Well this does not inspire confidence. [UPDATED]

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
03/03/2019 at 23:45 • Filed to: Well this laptop almost lasted 3 whole years.

[UPDATE: 3/3 8:45PM] Thank you everyone for your help. I followed facw’s tutorial and got all the way to booting Unbutu on the dying laptop, only to find that no files at all were visible so there was nothing to copy or transfer Maybe I can pay someone to take this bad boy apart or something...

Pardon my French, but 2019 blows.

[Original post below]

My computer went black and restarted, but has been stuck on this spooky screen for hours. Then it said unable to restart. Did it again. Attempted to restart normally, now it’s stuck on this screen:

These are the only two choices I’m given and neither work.

If the computer is dead, it is what it is, but I have many files on it that I absolutely must have, but I can’t.

Woohoo.

DISCUSSION (59)

jimz > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 08:45

if it can get that far, the disk is at least partially readable. I’d boot from a rescue disk (like maybe an Ubuntu live CD/USB) and try to copy your important stuff to an external drive.

functionoverfashion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 08:46

The files can be recovered if you (or someone) removes the hard drive from the machine and plugs it into another one like an external drive. Then it can read the files without having to rely on it to run windows, etc. - unless the hard drive itself is cooked.

You should get on Win10 anyway, Microsoft is only supporting 7 until January 2020, so I hear.

But back to the machine at hand, can you tap F8 or F12 or something while it’s starting up to see if you can boot into safe mode? There’s other stuff you can do from there, too....

random001 > jimz
03/01/2019 at 08:46

Beat me to it. But this.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:05

This remind me that I need to invest in an external backup drive.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > functionoverfashion
03/01/2019 at 09:07

I don't know what's up but it won't let get into safe mode :(

404 - User No Longer Available > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:14

Something tells me the drive might be on its last legs. Laptop drives aren’t the most durable thing. Unless it's an SSD.

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:18

JimZ is right, you data is probably there, so this is what you want to do:

Get at least two USB drives (thumb drives are fine, but it you have a lot of data, you can use an external for data instead, or you can skip the second media, and upload directly to OneDrive, Google Drive, Amazon Drive, etc. )

Prepare one as a Linux live USB https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0 (you’ll need another computer for this)

Stick that in the machine.

When the machine tries to boot, you should see a prompt asking you to press delete or F2 or similar to go into the BIOS. Do this, and there should be a boot order menu, and put your USB drive at the top.

Save the changes and restart, it should boot into Linux (make sure you pick ‘Try Linux without installing’, or similar, so that you don’t install over your files

Once in, you should be able to look at your files.

Connect the other USB and copy them there, or to the cloud

Once you’ve copied the files, you’ll want to try to salvage the machine. To do this you’ll want to try to get into the Windows Recovery Environment. How to do this varies by version, but here’s Windows 10: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/windows-recovery-environment—windows-re—technical-reference

Once there, you want to try to Refresh your PC (which will leave your files), if that doesn’t work, you can Reset or Reinstall, which will delete them.

If you can get running, you can check your disk to make sure it is good. I always just use the ancient free version of HDTune https://www.hdtune.com/download.html , which will tell let you run a disk check, and tell you about S.M.A.R.T values.

If the drive is good, you are good, if not you can buy a replacement (make it an SSD) and pop it in.

Have a backup strategy. I’d recommend backing up Documents, Pictures, and any other important directories to one (or more) of the cloud providers, and also doing a local backup to a USB drive using Windows’ built-in backup software. S ome good cloud deals: Prime Photos has free unlimited full-resolution image storage for Prime members, Google has un limited free storage of reduced (though still high) resolution photos, and Office 365 Home is ~ $85 a year, and in addition to office comes with 1TB of OneDrive (which is not a good deal for one person, but it can be shared with up to six people, which makes it very solid if you have family members who it would be useful for as well .

functionoverfashion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:21

Ah, then yeah as JimZ pointed out, do you have a bootable USB or CD you can use?

benjrblant > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:29

are you still running... windows XP?!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
03/01/2019 at 09:30

Cheap insurance especially if your main machine is a laptop with a spinning disk.

BahamaTodd > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:32

Regular spinning hard drive I assume?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:34

As others have mentioned you need to find a way to boot from some other media and backup ASAP. I’ve experienced these same symptoms several times when I administered PCs at work. Most of the time the drive was days away from total failure. Step one is get your files out to an external drive. I would not try to reformat and reinstall Windows on that internal drive. If you want to kee the laptop pull out the drive and stick a fresh one in. A lot of laptops actually have the drive pretty easily accessible in a door behind one screw. If that’s the case I’d replace it and get another couple years. If it’s a pain then yeah maybe new laptop time.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > BahamaTodd
03/01/2019 at 09:40

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > benjrblant
03/01/2019 at 09:40

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > functionoverfashion
03/01/2019 at 09:40

I do not

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/01/2019 at 09:42

Thanks for the post, I do appreciate it. I now ask that you humor me...

I... I don’t know what any of this means...

someassemblyrequired > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:43

Get an external enclosure and pull the drive out or boot from USB/CD. Copy all of your important files over to a new hard drive or usb stick.

Drive is likely about to bite it, you probably have only a limited amount of time to get everything off it before you need to pay $$$$ to get the files.

Stop by Fry’s down in Renton, they always have some cheap drives/enclosures.

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:51

Sure. I mean something like this:

Kinja'd!!!

Or this:

Kinja'd!!!

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruzer-Low-Profile-Drive-SDCZ33-016G-B35/dp/B005FYNSZA

I’d imagine you have some lying around. For the Linux live USB , anything larger than 4GB will do. Note that anything on the stick will be erased.

If you have lots of data, you may want an external hard drive. Lots of options there, 1TB drives are ~$45 and 4TB ones are ~$100.

The cloud providers let you store your files securely (hopefully) in the cloud. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all give you ~5GB free, and there are pay options for more.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/01/2019 at 09:54

Can I used a stick and an external drive to satisfy the requirement of two total drives? I have access to an external drive via nearby family member.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > someassemblyrequired
03/01/2019 at 09:56

Can I use the original CD that came with the laptop for said booting purposes?

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 09:56

Yeah. Sometimes there are problems booting from external drives, but as long as you have a stick you should be fine .

someassemblyrequired > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 10:18

Depends on the laptop, some will come with a boot disc but it’s rare nowadays (usually you have to create one manually when you get the laptop) . Hiren’s Boot CD has gotten me out of many jams, it has a light version of XP you can use to boot up to a point where you can copy the files over to a replacement/backup drive.

https://lifehacker.com/most-popular-system-rescue-disc-hirens-bootcd-5985273

wkiernan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 11:15

Hello Dr. Z. !

There are many rescue discs out there. I’ve had good success with the AVG Rescue Disc, which you can set up on a bootable CD or USB stick. Download and instructions can be found here:

https://www.avg.com/en-ww/download.prd-arl.

You can get a 32GB USB drive that’s about the size of your thumbnail for under $10. If you can’t find anybody local to make you a rescue USB stick, I could make you one and send it to you via snail mail.

Kinja'd!!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > wkiernan
03/01/2019 at 11:18

Thanks! Would they have a rescue stick boi at a local big box computer store, or do I have to find someone to create one?

wkiernan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 11:28

I’ ve seen a bootable USB stick with pre-installed rescue utilities for sale in an Office Depot for about $20-$30 . It’s possible you could get a guy at the Best Buy service desk to fix you up.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 11:41

Did you sort this out? What version of Windows? Guessing Win7?

Your files are fine, windows just can’t boot so you can’t access them that way, but they are still there safe and sound.

If Win7, shut it off once that screen stops, turn it back on, start tapping F8 just after the BIOS screen until a screen comes up that mentions Safe Mode. If there is a Repair Computer option at the top, select that and try using System Restore to select an earlier recent restore point. If no repair option, see if it'll boot in Safe Mode.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/01/2019 at 11:52

I have 7*

I work all day today, can’t get to it

Won’t boot to safe made no matter how many times I smash F8

Repair boi didn’t work

sad face

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/01/2019 at 17:42

But basically I need another computer to set one stick up as a Linux... Si? So basically I buy two thingies, stick in a good computer, use that tutorial link, then all the other stuff you said?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > benjrblant
03/01/2019 at 17:44

No wait, 7

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 17:46

Yep, pretty much. In theory you could skip to step 8 and try a refresh (though not the reset or reins tall) right away, but I think it’s worth the extra effort to make sure you get your files.

The alternative is to remove your hard drive and install it in another machine or usb enclosure connected to another computer, but I think for most people, the linux live USB route would be easier.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 17:51

Repair didn’t work as in the repair menu didn’t load or you tried a System Restore Point and it didn’t work?

Do you have a Windows install disk?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/01/2019 at 17:56

The system repair point did not work. It will also not go back to an earlier point.

I may still have the windows install disc, I keep everything when I buy electronics. Will this be beneficial in some manner?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/01/2019 at 18:30

That depends (I do computer repair on the side) - there are some command line fixes you could try if it is a legit Windows install disk, but if it is a manufacturer (Dell, HP, etc) branded ‘recovery’ or ‘restore’ disk, it probably wouldn’t work...it would need to be a legit Win7 install disk or a burned Win7 install disk.

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/03/2019 at 23:56

best of luck with your current machine...

If you are looking for a replacement at this point, Dell Business has some decent deals right now on not flashy but solid equipment - https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/deals/laptop-tablet-deals?mkwid=sdrYs1JsW&pcrid=297639485506&pkw=dell%20business&pmt=e&pdv=c&slid=&product=&pgrid=4745991584&ptaid=kwd-35854580&VEN1=sdrYs1JsW,297639485506,901q5c14135,c,,,4745991584,kwd-35854580&VEN2=e,dell%20business&&dgc=st&dgseg=bsd&acd=12309152537461010&cid=79339&st=dell+business&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpK7s_tjn4AIVwR-tBh1-NwtUEAAYASAAEgJLCfD_BwE&lid=5462491&ptaid=kwd-35854580&VEN1=sdrYs1JsW,297639485506,901q5c14135,c,,,4745991584,kwd-35854580&VEN2=e,dell+business&pgrid=4745991584&dgc=st&dgseg=so&acd=12309152537461010&VEN3=113904803077222440

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/03/2019 at 23:59

If you aren’t able to figure something out ship me the hard drive and I can see if I can recover your files after hours at work.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/04/2019 at 00:13

Thanks, man.

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:20

Hmm that sucks. I don’t have an ubuntu machine handy to guide you through some troubleshooting. Normally the drive should get automatically mounted, it would be interesting to know why it didn’t (I assume you found where files should be showing up? Can you see the RAM disk set up by the live USB?)

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:21

Sorry you couldn’t get to it with a Linux boot. I’ve had good luck with Kroll OnTrack (www.ontrack.com) to recover hard disks at work that we couldn’t get to come to life with the software we had in house. Expect to pay something over $1000.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/04/2019 at 00:25

I can see the “files” folder in Unbutu, which there are none. I moved the USB to the top in the BIOS. I fired Unbutu up without installing , your tutorial was objectively exhaustive.

I'm not following on the RAM disk setup, unless you just mean the part where I moved the USB up.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:25

Really dumb, not a Windows user question: have you tried buying a cheap external HDD usb housing and plugging it into another PC? Years ago, I had a Toshiba that went to shit and the only thing that saved me was pulling the hard drive, plugging it into another computer and pulling the files.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Honeybunchesofgoats
03/04/2019 at 00:28

No, I haven't tried any of that. Hard drive has not been pulled.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:30

In terms of saving the files, that might work. It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with Windows bullshit, but, like some others said, it probably didn’t harm the actual files. Find a cheap housing off of Newegg and plug it into someone else’s computer.

It should act like any external hard drive.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/04/2019 at 00:30

At that price point it’s really not worth it. I have stuff on there that is important to me, but most of which I can piece together from some old cell phones, my Google account, and maybe some memory (which continues to betray me). I'll have to reset a lot of passwords on some online accounts. Just a big PITA...

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:31

RAM disk was probably overly technical (when you boot from the Live USB, it needs someplace to put its files without putting them on your disk, so it creates a virtual disk (a RAM disk) in memory (hence the “RAM”)).

The important thing is that you got into the Ubuntu file manager after booting it and saw what was there. Let me see if I can try what you are doing so I can tell you what you “ should” be seeing.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:32

At this point then it might be worth it to pull the drive out and plug it into a USB enclosure and see if another PC can read it. It’s a long shot but it’s possible the hard drive itself could be OK and it is a controller/cable in the laptop dying instead.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/04/2019 at 00:34

Here’s what I see now...

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:49

The re are companies that can do bit by bit extracton. It aint cheap but it can get data off even a very dead drive

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 00:56

OK, so the behavior has changed from the last time I did this, so you may not be in trouble yet. My screen looks like yours. In the “Files” app, click “Other Locations”. On my system, that shows two options: Computer, which is the Ubuntu Stuff, and OS, which is my hard drive (this could be called something else, but see what’s there). If you can see your drive there, you are good. Otherwise, more troubleshooting may be needed.

On my system it looks like this:

Kinja'd!!!

(Note that the “OS” drive on the left only appeared after I clicked it in this view, seems they aren’t mounting it automatically on boot these days)

facw > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/04/2019 at 01:11

I don’t think he’s screwed quite yet, seems I gave our space crab incomplete instructions. The drive he’s looking for may just not be mounted.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/04/2019 at 01:12

Kinja'd!!!

I see computer but seem to get anything from it...

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 01:13

Looks like the “ 474 GB V olume” is the one you want. What happens when you click on it? It’s a little ominous that it doesn’t list the size/percentage free for that one...

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 01:20

Also assuming clicking on it doesn’t work, can you open the app drawer (dots at the bottom left), and then select gparted (middle of the first page for me), and post what it shows?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/04/2019 at 01:20

Hmmmmmm ominous is not a good word.

I will check in the morning before work, I have to be awake in 6 hours but I'm sure I'll lie here, awake for the next two.

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 01:26

Looks like that is actually ok as well. On my laptop it doesn’t try to load the disk usage stats until after I click on it (just restarted to test). So hopefully you will be able to get in. If you get in most of your stuff will be in “Users//” (Documents/Pictures/Music/Downloads/etc.)

NKato > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 01:34

Zoid. You could try to pull the files by installing a separate hard drive as OS and copying that way. Assuming, of course, the drive isn’t encrypted, and the format isn’t a dynamic volume.

I have a hard drive dock you can borrow.

Future Heap Owner > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 02:03

Do you need the files/computer soon? If not, I’d say try to recover files in a few evenings , and if you can remove the drive you could buy a new one to reinstall the OS on and get the machine going in the meantime.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 05:22

He suggests to post a pic of what is shown in GParted, I second that.

If you can - also, I’d like to see if the drive reports it is dying through any errors. Hard Drives have a built-in diagnostic software called S.M.A.R.T. - it’s not perfect, but it can help tell us if the drive is malfunctioning or not. I use Linux Mint, so I’m unfamiliar with the latest version of Ubuntu (I haven’t used it in years since they switched to Unity) , but if you can click the ‘dots’ button for the App drawer and look for ‘Terminal’ (that’s the command line for Linux) try this:

Once you open Terminal (make sure you’re connected to your WiFi first at the top-right, similar to the way you would connect to WiFi on Windows), type in the command:
sudo apt-get install gsmartcontrol

...and press enter. That command will install a program called GSmartControl from the repositories. Once it installs, you can run the program straight from the same Terminal window by typing gsmartcontrol.

Once that opens, you should see 2-3 listing icons...one would be your USB drive, one would be your DVD drive, and one would be your hard drive (or TWO listings if you’d made a bootable DVD rather than a bootable USB drive). The DVD drive should be listed as DVD-RAM, so you can ignore that. The USB drive you are booting from should be named similar to the model it is (If it’s a Kingston DataTraveller 8GB USB drive, it should say something like ‘DataTraveller’), etc. The remaining one should be your hard drive. Click the icon for that and it should open the details. It should be called whatever brand your hard drive is....Toshiba, Western Digital (or WD), Seagate (or something that starts with S), etc. If the Attributes or Error Logs tabs for the drive are highlighted in red, click each tab and post a screenshot of what they say please and thanks!

Really surprised you can’t mount your partition where your files are....

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw
03/04/2019 at 09:27

[girlish shriek]

I see my files!!!!!

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/04/2019 at 09:30

Awesome! So now you can either copy them to another USB drive (you may need to click on it in other locations before it will show up, but I think it should auto mount), or you can log into a cloud service and upload files directly.

And of course once the files are safe, you can try to repair Windows without having to worry that they might be lost. The fact that the drive is readable means it is probably good, but the boot information is likely corrupted in some way.