My hard disk is broken, how do i keep all my data, flash cookies etc ???

[vetus]

My main PC keeps crashing because my hard disk is apparently broken, its a good spec PC and i took it to the repair shop yesterday and i explained how its really important to keep all the xp user accounts with the flash cookies and everything and they said no problem we will clone it all and put it back onto a new hard drive and it will all be the same as before.
However i went back to the shop today and they said the hard drive is fuc#ed and they cant clone it and do what they said, does anyone have any ideas on what's best to do now or i'm fuc#ed if i lose everything, i have 40+ xp users all set up.

Whats best for me to do now?

Can i somehow keep the flash cookies from my old one and then copy them back over to the new hard drive, or maybe there is an easier way, i'm not sure, i'm not much of a techie myself, i need to find out the best way and then take it back to a repair shop and then tell them exactly what i want doing.

PS- I also have a laptop set up exactly the same as my PC and all is working fine on that one.

Hope some of you can help, any info appreciated.

Retsaw

If your laptop is the same (flash cookies and etc) use those. Otherwise, maybe try to copy the 'Documents and Settings' folder out from the dying drive.

I think the techs you spoke with are maybe not as good as they'd like to think they are.

How important to you is the data on that drive? There may be hope.

[vetus]

No i think they are not as techie as they think they are and im not even sure if it is my hard disk whats causing the problem after speaking to someone else just now.

Windows log on is the error message, so i think its a windows problem.

Ok, well, that's not necessarily quite so bad, then. Leaves you more options that could get you back up sooner.

Don't try fixing it with your install disc, until you've backed it up to a physically different device (DVDs, External Hard Drive, whatever) because you might lose all customization and all the user account data.

[vetus]

Ok will do, cheers pal.

No prob. PM me if you get stuck.

[Juicyas]

I had been meaning to make a post on this for a while. My laptop overheats and shutsdown about 3-4 times a week.

Backing up your cookies etc would definitely be a good idea. The _easiest_ way to do it is log on to your account, fire up another pc and login at the same time... same IP.. no worries. Now the cookies have been transferred.

Do that with all user accounts and then if your pc dies, when you get a new one, just do it the same way again.

Cheers

[Juicyas]

Oh I just saw you said 40.. well that's a bit much I guess. But at least do it with the most important ones

[vetus]

I've sorted it now, it was the hard disk in the end, lucky i got it cloned and put back all exactly the same onto another new hard disk and all is good again.

Juicyas- thanks mate, also i'm glad i never had to set up another 40 accounts again and i have since backed everything up on dvd's now, so should be all ok in the future.

[aspkin]

Originally Posted by Juicyas

I had been meaning to make a post on this for a while. My laptop overheats and shutsdown about 3-4 times a week.

Backing up your cookies etc would definitely be a good idea. The _easiest_ way to do it is log on to your account, fire up another pc and login at the same time... same IP.. no worries. Now the cookies have been transferred.

Do that with all user accounts and then if your pc dies, when you get a new one, just do it the same way again.

Cheers

You should probably figure out why your laptop is overheating.. it's not suffocating is it? It's vents?

Maybe get one of those laptop cooling stations... overheating isn't good.