Grafics board dead

[Big Andy]

I have a HP laptop and the grafics card has died and wondered if it is possible to get my data off the hard drive. Is there anyway to connect my other laptop to the dead one in a way to get the data back or take the drive out and connect it direct in some way. In theory all the data should be backed up to Norton online but when I tried to get it back half of it is missing and all images since October just don't show. Please please please could anyone sujest a lead for this? or any other way?

 

[neil_g]

firstly, a backup is only a backup if you can restore your files. this needs checking on a regular basis

you can either:

take the hard drive out of the laptop, depending on what connector you have you could temporarily connect the drive up in another computer.

are you sure its the graphics card and not the screen? have you tried an external monitor?

does the laptop just hang with a bleeping noise or does the hard drive light flicker like it loads up windows (but you just cant see it), if so and it does load windows you could find the network address the laptop is using from your router and browse your hard drive from another machine..

 

[Big Andy]

Thanks for the reply Neil. I have tried another monitor which just flashes a crazy pattern but no proper picture. The computer makes the right noises as if it's booting but the built in screen remains blank although it does turn a light blue/grey colour as if it is getting power. I have taken the HD out and was hoping to find a way of attaching a lead/usb type thing to plug into the new laptop and down load that way. As you may have guessed I'm a complete knob with computers and old enough to remember being amazed by a calculator.

 

[Gazamonk]

What is the model of your laptop? need to know if its an IDE or Sata hard disk. Once you establish that just buy the appropriate enclosure (see below or your local PC supplies/repair shop may have them) remove your HD (a couple of small screws on the bottom of the laptop usually) remove the drive, put it in the enclosure and then hook it up to another PC via the supplied USB cable and access and transfer anything on the drive. Voila!


IDE Enclosure (the most likely one) http://www.amazon.co.uk/N-A-2-5-IDE-Enclosure/dp/B00265NF04/ref=sr_1_16?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1297077779&sr=1-16

Sata Enclosure http://www.amazon.co.uk/drive-Enclosure-laptop-Caddy-Laptop/dp/B003RIL0EM/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1297077710&sr=1-9

BTW it is most likely the graphics adapter on your laptop If it worked on the other monitor but just remained blank on the laptop it could have simply been the LCD inverter which is a fairly cheap replacement and simply powers the LCD panel but the fact it showed up a funky image on an external source does unfortunately point to a duff board. Sorry ! (lol at least you will be left with a nice little external backup drive, I have several of these enclosures with old laptop HDs in them. Very Handy)

 

[Big Andy]

Cheers Gary, popped into my local pc store and got an enclosure for a sata drive and now will spend the evening sorting all my data onto the new laptop followed by a format of the old drive to have a local backup instead of the unreliable Norton. So all is not lost and i'll pospone slashing my wrists for the time being.

Thanks again Gary & Neil.

 

[andy1868]

just as an afterthought, what are you doing with the old laptop? have a look on ebay for prices and possibly whack it on there, you may be surprised at what it goes for (anything you get takes money off the new one ) plenty of people prefer to buy lightly damaged laptops and fix them for themselves.

just make sure you keep hold of your hard drive!