Hi all, hope someone can help me

Two things really, but will start with the first one.

My hard drive thingy blew up yesterday, so have not got a new one, I didnt want a new computer package, as the monitor and keyboard is realitivly new, but the hard drive thingy was old, came as a package with the old keyboard and screen.

Now even though I have backed things up as I go along, obviously I have added new things, and of course they have gone, and I have lost a fair bit., no ones fault but my own.

What I need to know is, can my stuff be saved from the old drive, and put into the new one ?, plus I dont want to scrap it at the moment, as hear stories of people using your drive to get information from it, ie, bank details, passwords etc.

How would, or who would be able to get the details from my hard drive for me and put it into my new one, and also how do I dispose of the old drive and make sure they cant get my details from it?

Many thanks in advance.

Will post second problem in a bit.

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I would rather want something I dont have, that have something I dont want

First thing I would do is check the drive is connected, i.e. physically open the Pc and check that the power cable and other one is in tight. They can come loose (it happened to me)

Then I would do a Disk Check in the BIOS at start up. Is this a drive with the Operating system on it? or do you have several drives in your PC?

You can download data recovery programs from teh web but this assumes that the drive is working in the first place so not much use to you.

Ok, did it really blow up i.e bang, flames and smoke or did it give some other symptom of failure (the exact truth this time )

Depending on how the disk has failed or even if it has (motherboard could have failed) you can remove the HD and fit it into a caddy for some other PC/laptop to read via USB etc. From this you may be able to recover your data.

It all depends on how accessing your HD actually failed

If your HD has failed then the only thing you can do is send it off to the professionals to sort out. I've recovered data from Hds that have set on fire.

There are several applications (some free from the front of some PC mags) that will do the same.

When professionals are concerned don't take this to mean PC World as they charge £50+ to look at it and another £20 to attempt a fix without a guarantee of success

or is it that the 'base unit' / 'tower' just doesnt come on at all?
could be that the PSU (power supply unit) has blown, thats easily replaceable, whats not so easy to sort is if the processor has given in or the motherboard has topped itself.

might even be as simple as buying a new base unit and attaching the old hard drive to the new computer.

hmm perhaps i should do a guide on changing hard disks...though there are prob vids already on other sites.

If this is a hardware failure then you need them that can.
http://www.salvagedata.co.uk/

Or it could mean buying a remote HD case from PC World for 35quid and plugging your old drive in.

Plug the remote into the USB and open it up with windows explorer.

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Or you could buy it from somewhere else for about £20 - Sorry, but DSG are useless, clueless and expensive

Whats a DSG (Damn Stupid Generally)

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Dixons Group - PC World, Currys and Dixons Digital

I bought a remote HD case from PCW, has Integral in blue lights only a very strange man would call a remote HD that plugs into a USB port "Integral"

Perhaps it's designed by a Paddy living In-tegral

Anyway it worked for me.

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only time PC world are ok for anything is by shopping online and choosing collect instore and even then only good in a dire emergency.....its like shopping in the soviet union...bit like tesco really, tetchy staff with zero product knowledge, stupid pricing, and obsolete junk labelled as "brand new"

I only buy stuff from PC World in a DIRE emergency

....positives....theyre not tesco...(who IMHO are THE most evil retailer in britain....heck they stooped to bullying old ladies who asked for a price correction (like the advertisement invited customers to do if they spotted a wrong price in store)...bullying meaning using 2 managers and 6 General Assts to harass her....disgusting and they treat their staff worse.

I agree with your assessment on PCW but Tesco is a little off mark but easily targeted as they are getting there marketing close.....but this is another topic all-together