I think I broke my computer, please help!

[Mike Harrison]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, couldn't find a forum for non-FIRST related technical discussion and I really don't know who else to ask, so...

I will try to explain this the best I can as I am near computer illiterate:
My computer plugs into the wall near the floor, this plug is behind some stuff and is normally really loose, as in hanging there barely giving passage to electrons. So I'm on the computer and my cat unplugs the cord as he is extremely intelligent and helpful. I thought this was no problem until when I tried to click on my account (i have windows xp) my cpu reboots and comes back to an HP screen that gives me some options and then continues to go back to the logon screen. I try logging on several more times and I get the same result. So as it is in this blue HP screen with the options I see this option called "System Recovery (F10)". I press f10, my computer does some loading stuff and then it goes downhill. I've done some research now on system recovery and how i think i'm in deep trouble. When I get to the logon screen, all of the old users are gone, there is a new one called HP_Owner. I log onto that, for some reason my desktop icons and shortcuts come back (I'm assuming because I was on the computer when it got jacked?) but I am still missing all of the other users and such. I found all of my files and the other users files in the documents and settings so it would be really simple to just make new users with the same names as the old ones and then just move the files to their respective "My Documents". Only problem is I also lost almost all of my applications. I now have no Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, no Windows Media Player, no Turbo Tax, none of the applications that I installled on the computer myself. I tried doing a system restore but I believe the system recovery wiped out all of the data points prior to that date. I also tried the "go back to previous working configuration" (i forget what it exactly was) option and it didn't change anything. This wouldn't be such a bad situation if i had all of the cd keys to these programs, I could just spend a couple hours re-installing all of them. But of course I'm unorganized and I would be hard-pressed to find all of the cd keys. I am running out of options other than just taking the computer in to get fixed or buying some program that might not work. Please help.

[merybar]

By running the system recovery you basically restored the desktop to the last time you ran the restore wizard to create a file to restore from in case of failure. If you have never created that file you have restored to its original state. Files still will be there but i hate to tell you this programs are gone. Time to start looking. If you need anything or have any more questions feel free to post up here or email me directly @ mersnow8@aol.com
Hope this helps,
Matt Rybar

[jdh]

That screen should appear each time that you reboot your computer. The rule is don't touch the keyboard while it is booting unless you know what you are doing.

Good luck getting all this sorted out. Sorry to hear about your problems.
-JD

[MrForbes]

I wish I could help you get it back how it was, but I can't, your application software is gone. If you don't have the original installation discs for it, then you'll need to go shopping.

Computers teach is in rather brutal ways the importance of an uninterrupted power supply, good data backup habits, etc. I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way! hopefully someone else reading this will be able to prevent a similar thing happening to them, because you posted this.

[Mike Harrison]

Originally Posted by squirrel

I wish I could help you get it back how it was, but I can't, your application software is gone. If you don't have the original installation discs for it, then you'll need to go shopping.

Computers teach us in rather brutal ways the importance of an uninterrupted power supply, good data backup habits, etc. I'm sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way! hopefully someone else reading this will be able to prevent a similar thing happening to them, because you posted this.

Are you sure? I have the ability to re-install the old programs, I just don't know where the cd keys are. At least I think this is the case, if i go into my C: drive for some reason all of the old stuff is there in program files. I'm assuming I can just find the install file or whatnot in the jumble of files they have in each folder. For instance, if i go to program files>microsoft office can I install it from there without the disk? If not, then I'm in more trouble than I thought....

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Mike Harrison

Are you sure? I have the ability to re-install the old programs, I just don't know where the cd keys are. At least I think this is the case, if i go into my C: drive for some reason all of the old stuff is there in program files. I'm assuming I can just find the install file or whatnot in the jumble of files they have in each folder. For instance, if i go to program files>microsoft office can I install it from there without the disk? If not, then I'm in more trouble than I thought....

Did you look through your hard drive? I believe you only reinstalled files to your OS folders, so your documents, music, etc. are most likely still preserved. You may wish to backup all your document-type files if you have the opportunity now.

However the OS reinstall wiped your registry, so while the application folders may still exist, Windows doesn't have the information necessary to run those applications. Reinstallation of each app is the only way to go.

If you have any application-specific files that are important to you (e.g. saved game files, tax return data for Turbo Tax, etc.), I'd suggest backing those up before reinstalling your games, programs, and such.

[llama]

ive had files randomly dissapear from my hard drive before (probably has something to do with my moded anti hacking software) but i used a program that searched my hard drive for files that were 'deleted'

what is really happening when you have something deleted is that the index (call number or recognition code) is destroyed but the file is still there until it is over written so if squirrel is correct in saying that when you booted up after the unplug, you unintentionally reinstalled the operating system, then you can probably look online for a drive restoration program and get back at least some of your files etc. (i don't have such a program anymore nor do i remember what one might be called since i haven't had to use one since my last reinstall of windows)

im not guaranteeing this will be possible though because if i am correct you may have had some sort of funky electrical signal that passed through your comp when it was unplugged (possibly your cat was batting at it and it unpluged and pluged back in rappidly) and that wiped some part of your hard drive that was being written on at the time... idk just a theory

[Mike Harrison]

I seem to have retained all of my files, I just can't open any of them because I don't have any of the programs installed. Anyways thank you all very much for your help. It seems right now my best bet is to go dumpster diving through my basement for the cd keys. Apparently i can call Microsoft and they might have my product key for Office on their database, that's really the most important program i lost. I'll be checking back here if anyone comes up with any great ideas. Thanks again guys, really appreciate your help.

[Bsteckler]

There are places (and programs) that will recover data off of a wiped HDD. google "hard drive recovery".

[Chris27]

When your cat unplugged your computer, the hard drive was likely reading/writing something important. Hard drives don't like suddenly loosing power and any file that it was writing may be corrupted, in your case an important Windows file. When you restored your computer using the hp restore disks, it copied your "Documents and Settings" folder to someplace safe, wiped your hard drive, and then installed windows and the other software your computer originally came with. Everything that was not in your "Documents and Settings" folder is now gone. This explains why your desktop (a subfolder) is still intact, including the shortcuts to your apps, but those applications no longer exist as the "Programs" folder was deleted. You really can't recover a deleted application and you likely already wrote on top of the data already. You are going to have to reinstall everything. The CD keys should be on a sticker on the back of the cd case (why do you have to go dumpster diving? did you throw away the cd cases?). In the future backup you computer every now and then. There is plenty of software available that can copy an image of your harddrive to a few DVD's which you can restore back to when necessary.

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by Bsteckler

There are places (and programs) that will recover data off of a wiped HDD. google "hard drive recovery".

True Hard drive recovery is expensive and only works if the data on the hard drive has not been over written. This type of procedure is typically used as a last resort for hard drives that have crashed containing original data that can not be replaced or would be expensive to replace, ie original software.

[Bsteckler]

I thought that when an HDD writes it doesn't exactly center the heads on top of old data and writes a little off-center, and that there were programs that could make the HDD read what had been written over.

[Mike Harrison]

So is there any point in taking it into a computer shop so they can try to fix it or is there pretty much no hope?

[MrForbes]

I think it would be rather unlikely that it could be "fixed", since it isn't broken...you unintentionally reinstalled the operating system, and removed the applications that were previously installed. Sorry...

[David Brinza]

For sure, I would make copies (CD, DVD) or otherwise back-up the data files, (pictures, MS Office docs, etc.) before those are lost.

You might have to buy new applications if you cannot find the original installation CDs/keys, but if you qualify for education or OEM discounts, the cost may not be too steep. The other files, though, are likely to much more valuable to you, since they cannot be purchased at any price.