Yet another victim.

[Suicide Junkie]

I've just joined Captain Kwok and the others with computer problems.

As of today, I can't boot...
Not sure if its viral or physical problems.

In any case, I'll be down and out for the next while, only able to post from work http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[dumbluck]

Didn't you just replace your computer, component by component, not too long ago?

I feel your pain. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[TerranC]

Oh well. SJ's computer doesn't have anything important in it. No loss.

Wait...

Oh god! SJ's Starfury Beta!

*TC Boards the nearest greyhound bus en route to Ontario*

[Suicide Junkie]

Yeah... about 6 months ago.

The only original components are a stick of RAM, the CPU heatsink and the big metal outer case.

Anyways, it looks like my primary (OS & some old stuff) drive is toast. I'm not sure exactly what I still had on there, or whether there is a chance of recovering it.
I'll know more tomorrow when I get a chance to open it up and poke around.

[Captain Kwok]

You sure do go through a lot of harddrives.

[dumbluck]

Hmm. I wonder if the SE4 committee game file index was on that computer, cause I can't get it to come up now. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[Loser]

What is it with computer, and especially hard disk drive, failures around here?

Do you guys smoke around your machine?

Do you pack it in a little cubby hole?

Do you haul it to and from LAN parties on a weekly basis?

Do you have a low-end electrical provider that constantly browns your power?

Do you habitually sneer at the mysterious woman on the street corner on the way to work?

[TerranC]

Originally posted by Loser:
What is it with computer, and especially hard disk drive, failures around here?<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. We install Se4 on it.
2. We install Se4 Periphernalia on it.
3. We install anything else that has to do with Se4 on it.
4. We use Se4 every space moment we have.
5. We save, and open, and save, open, and save .txt files that make up Se4 data.
6. Almost all of us have had our HDs for a long time.
7. It's just bad luck http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Loser]

Originally posted by TerranC:
It's just bad luck http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, I guess so. We only hear about the disasters, of course.

I've already had my bad ones, so I back up all manner of things to CD.

Walked into the room one day and thought: Oh I hope that terrible grinding sound is a fan that went out.

No one learns to back up without the pain of loss and gut wrenching might-haves. Well, almost no one. Can't compete with a real paranoid.

[Fyron]

This is part of the reason why I release every minor change to Adamant Mod. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Atrocities]

Now I don't feel so bad.

[Suicide Junkie]

Originally posted by dumbluck:
Hmm. I wonder if the SE4 committee game file index was on that computer, cause I can't get it to come up now. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Imagemodserver is gone, but executron and C&R have mirrors.

I do have the committee game installed on a CD-RW, so it still exists.

[Jack Simth]

Originally posted by Perrin:
This should not matter as all computers run on smoke.

In fact if you ever see the smoke escape from your computer you know it is broken. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, the rest of the computer is mirrors, but they are pretty solid. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[tesco samoa]

guys try this

http://biatchux.dmzs.com/?section=main

FIRE is a portable bootable cdrom based distribution with the goal of providing an immediate environment to perform forensic analysis, incident response, data recovery, virus scanning and vulnerability assessment.
Also provides necessary tools for live forensics/analysis on win32, sparc solaris and x86 linux hosts just by mounting the cdrom and using trusted static binaries available in /statbins.

[Alpha Kodiak]

While it may not be the problem in this case, old RAM can cause some pretty strange problems, including sporadic (or even not-so-sporadic) failures to boot.

I just recently got an older system up and running that had given me grief for a long time. I replaced every piece of it, including the case and power supply, but didn't think to change the RAM. I had all kinds of odd problems, including frequent failures to boot. Then, I got smart and changed the RAM out, and it works like a champ.

[JLS]

Please, no body takes this the wrong way.

All, of whom that has lost a Hard Drive, should compare notes, on any files that are in common, that have received, downloaded, opened, or shared.

[Thermodyne]

The point of all of this should be the importance of backing up to removable media. As the price of IDE hard drives has fallen, so has the reliability. What used to be a rarity is now quite common. If you have a system that is used every day, you have a 1 in 12 chance of writing off a boot drive over a five year period. If you spend time writing code, or even DL’ing files, you should back up your data.

[Perrin]

Originally posted by Loser:
Do you guys smoke around your machine?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This should not matter as all computers run on smoke.

In fact if you ever see the smoke escape from your computer you know it is broken. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[Gryphin]

Thermodyne,
What you say about the qualty / price reminds me of the 170MB Quantum I have. Can't remember the price but I was using Windows 386. It still runs on the same system though I only fire her up for show now.
It is on this system:
http://www.windingstream.com/Photos/ComputerMods/computer_case_modification.htm

[Suicide Junkie]

Well, my computer is in an air conditioned room, with plenty of ventilation.

Time for a discussion on What are the best/worst drives to buy...

The one I just lost (after 6 months) is a Maxtor, the sixth drive I've had in this case.

[geoschmo]

SJ, you mentioned you have not had to replace the case. You did replace the power supply right? Power supplies are notorious for acting like they are working fine (right voltages etc) all the while cooking off motherBoards and disk drives one after the other.

Geoschmo

[Suicide Junkie]

Yep...
After burning the replacement drive I bought, I had looked into it and found the original PS had started putting 13v on the 12v line.

I bought a fancy enermax power supply right after that, and got two new harddrives, all six months ago.

[Erax]

Are you having an especially hot summer up there above the Equator ? I know most of my component failures happened during warm weather.

[Loser]

Haha (http://www.windingstream.com/Photos/ComputerMods/computer_case_modification.htm)!