the habit of looking at your LCD screen immediately after taking each picture. Doing this will often cause you to miss another great shot. Take several pictures in a row, then go back and look at them.

7. Keep Your Camera’s Batteries Fresh:
Low batteries will slow down your camera’s response time. Power is used for focusing, zoom and flash recharging. If these processes are acting sluggish, it may be time to change your batteries.

8. Zoom Back for Macro Shots:
Often people try to turn their camera to macro, then zoom into the subject. Most macro lenses are designed to work from less than 3 feet away. Zoom your camera lens back and move the camera closer to keep the subject in focus. And Don’t used your flash.

9. Know Your Camera’s Lights and Beeps:
Your digital camera has a variety of lights and sounds. Common lights indicate the following: flash is on, the camera is ready to shoot, the flash is on, an image is being written to the card. Common sounds indicate: the camera can’t focus, auto timer is running, conditions are too dark to shoot without a flash.

10. Prepare Your Camera for the Shot:
Before you take the picture, hold the shutter release (picture taking button) half way down to allow the camera to meter and focus. When the camera is ready, press the shutter the rest of the way down. This will increase the reaction time of your camera for taking a picture.

Links from this month’s meeting

Digital Photography Review’s Glossary of Terms

Download Picasa Photo Sorting Software

Pic2Mail Picture Resizer

PC Inspector – flash memory recovery