All is well here…
So what was wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.
Apparently, besides the fact that dust had built up inside, the flat ribbon cable that connects the hard drive to the computer was, to say the least, seriously mangled. I think the last person to service my computer didn’t care so much about the 40 ultra-thin wires inside. 
This caused the computer to only have intermittent contact with the drive, so when it booted, it would think that the drive wasn’t there.
He didn’t trust the way the wires were set up, because he said sometimes when he’d brush his hand against the wires, the drive would shut off. He replaced all of these bad wires.
I found out I was only running in XP Service Pack 1, so he upgraded it (all this time I thought I was using SP2!!! 
) He also installed an extra gig of RAM, which will make running Windows a lot more comfortable. (I have already seen noticable improvement in my computer’s performance.)
After he did a lot of that software work, he tried to recreate the scenario where the hard drive could not be found, and he couldn’t do it. So I’m pretty sure that my computer is fit to give me many more years of use without too many worries. 
(Not that I completely trust it… this experience has taught me to do frequent backups of everything!)
nightwheel: It’s a good idea to migrate everything, if you have that option. If you know everything inside the computer is okay, then your hard drive might not be up to par and might be seeing its last days. That’s what I thought my problem is, but now I know it’s a good idea to have it checked. 
TDIT: Have you tried hooking up an external DVD or CD drive? That’s what I had to do with my mom’s laptop. Her burner won’t read CDs or burn them sometimes, so I have to hook up a separate DVD drive to burn DVDs or CDs on. It’s an idea, anyhow.
I’m pretty sure my drive’s cables in my old computer are in good enough order.
But it is nice having a new computer where I don’t have to worry about my computer is underpowered for what I’m playing.
to add on to the Pc dilmna group mine is out of order for another couple days…i’m having to get a new windows operating system because the one i thought i was going to be able to use failed on me.
Unfortunitly all of my stories are now being held on my computer…waiting for me to unlock them once more. So if anyone is curious why i haven’t continued my updates this is why…
Just another PC problem for the week
Maybe all of our “breakdowns” or glitches are linked???
red - I’m glad that your computer is up-and-running again! Don’t you hate it when electronics blow out on you? Thank goodness for computer programmers who know how to deal with the problem.
So you have an uncle who’s excellent with computers, too? So do I. Man, this is weird… (snigger)
By the way, just to let you know… there is a program known as System Mechanic (produced by Iolo Technologies) that protects your computer against viruses, defragments hard drives, cleans up debris in the system, and does numerous other things to keep your computer in ship shape. At the present time, you can purchase the basic, though latest, program, System Mechanic 8 for a discount price of $39.95 on the internet. Here’s the link:
Oh, sure! Now they have a 30% offer on the program after I order it! Heh. (Actually, I think it was there the whole time, but it doesn’t matter.) If you order this set, be sure to uncheck the box that says “Automatically renew every year for $29.95”, unless you would prefer to accept that offer.
The “main” computer that my family and I use is so delicate and stubborn that, unless it has this program installed on it, it will operate poorly. This is one reason why I wasn’t able to access Pixar Planet for more than a week. (I swear, this particular computer of ours was probably made in hell. My sister adds insult to injury and said that it is the “product of the devil”, which it certainly could be.)
Well, in any case, I’m glad that your computer is running smoothly again!
This is so weird, guys. Right after I start this thread, it seems like EVERYONE is having computer problems!!!
Maybe it’s full of gasp! bad luck… Haha, just kidding.
Mitch:
I know, right?! Maybe we’re related somehow… 
red - Maybe people were having major/minor problems with their computers before, but they didn’t reveal them until you made this thread? (snigger)
We have to be! I’m serious!
– Mitch
Well I have been using Windows 7 64-Bit (Public) Beta today. I downloaded it back when Microsoft had the Public Beta available on their site a while back. But got around to successfully installing it today after some failed attempts awhile back. So don’t worry guys, I’m running 100% legal version of Windows from Microsoft them selfs.
Anyways, It has some glitches which is to be expected since this IS the Beta version of Microsoft’s new OS. And isn’t set for retail release until sometime in 3Q 2009.
Whoops double post. I think this double post was caused by a glitch related to Windows 7 Beta.
Edited. I combined both of your posts. – Mitch
Not really a bad day as such…but i seem to have developed a cold which is really annoying. I’m exhausted and i’ve hardly even done anything!
Not to mention the application form that’s staring at me by the side of my bed…If only it could mysteriously vanish into the bin…
In conclusion…sick is bad! I think i may go and crawl into bed for a while now.
I think I might stay away from this thread. The computer problems seem to be spreading, and I don’t want one.
Mark-E- Hope you feel better soon!
Bad day here in the southwest…its cloudy, cold, and windy. All adding up to my practise for baseball today…great. This should be intersting.
Let’s hope i don’t freeze too much out there today.
Mark-E: Aww, I hate colds!!! GAH… they seem to ruin your whole day. 
Hope you feel better soon!
Al-Bob: Same goes for bad weather… but nothing’s perfect, huh? sigh I hope you were nice and warm during baseball.
lizardgirl: well, I’ve visited this thread a whole bunch of times (heck, I STARTED it, haha…!) and I haven’t had any more computer problems since. But maybe you’re wise in staying away… 
lol…!!!
nightwheel: you can never trust beta anything. Hope you have luck with the computer. 
I’m confused…
The bad day is on February 14, yet I’ve had a bad week because I was depressed because of Feb 14…
Well bad…something here. Exactly two years ago on Feb 14, Grandma died…
It sucked …ALOT…
Good thing tomorrow’s Friday the 13th…
Gahh… got lots homework to worry about too…
I was the only person with a sweatshirt…it drizzled on us for most of the practise and the assistant coach had to cancel the remaining hour of practise to let us go home. It was very much depressing to a baseball player. But the good news was that our Coach now has a new baby boy! I praise God for that…
It is so yucky outside today… windy, snowy, and I’m pretty sure there will be white-outs along the road in places. Me and my dad have to go pick up my friend in Canada later today, and it’s about a 45 minute drive. I hope the weather clears up at least a little bit before we have to leave; because I HATE going anywhere when it’s windy outside - you can just feel the whole vehicle swerving… shudders
little chef
Little_Chef_Eva_09-exactly…you can hear the wind getting through the cracks into the car and the swaying is enought to scare anybody…just try doing the drive in a 12 passenger car!!! That is what we go through…pretty scary if you ask me.
Roflcoptinator: I’m sorry to hear about that. The passing away of a loved one, no matter how far in the past, can hurt. Are you doing anything in memory of her every Feb. 14?
Al-Bob: Congrats to the coach on the new baby boy! What’s the baby’s name? Did you all get to see him or did you just hear about him?
Yeah, it’s a bummer when it rains on a fun and/or important day. Like when it rained when I went to Disneyland.
little_chef_eva09: I know what you mean. Usually, I love the wind but I hate the sound (lol, I’m quoting one of Aly and AJ’s song) and I also get annoyed and even panicky when the wind gets too strong. I hope the weather clears up over there!
Me, nothing bad much…except: Usually, the time to expect bad things is the 13th. I’m not superstitious, but coincidences do happen. Yesterday, Friday the 13th, was the day of all days all computers in my house decided to act up. Weird.
Didn’t think I’d be posting in this thread for a long time. For me, it’s like “post here when you’re absolutely at your wit’s end”.
I’m so upset and frustrated I could cry. 
Ugh, anyways… a couple days ago I downloaded the program GIMP (freeware - basically a free version of Photoshop without all the extras) because I had figured out a new way to do really smooth digital line art, and I was like “I’m gonna try that!”
So I opened up a picture I finished yesterday and started working. It was coming out perfect - but I couldn’t finish it that night so I went to save it into a file that supported layers, but it didn’t work and merged all of my work. 
Yes, I was pretty darn angry when I found that out… but that wasn’t even the worst.
After school today, I started working on it again. I got everything done exactly the way I had wanted it - down to my very first attempt at shading and everything. All that was left was to add some text, and when I did, I went to edit it (add some stuff to it or whatever) and my computer completely jammed up.
It’s still on a frozen screen as I type, and all the work I had accomplished since 2:30 this afternoon (it was about 5:30 my time when this started happening, and it’s 5:50 now)… there’s absolutely no way to save it or anything.
And that means I’m gonna have to do all of it over again. Ugh, I am so angry right now…! I know there’s nothing I can do about the lost file, but that doesn’t matter, because that was a whole three hours’ work that just got completely deleted!!!
uggghhhhh…!!!
little chef
i don’t mean to laugh at your problems but…LOL. That is fairly coincidental if you ask me…relax and just try it again…and don’t worry. You;ll get it one of these tries.
Right now the weather is heavy clouds, slight drizzles of rain, and no sun so its pretty down-right boring and horrid here.
Plus I’m working in a hot office so it seems pretty down for me…