[BC] Computer question

[Xmitters at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/25/08 5:00:31 AM Central Daylight Time, 
broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

> I am having a bit of a problem with a computer here.  One of ours lost its
>  motherboard, so I scrounged another computer and moved the hard drive from
>  the first computer but it won't boot.  It will boot to Windows with the
>  original drive in the working computer, but not with the drive that I need
>  that has all my files on it.  Both drive jumpers are set for CS.  What 
could
>  I be overlooking here?  Help!


Glen:

I'm a bit confused by your description; It's hard for me to follow the failed 
MoBd, first computer, working computer, etc. 

What O/S are you using? If it's 2000 or XP, those operating systems are 
rather plucky about whether or not to boot when the O/S-Hard Drive is placed in
 a 
vastly different hardware environment than the one upon which the O/S was 
originally installed. If it's the same make, model, configuration then usually 
a 
transplanted hard drive will boot to life. 

Couple things come to mind; Maybe you could put the Hard Drive (HD) from the 
failed MoBoard in the scrounged computer, then boot in safe mode. That will at 
least tell you that your files are okay. Second and most effective probably, 
put the drive with all your files on it into another computer, but install it 
as your second drive. Boot the scrounged computer as normal, but now it will 
have its original O/S and a second HD (the one out of the bad MoBoard).

Then use your favorite backup (thumb drive, CDR, etc.) and extract your files 
off that original HD. Then copy them back to where you want them to live 
permanently. 

How's that idea sound?


I do this when my old reliable Windows NT Poops it's nest. It usually fails 
because the boot files are all screwed up. I plop that drive into another 
'puter that plays nice with NTFS and perform a file rescue :-)

Hope that helps :-)  Remember, someday computers will save someone a lot of 
time. 

Jeff Glass, BSEE CSRE
Chief Engineer
WNIU WNIJ
Northern Illinois University
DEC 6180 Win NT 4.0 SP6A AOL 5.0
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