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Author Topic: Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?  (Read 2796 times)

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Offline Chet

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Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?
« on: April 06, 2012, 05:20:16 PM »
It's been an interesting couple of days...
This morning I discovered that my desktop XP computer was still trying to turn itself off from the previous day's CNC router work.
The drive light would periodically flash, but there was no way to get any keyboard control.
I did a hard restart, but there was no restart...
The drive light would simply light up, but the computer never initialized...
Today it won't start at all...
Sooooo....
Now I must consider my options:
Using my alternate Laptop using Windows 7 would require a CNC motion controller board according to Mach3 recommendations...
But these boards appear to be plug-ins requiring their own power supply.
Plus they are a tad pricey!!!
Alternately, buy a cheap new desktop and get a USB to printer port converter to drive the HobbyCNC driver board...
I'd love to retrieve the custom Mach3 settings I'd had on my old computer, but no, I did not back them up to a different storage medium... (sigh...)
I'm pretty sure I've got them written down somewhere, but where...
I need a pretty quick solution to this problem, as my business is now shut down.
What would you do?
Besides having backed up your critical files on a different storage medium...
Chet

Offline BR549

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Re: Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2012, 05:35:52 PM »
First I would have the power supply in the old computer tested to make sure it is good. It is also possible that the motherboad failed and NOT the harddrive. You can plug the OLD hard drive into a new computer.

Just a thought, (;-) TP

Offline Hood

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Re: Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2012, 05:41:41 PM »
First thing a USB to Printer port will not work for Mach.

Does your computer boot at all? If it does and you have the XP disc you may be able to repair the install, assuming the drive is not dead and it is just a corrupt windows.

Even if you cant repair the windows install then you can possibly still grab the xml etc from the drive by putting it into a working computer as a second drive.

No big deal about external devices needing a power supply, most are 5v possibly 12v and you already have both in your computer so you can tap off the computers power supply but even if you cant (Laptop) then a small power supply will not be expensive.

Hood
Re: Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2012, 05:45:19 PM »
if you have a small computer shop where you live, pop in as they usually have second hand pentium 4 level computers for sale.

Offline Chet

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Re: Computer Catastrophe... Best Solution?
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2012, 05:24:02 PM »
Thanks for info, Guys!
The original computer had a fried motherboard and power supply.
The good news, the hard drive was OK.
Able to go to a local computer repair and get a used HP COMPAQ DC7 mini-tower loaded with XP Professional for a reasonable price.
They also had a small cabinet for the old hard drive so I could access the contents on the new computer.
Did a Mach3 re-install and was able to retrieve my XML files.
Took an hour or so, but everything is up and running again!
Life is good!  ; - )