LooneyToonArmy Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 ok, my sisters laptop (Sony VAIO) just got buggered methinks and it`s coming up with this message: "Disk Read Error Occured. Press CTRL ALT DEL to restart" Computer wont go beyond that screen. Any ideas? Hard drive buggered? If so, is data recoverable? That is the most important thing. I suppose one step is to find an Windows XP disk that I don`t have.....to see if I can fix any possible errors. but to be honest I know nowt about computer repairing, data recovery etc so might need pointing in the right direction to a decent computer repair shop in Newcastle. I`m sure PC World rip you off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesy111 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 windows is fucked, need a new windows installation either windows has just corrupted or the hard drive is fucked Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucaAltieri Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 1) Get a mate to write you a Linux Ubuntu Live CD. 2) Put it in laptop and boot from it without installing anything. 3) Try to access the hard drive. If you succeed then backup your documents on to a memory stick. If you don't succeed then chances are the drive is fucked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesy111 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 1) Get a mate to write you a Linux Ubuntu Live CD. 2) Put it in laptop and boot from it without installing anything. 3) Try to access the hard drive. If you succeed then backup your documents on to a memory stick. If you don't succeed then changes are the drive is fucked. yeah, good advice if she's dropped it recently, then i would say it's not good tbh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooneyToonArmy Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 she hasn`t dropped it but will try to get a Linux Ubuntu Live CD as you say. In the meanwhile, just incase......does of anyone know of any trustworthy computer repair shops in Newcastle that you have used? Cuz I know PC World charge 69.99 plus parts just to look at it. Just for future reference..... Much appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lazlo Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Computer orbit on the west road in Fenham. just been in there actually for some disks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
relámpago blanco Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Computer orbit on the west road in Fenham. just been in there actually for some disks. Living in the 80's? Disks? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 not a shop but www.homecall-it.co.uk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooneyToonArmy Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Cheers for the suggestions ..... not a shop but www.homecall-it.co.uk have you used them before? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Orbit are probably your best bet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Cheers for the suggestions ..... not a shop but www.homecall-it.co.uk have you used them before? No mate, no need to. I did work with the guy though, at TSg (graham Wylie's place on valley) he started self employed stuff a few years ago. He'll not charge you for advice, unlike "some" other places I could mention. tbh there are quite a few local small pc companies that you'll get a lot more help from than any of the bigger places, most of them will take the laptop and have it on a shelf for a few days, have a mess around then give you a bill regardless if it can be fixed or not. (unless you pay extra on top for them to take a look straight away) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Orbit are probably your best bet. is that so? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Orbit are probably your best bet. is that so? Out of the bigger shops yes, they fixed my neighbours laptop the other week, took it in two days later sorted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 fair enough, but I find them quite arrogant tbh, not exactly cheap either. Each to their own I suppose, but I wouldnt trust them with my hardware. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stephen927 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'm sure someone on here recommended a one down Norham Road. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lazlo Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 fair enough, but I find them quite arrogant tbh, not exactly cheap either. Each to their own I suppose, but I wouldnt trust them with my hardware. Nowhere will do data recovery cheap, it's time consuming and intensive, homecall-it do 4 hours for £100. It will take that at least. Not charging for advice is all very well but advice won't fix a non-booting laptop. Orbit's front of house is not the best but their backroom staff are pretty knowledgeable. Half of it comes down to whether they've had that exact problem before, like anywhere else. I do agree with the sentiment that smaller businesses may give you a better technical diagnosis, i'm sure i would try my best if i was self employed and not part of a chain but i've yet to see proof that one shop is better than the other. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I'm sure someone on here recommended a one down Norham Road. I did. that was for someone wanting a laptop charger, he does advertise that he specialises in laptop repairs, but no idea one way or other if he's value for money Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbobson Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 fair enough, but I find them quite arrogant tbh, not exactly cheap either. Each to their own I suppose, but I wouldnt trust them with my hardware. Nowhere will do data recovery cheap, it's time consuming and intensive, homecall-it do 4 hours for £100. It will take that at least. Not charging for advice is all very well but advice won't fix a non-booting laptop. Orbit's front of house is not the best but their backroom staff are pretty knowledgeable. Half of it comes down to whether they've had that exact problem before, like anywhere else. I do agree with the sentiment that smaller businesses may give you a better technical diagnosis, i'm sure i would try my best if i was self employed and not part of a chain but i've yet to see proof that one shop is better than the other. yeh, but the point is, he, and other smaller places, will say if they reckon the drive is knackered and give you the choice to go ahead, or not. where as orbit and the like will charge you just to take a look, regardless. as I said each to their own, there are loads in yellow pages and in chronicle extra, all pretty much offering same thing. I used to do a bit of work for www.pc-callout.com they were charging end users nearly £60 for the first hour, £30 each hour after, and they push this no fix no fee thing, but when you look through their t's and c's there's very little that would fall under this category. people quite happily pay this though as they know no better, they dont believe in giving advice, unless its part of the hour, and they constantly push the engineers to drag the calls into the second and third hours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooneyToonArmy Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 fair enough, but I find them quite arrogant tbh, not exactly cheap either. Each to their own I suppose, but I wouldnt trust them with my hardware. Nowhere will do data recovery cheap, it's time consuming and intensive, homecall-it do 4 hours for £100. It will take that at least. Not charging for advice is all very well but advice won't fix a non-booting laptop. Orbit's front of house is not the best but their backroom staff are pretty knowledgeable. Half of it comes down to whether they've had that exact problem before, like anywhere else. I do agree with the sentiment that smaller businesses may give you a better technical diagnosis, i'm sure i would try my best if i was self employed and not part of a chain but i've yet to see proof that one shop is better than the other. yeh, but the point is, he, and other smaller places, will say if they reckon the drive is knackered and give you the choice to go ahead, or not. where as orbit and the like will charge you just to take a look, regardless. as I said each to their own, there are loads in yellow pages and in chronicle extra, all pretty much offering same thing. I used to do a bit of work for www.pc-callout.com they were charging end users nearly £60 for the first hour, £30 each hour after, and they push this no fix no fee thing, but when you look through their t's and c's there's very little that would fall under this category. people quite happily pay this though as they know no better, they dont believe in giving advice, unless its part of the hour, and they constantly push the engineers to drag the calls into the second and third hours. thanks for the suggestions lads........I did goto Computer orbit (in Gosforth) initially and they wanted a good deal more than the initial 29.99 just to look at the laptop (the guy at head office in Gateshead I spoke to said 29.99)..... went across the road, to another shop and got it looked at for nowt. Hard drive is knackered but they've kept it in to see if they can recover any data. not sure how much that will set me back......any ideas? I have no clue about the average cost, if there is one. They did tell me though that they'd give me a call about the price and if I want to go ahead with it or not which is good . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now