Dropped laptop and now getting an error message

[Ermoore]

I dropped my laptop and I am now getting a "A Disk Read Error Occured. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart" is there anyway I can recover and get all of my data and files (like papers and photos). I don't care about the computer anymore. Just want my stuff.

 

[USAFRet]

Take the disk out and connect it to something else. It might work.
Or maybe not. Don't know until you try.

 

[Ermoore]

What disk? I don't think there is one in there.

 

[USAFRet]

What disk? I don't think there is one in there.

The actual hard drive.

 

[Ermoore]

Oh shoot. Do you think the computer people at best buy can do that for me?

 

[USAFRet]

Oh shoot. Do you think the computer people at best buy can do that for me?

I wouldn't trust the monkeys at BestBuy with a butter knife, much less my laptop.

 

[USAFRet]

After dropping a laptop, any number of things could occur.

Hard drive crash
disconnected cables
broken cables or connectors
broken motherboard
etc, etc, etc

 

[Ermoore]

Oh my goodness. What are my chances of saving all of my stuff without going broke? I backed up my stuff last year but I'm in college and have written 5643 more papers since then that I need.

 

[USAFRet]

Oh my goodness. What are my chances of saving all of my stuff without going broke? I backed up my stuff last year but I'm in college and have written 5643 more papers since then that I need.

That is why I, and may people reading this, have another backup. Especially if the main machine is a laptop.
Drop, theft, loss....poof...your stuff is gone.

What can you do now? Find a trusted, competent friend, remove the hard drive, Connect it to another machine.
Save off your critical data if possible.
Then you can move on to maybe fixing that laptop.

Which is more important? Your 5643 papers, or a replacement laptop for $350? Or a used one for $50?

 

[Tradesman1]

Yep, get the drive out, and when you get to it, check the connections, see what kind it is, if it's a platter drive, the type that has spiining disks in it, might even try tapping it with a spoon or somthing, quite often the drive head will 'stick' if dropped, a tap can often free up the head, then try it, if it spins up get your data backed up then run CHKDSK /R on it

 

[Ermoore]

Thank you sooooo much! I really need my papers and schoolwork to compose an eportfolio I need to graduate. Guess I will find out my destiny in the morning!

Thank you again for the help!!!

 

[Tradesman1]

Let us know how it goes