I am stuck after installing a new PSU

[cmac813]

So the other day my power went out and when it came back on my computer wouldn't start. I read online it was a power supply problem so I installed a new one. My computer now turns on but it's stuck on the screen that says Compaq and F1=Setup and F10=System Recovery. However when I push F1 or F10 nothing happens. I thought maybe it was something with my wireless keyboard but I tried a wired one and nothing happened still. I've read that a power outage may hurt other parts of your cpu not just a power supply. Is there anyway to test if it's a motherboard or hard drive issue? Also does anyone know how to fix my problem with being stuck on the Compaq page? Thanks.

 

[RussK1]

My computer is a Compaq Presario SR1150NX, it's 7 years old so I'm actually pleasantly surprised it's lasted this long. So that's why I won't be too upset as long as I can save my files. I know I've read that you can remove the hard drive and hook it up to another computer but I have no idea how to even begin to do that, do you think it's something I can do on my own? I talked to a geek squad guy online and he said it's 99.99 for data recovery at a best buy and I would much rather put the 100 to a new computer.

Yeah I think it's time for you to upgrade a little (see links). Your board is really outdated. I just rebuilt a comp. and out of pocket it cost me mmm $80. Not bad huh? As far as the drive, it's really easy... really. Plug and play easy... You could buy a CPU and board for really cheap (what Best Buy wants for "DATA" recovery) and you've got a cheap upgrade and fun project to boot. Who knows you might learn something.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00192548&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=426016

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00069442&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=426016

http://s1081.photobucket.com/albums/j357/russwood8814/

The first two rows are the comp. I just rebuilt... Anyhow, I could supply you some links to some boards and compatible cpu's.

 

[cmac813]

Yeah I think it's time for you to upgrade a little (see links). Your board is really outdated. I just rebuilt a comp. and out of pocket it cost me mmm $80. Not bad huh? As far as the drive, it's really easy... really. Plug and play easy... You could buy a CPU and board for really cheap (what Best Buy wants for "DATA" recovery) and you've got a cheap upgrade and fun project to boot. Who knows you might learn something.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00192548&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=426016

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00069442&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=426016

http://s1081.photobucket.com/albums/j357/russwood8814/

The first two rows are the comp. I just rebuilt... Anyhow, I could supply you some links to some boards and compatible cpu's.

Firstly thanks for the info. When you say plug and play easy could I just plug in my hard drive into another desktop and transfer the files off? Can I do the same thing with a laptop? I'm a little hesitant to open up the other desktop because I don't want to screw it up but I could probably figure it out. Do I need to buy any special things in order to transfer it to a laptop, I know there are hard drive enclosures which I think help transfer files but I'm not sure. I'd rather do the desktop if I don't have to buy anything to do it but I'd rather go for which is easier instead of cost. Also with my computer being so old is it still easy to transfer the files, I know there is some difference with the ribbon cables I have in mine and what's in newer hard drives.

When you say you rebuilt one for $80ish did you buy a board and other stuff? That might be an interesting option instead of buying a whole new computer. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet but maybe later on, I think it would be fun, until I screw something up and can't figure it out.

 

[RussK1]

Firstly thanks for the info. When you say plug and play easy could I just plug in my hard drive into another desktop and transfer the files off? Can I do the same thing with a laptop? I'm a little hesitant to open up the other desktop because I don't want to screw it up but I could probably figure it out. Do I need to buy any special things in order to transfer it to a laptop, I know there are hard drive enclosures which I think help transfer files but I'm not sure. I'd rather do the desktop if I don't have to buy anything to do it but I'd rather go for which is easier instead of cost. Also with my computer being so old is it still easy to transfer the files, I know there is some difference with the ribbon cables I have in mine and what's in newer hard drives.

When you say you rebuilt one for $80ish did you buy a board and other stuff? That might be an interesting option instead of buying a whole new computer. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet but maybe later on, I think it would be fun, until I screw something up and can't figure it out.

Yep; board, processor and thermal paste (google it).

Your HDD is connected with ribbon? Are you sure it's not SATA? It shows on your boards spec sheet it has two SATA ports(but doesn't mention the interface of the HDD) If it is SATA you could just plug it into another comp. (AHCI enabled of course) and that it's not encrypted. Simply plug it in and open it up and extract the files you want. Another option is a HD enclosure like you mentioned.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157202

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134635

Either way, this board has support for IDE and SATA, so if you go this route it'll work. Plus it has core unlocking features as well (UCC). So the link of the Sempron I gave you can be unlocked to a Athlon X2 (50/50). You'll have to get memory as well because the memory you have now is ddr1 and it's not even worth trying to find a board that'll take it. All in all, a little over a hundred bucks and you've got a new comp.

 

[cmac813]

Yep; board, processor and thermal paste (google it).

Your HDD is connected with ribbon? Are you sure it's not SATA? It shows on your boards spec sheet it has two SATA ports(but doesn't mention the interface of the HDD) If it is SATA you could just plug it into another comp. (AHCI enabled of course) and that it's not encrypted. Simply plug it in and open it up and extract the files you want. Another option is a HD enclosure like you mentioned.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157202

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134635

Either way, this board has support for IDE and SATA, so if you go this route it'll work. Plus it has core unlocking features as well (UCC). So the link of the Sempron I gave you can be unlocked to a Athlon X2 (50/50). You'll have to get memory as well because the memory you have now is ddr1 and it's not even worth trying to find a board that'll take it. All in all, a little over a hundred bucks and you've got a new comp.

I'm pretty sure it's a ribbon because I looked on the link you posted that showed what my motherboard looks like and the hard drive is plugged into the primary IDE and there is nothing plugged into the SATA ports (if that's the right word). So if it is ribbon and not SATA does that change how I can transfer the files, can I still just plug it into the other desktop or does it have to be SATA to do that.

Also I know the enclosures come in different sizes, I'm assuming I could just measure or read the hard drive and that would tell me what one I would need to get? If I do have to buy one I just want to make sure I get the right one because there are tons of options and a lot of them seem to say eSATA/SATA/USB but I haven't seen any that talk about ribbon.

Is there a technical term for ribbon, is it IDE? I know that's where it's plugged into but I don't know if that's what it's called.

 

[RussK1]

I'm pretty sure it's a ribbon because I looked on the link you posted that showed what my motherboard looks like and the hard drive is plugged into the primary IDE and there is nothing plugged into the SATA ports (if that's the right word). So if it is ribbon and not SATA does that change how I can transfer the files, can I still just plug it into the other desktop or does it have to be SATA to do that.

Also I know the enclosures come in different sizes, I'm assuming I could just measure or read the hard drive and that would tell me what one I would need to get? If I do have to buy one I just want to make sure I get the right one because there are tons of options and a lot of them seem to say eSATA/SATA/USB but I haven't seen any that talk about ribbon.

Is there a technical term for ribbon, is it IDE? I know that's where it's plugged into but I don't know if that's what it's called.

Yes it's IDE which isn't a big deal.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1945390&CatId=2779

http://www.rosewill.com/products/s_1053/productDetail.htm

You can go with something like this... your HDD is 3.5"... Desktops are 3.5" and Laptops are 2.5". You don't have to go with this one in particular, this is just an example. Simply, you just want an IDE to USB enclosure 3.5". If you are overwhelmed with rebuilding this is probably the safest alternative.

 

[cmac813]

Yes it's IDE which isn't a big deal.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1945390&CatId=2779

http://www.rosewill.com/products/s_1053/productDetail.htm

You can go with something like this... your HDD is 3.5"... Desktops are 3.5" and Laptops are 2.5". You don't have to go with this one in particular, this is just an example. Simply, you just want an IDE to USB enclosure 3.5". If you are overwhelmed with rebuilding this is probably the safest alternative.

So I can basically buy any that are IDE to USB enclosure 3.5" and then I can hook my hard drive up to the enclosure and connect it to my laptop with the USB cord and transfer my files? If it is that easy it sounds like something I can handle.

Also they seem to be pretty much the same thing so why is one $15 more than the other one? Is it just a little higher quality product or something? Either way that's pretty cheap.

I was planning on returning my PSU but if I could rebuild my PC for around $100 like you said that seems it could be better than buying a new PC. Those products you linked on the other post, how good are they? Compared to buying a PC for say $400 how would rebuilding one for a $100 compare. I'm assuming it would be good enough for what I use the computer for, just internet and email and some day trading, nothing too crazy. If I do decide to go that route in the future, I'll be sure to let you know so you can help me out some more. Thanks for all your help so far.

 

[cmac813]

One other thing I noticed was on the Rosewill product page it has an OS requirement section that doesn't have windows 7 on it. I was wondering since I have windows 7 on my laptop that I'd like to transfer files to, would it not work? My other desktop has XP I believe so that should be ok either way but I'm just curious if some only work with certain OS's.

 

[RussK1]

So I can basically buy any that are IDE to USB enclosure 3.5" and then I can hook my hard drive up to the enclosure and connect it to my laptop with the USB cord and transfer my files? If it is that easy it sounds like something I can handle.

Also they seem to be pretty much the same thing so why is one $15 more than the other one? Is it just a little higher quality product or something? Either way that's pretty cheap.

I was planning on returning my PSU but if I could rebuild my PC for around $100 like you said that seems it could be better than buying a new PC. Those products you linked on the other post, how good are they? Compared to buying a PC for say $400 how would rebuilding one for a $100 compare. I'm assuming it would be good enough for what I use the computer for, just internet and email and some day trading, nothing too crazy. If I do decide to go that route in the future, I'll be sure to let you know so you can help me out some more. Thanks for all your help so far.

AS far as the enclosures they're all pretty much the same. Some are just better than others is all. Here's one from Walmart -

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Inland-u-Jam-IDE-USB-3.5-Hard-Drive-Enclosure/10363674

The items I linked to you... they're better than what came with your comp initially. From future upgradability, stability and reliability. The comp. I recently rebuilt for $80 bucks works way better than it did. Comp. manufactures cheat consumers by using the cheapest parts that they can (capitalism). In their eyes it's about the bottom line not about the quality of the product that they put out.

And yes, it would serve you well for what you'd use it for. I'm pretty perceptive and I seen you were the "average" user and not an enthusiast and this is why I linked you these products. But, there is a future here. You can upgrade to a six core processor, add a discrete graphics card, add more memory, add more HDD's or cd/dvd burners, etc... considering your power supply is up to snuff.

Your welcome too by the way...

 

[RussK1]

One other thing I noticed was on the Rosewill product page it has an OS requirement section that doesn't have windows 7 on it. I was wondering since I have windows 7 on my laptop that I'd like to transfer files to, would it not work? My other desktop has XP I believe so that should be ok either way but I'm just curious if some only work with certain OS's.

Windows will automatically install the needed drivers or it will direct you to a site that has them. Install disks usually have out of date drivers anyway. You could do a quick search for IDE to USB enclosure 3.5" windows 7.

 

[cmac813]

Windows will automatically install the needed drivers or it will direct you to a site that has them. Install disks usually have out of date drivers anyway. You could do a quick search for IDE to USB enclosure 3.5" windows 7.

Yea I was reading FAQ's on the walmart one and people asked if it worked with windows 7 and they said yes it worked fine. I think I'll get this one shipped to my closest walmart store and give it a try and see what happens.

I'm planning on trying to rebuild my PC since I have a laptop and I'm not in a real hurry to get a new desktop, I think it will be an interesting experiment and a good way to learn more about the inner workings of a computer. How long do you think it would take someone like me who's never rebuilt a PC to finish rebuilding the whole thing? I know it depends a lot on the individual and how quick they learn but maybe on average if you had to take a guess.

 

[RussK1]

Yea I was reading FAQ's on the walmart one and people asked if it worked with windows 7 and they said yes it worked fine. I think I'll get this one shipped to my closest walmart store and give it a try and see what happens.

I'm planning on trying to rebuild my PC since I have a laptop and I'm not in a real hurry to get a new desktop, I think it will be an interesting experiment and a good way to learn more about the inner workings of a computer. How long do you think it would take someone like me who's never rebuilt a PC to finish rebuilding the whole thing? I know it depends a lot on the individual and how quick they learn but maybe on average if you had to take a guess.

A few hours... Just make sure you're in a relatively static free environment. Just keep it in your head that static is the quickest killer of components. It's like cyanide to humans. Don't work on carpet and simply ground yourself. Touching the inside of the computers non painted area should suffice. Read the instruction manual that comes with the processor as to applying the thermal interface. Don't use a lot... less = better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlhL5Sb6ek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLVHFaokdgA

 

[cmac813]

So I got my hard drive enclosure in the mail and put my hard drive in it and connected it to my laptop but I can't figure out how to actually copy the files. I can see some but not all of my files and when I try to copy them it says I don't have permission and in one case when I tried to take ownership of the file, it was an excel file it said it was encrypted or unreadable or something like that. So how do I actually copy the files to my laptop?

Also is there anyway to copy everything from the hard drive in one step instead of looking through all the files and picking and choosing?

 

[RussK1]

So I got my hard drive enclosure in the mail and put my hard drive in it and connected it to my laptop but I can't figure out how to actually copy the files. I can see some but not all of my files and when I try to copy them it says I don't have permission and in one case when I tried to take ownership of the file, it was an excel file it said it was encrypted or unreadable or something like that. So how do I actually copy the files to my laptop?

Also is there anyway to copy everything from the hard drive in one step instead of looking through all the files and picking and choosing?

Encrypted huh? That sucks... As far as opening up the encrypted files I don't have any idea.... you might be able to use Windows "easy transfer". Also, you do have Office installed on your laptop right(?). If these options don't work you could transfer this particular question to the "storage" section. It also would be a good question to post on the Windows website. They have some good IT professionals and know their stuff... I'll look into it further for you and see what I come up with.

 

[cmac813]

Encrypted huh? That sucks... As far as opening up the encrypted files I don't have any idea.... you might be able to use Windows "easy transfer". Also, you do have Office installed on your laptop right(?). If these options don't work you could transfer this particular question to the "storage" section. It also would be a good question to post on the Windows website. They have some good IT professionals and know their stuff... I'll look into it further for you and see what I come up with.

Thanks for the help. I was able to copy one folder off of it because I added a name called 'everyone' in the groups or user name field under the properties. However when I try to do that for other folders or files it says there is an error in changing the permission. I noticed in the groups and user names there is a list of things you can do and the top one is "full control" which I have checked for the new 'everyone' group however at the bottom there is "special permissions" which isn't possible to be checked, it's faded into the background so you can't click on it. I'll keep looking for a solution and I'll let you know if I solve it, I'm just happy my hard drive still works and didn't get fried.

 

[RussK1]

Thanks for the help. I was able to copy one folder off of it because I added a name called 'everyone' in the groups or user name field under the properties. However when I try to do that for other folders or files it says there is an error in changing the permission. I noticed in the groups and user names there is a list of things you can do and the top one is "full control" which I have checked for the new 'everyone' group however at the bottom there is "special permissions" which isn't possible to be checked, it's faded into the background so you can't click on it. I'll keep looking for a solution and I'll let you know if I solve it, I'm just happy my hard drive still works and didn't get fried.

I'm on the Windows 7 forums asking about it. I'll see what they say.

You opened up the drive under computer, properties, security, users, and checked "full control" and "modify"??

And below that is a tab for advanced where you can change the Special permissions.

 

[cmac813]

I'm on the Windows 7 forums asking about it. I'll see what they say.

You opened up the drive under computer, properties, security, users, and checked "full control" and "modify"??

And below that is a tab for advanced where you can change the Special permissions.

I tried to change the permissions and sometimes it says error occurred while applying security to "insert file here" and sometimes it lets me copy the file/folder and other times the error comes up. I've transferred a couple more files by changing the security on each file because the folders don't allow it. It's taking a while and I'm sure there is a better way but I can't figure it out so I'm at least able to get some.

 

[cmac813]

I was able to get all the files off of it that I needed right now so it's all good. Thanks for your help again russwood, if I decide to rebuild my PC I'll probably find you and ask more questions, but for now I don't have any so thanks again and have a good one.

 

[RussK1]

I was able to get all the files off of it that I needed right now so it's all good. Thanks for your help again russwood, if I decide to rebuild my PC I'll probably find you and ask more questions, but for now I don't have any so thanks again and have a good one.

Sorry I wasn't able to help you more. Atleast the drive still works so not all is lost. Just send me a PM when you need more help.

Have Fun!

Russ


PS - you saved yourself a lot of money, you could've taken it to Best Buy and they would've raped your wallet.

 

[cmac813]

Sorry I wasn't able to help you more. Atleast the drive still works so not all is lost. Just send me a PM when you need more help.

Have Fun!

Russ


PS - you saved yourself a lot of money, you could've taken it to Best Buy and they would've raped your wallet.

I am so glad I didn't go to Best Buy. $20 item from walmart vs $80 diagnostic or $100 file transfer at BB, unreal.

 

[RussK1]

I am so glad I didn't go to Best Buy. $20 item from walmart vs $80 diagnostic or $100 file transfer at BB, unreal.

The only time I use Best Buy is when I'm in dire need of something and can't wait. And I'm saying this from a perspective of a Premier Silver member. Sometimes Best Buy has good deals but for the most part they charge 50% more than what you get something for from Newegg, MicroCenter, CompUSA or Amazon. Yeah it's a joke and half the time they have no clue what's going on...

Take Care,

Russ

 

[cmac813]

Best answer selected by cmac813.

 

[Mousemonkey]

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