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Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b can occur in a computer due to several reasons. We will go through the steps required to solve this problem.
1. Regedit modification
2. Registry Scan.
3. Load Last Known Good Configuration
4. Rollback Faulty Driver
5. Change BIOS Settings
6. Clean the Junk Files and Unnecessary Stuff
Regedit modification
In order to fix Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b, you have to configure the registry as shown below:
1. Click Start, type RegEdit and press ENTER to open Registry Editor.
2. Browse any of the following locations:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Msahci
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV
3. Double click the string named Start.
4. Enter 0 value.
5. Close the Registry Editor.
Start a Registry Scan
Incorrect registry modifications may result in Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b. You have to configure the registry properly in order to fix the problem.
Load Last Known Good Configuration
The Last Known Good Configuration option lets you restore the registry state to an earlier working state and thereby solves Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b.
1. Restart your computer.
2. Press F8 key to see the Boot Options screen.
3. Select the option Last Known Good Configuration and press ENTER.
Roll back Faulty Driver
A malfunctioning device driver may cause Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b. You have to roll it back in order to fix the problem. The instructions are as follows:
1. Click Start, type Device Manager and press ENTER.
2. Expand your computer name, and the driver that is malfunctioning. The best way to identify a malfunctioning driver is the cross symbol in yellow color before its name.
3. Right click it, and select Properties option.
4. Click Properties option.
5. Click Driver tab.
6. Click Rollback Driver button.
Change BIOS Settings
Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b may be appearing due to improperly set-up BIOS Settings. Change them properly in order to troubleshoot the problem.
1. Restart your computer.
2. Press F2 or Delete key.
3. Select the Drivers tab.
4. Select SATA Operation option.
5. Select the option RAID Auto/ ATA rather than RAID Auto/ AHCI.
6. Save the settings.
Clean the Junk Files and Unnecessary Stuff
The temporary files stored on your computer may also cause Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b. They occupy a large amount of your disk space and generate problems. You have to clean them using the System Cleaner feature of a System Utilities software.
Stop Windows 7 Error 0x0000007b
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Sometimes when you reinstall your OS or upgrade to Windows XP, your sound may not function properly. This could be a problem with not having the latest sound drivers. A sound driver is a software program that needs to be installed so that the computer data will be translated into audio signals that can be outputted to your PC's speakers. If the sound drivers are not installed or outdated, the audio will not work accordingly.
Windows XP sound drivers are regularly updated to fix bugs, add new features, and improve system performance and application compatibility. It is therefore required to upgrade whenever there's a new release to take advantage of these new enhancements. Most users, however, find this task somewhat difficult because of the frequent updates. It is hard to keep up with the constant releases. Furthermore, you have also to take into consideration matching the sound card's specifications to the latest driver requirements.
There is now a quick solution to this problem. You only have to download driver update software. This program is designed to identify hardware devices that are installed on your computer and will locate the latest drivers available for those devices. It will scan your computer, take a snapshot of your system specifications, and will then install the updated drivers automatically including that of your Windows XP sound driver. Additionally, every time there is a new update, the user will receive an automated notification.
It is always important to optimize your computer's performance. You want to keep your sound drivers for Windows XP updated. And there is no need to do this manually. A quick scan from driver update software will do the trick. This will certainly reduce the time you have to spend on researching and troubleshooting your sound problems. For the latest XP sound drivers simply can your computer with the best driver software you can find.
Sound Drivers For Windows XP - How to Get the Latest XP Sound Drivers
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While several preventive maintenance software manufacturers offer free trials for their products before charging a fee, some companies offer their products for free. Free preventive maintenance software is rare, and is sometimes less thorough than software that must be purchased, but it can be a good solution for a new or struggling business.
Often a company will offer the bare minimum of their software for free, and ask that the consumer pay for any upgrades. Again, this bare minimum could be enough for many businesses. Alternatively, it is often sufficient for a company to get free preventive maintenance software just for help with the scheduling of the work while they carry out the rest of the operations manually.
In addition, many preventive maintenance programs offer 30-day trials where the user can see if the software will match their needs. During this time, the user could see how the software works and try to manually duplicate its effects after the 30 days are finished. This is possible, but not recommended because the software's purpose is to make people's jobs easier. Trying to duplicate its processes may create more trouble than it is worth.
In many cases, CMMS programs are offered as shareware. With this option, the user must be careful to get authorized copies in order to avoid any harmful computer viruses and as well as costly copyright issues. However, if the consumer confirms that they have legitimate software, this can be a good option.
Whether a user should obtain free preventive maintenance software or pay for it will depend on the his or her needs. Either option can be viable, but large, complex organizations are probably better off buying the software.
Free Preventive Maintenance Software
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SCCBase.dll is a file that's used by the "Infineon SICRYPT®" company to help process a number of important settings for your computer's hardware settings. We've found that although this file is continually being used to help process the various important settings that are required to send files (data) to various smart card & printing devices. Most computers have this file because HP printer drivers will install it there, meaning that in order to get the most out of the file, you first need to make sure that your software is working correctly, and then that your PC can fix any of the possible issues that will be leading the file to show problems.
The main problem that will lead the SCCBase.dll file to show errors is the corruption & subsequent unreliability that this file will have. The issue is that this file will continually be used by a number of different programs, which can often cause conflict with it. In order to fix this, it's therefore important that you first ensure that it's able to process the file with all the programs that you're using, as well as then ensure the continued smooth operation of the SCCBase.dll file.
The way to resolve the problem you're seeing is to clean out the various problems that the file may have, as well as then cleaning up the Windows system in the best way possible.
Step 1 - Re-Install Any Software Causing Errors
First, begin by re-installing any software that's causing errors. This can be done by clicking onto "Start", then accessing the Control Panel, followed by clicking onto either "Add / Remove Programs" or "Uninstall A Program". This will allow you to uninstall the program that's causing the errors to show on your system, allowing your computer to run much smoother and more reliably as a result. The most likely software you'll have problems with will be the HP printer drivers that you'll be trying to print with.
Step 2 - Manually Replace SCCBase.dll
The next step is to manually replace the SCCBase.dll file. This might seem complicated to some, but it's actually very easy to do. You can basically just need to click onto the Internet, download a new version of SCCBase.dll, and then replace it on your PC. You can download SCCBase.dll from just performing a search for this file on Google (look for SCCBase.dll Download), downloading the file to your desktop, and then replace the file in the C:/Windows/System32 folder of your PC.
Step 3 - Clean Out The Registry
The registry is another big cause of problems for the SCCBase.dll file. This is where your PC keeps the files and settings that it needs to process to run, and is basically used to help your system to process the likes of the most recent emails on your PC, your desktop wallpaper and even your important files. We've found a lot of problems result from having registry errors on your system, which needs to be resolved by cleaning out this part of your PC by downloading a "registry cleaner" tool, installing it and then letting it fix the various problems that your computer may have.
SCCBase DLL Error Repair Tutorial
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Windows 7 shutdown problem is one of the most common problems experienced by most of the users in the present world. The reason why Windows 7 has shutdown problem can be due to various reasons. For instance, automatic shutdown is one of the common problems of many computers today. These problems can be categorized into legacy software and hardware compatibility issues.
According to a recent research, it has been proved that one of the biggest shutdown error problems of the windows is because of the hardware and conflict problems. Therefore, if you are planning to install a hardware or a software in your system, make sure you have a proper knowledge on it and do a proper research to find the right software program.
As most of the users are experiencing windows 7 automatic shutdown problems, there are many websites on the Internet, which are providing tips and instruction to get rid of it. There are also many people who spend a lot of money on their hard drives when they see any type of windows 7 auto shutdown problems. If you are one amongst them, you should know that there are many software programs available in the market today, which will help you to get rid of all types of computer problems including windows 7 auto shutdown issue. Therefore, you do not have to waste your hard-earned money as soon as you see an error message in your system.
In particular, you can clean your system registry to prevent windows 7 auto shutdown problem. Sometimes, the Windows 7 shuts down automatically because it is overheated. A registry cleaner will help you clean those corrupt and extra registry files which always result in causing overheating. Therefore, it is now possible that Windows 7 would not have the shutting down issue anymore with the help of a registry cleaner.
Windows 7 Auto Shutdown? - Learn How to Troubleshoot Windows 7 Shutdown ProblemWindows 7 is barely out and people are reporting great results with the operating system? But what comes next? Will Windows 7 be the last operating system from Microsoft for a few years or will consumers and businesses a next generation operating system to meet the needs and wants of both industry and consumer? The answer to that question will be up in the air for a while but meantime there are many things I would like to see added to Windows 8 when the operating system comes out.
I liked all the eye-candy that was included with Microsoft Vista but the 32- bit version was so unstable that I could not keep it up and running for more than three months without having to reinstall the operating system. After I upgraded to the 64-bit version all those instabilities went away but I still had to add quite a few visual styling programs to create the look and feel I wanted in an OS that was perfect for me.
The major thing I would like to see in the next operating system after Microsoft Windows 7 would be enhanced graphics and customization capabilities. I'd like to see Active Desktop brought back and made secure. I have missed Active Desktop since it was discontinued with 64-bit XP and Vista's widget sidebar which they claim made up for the loss of Active Desktop is no comparison. I used Active Desktop to place animated graphics on my desktop as links to my favorite webpages and would have used it to add animated icons if the ability had been there.
Another thing I would like to see in the next operating system beyond Windows 7 is program launching from your browser & program launching from locally created webpages. I have been trying for years to create my own locally stored webpages and use them as a program launcher & I am not alone in this desire either. Microsoft claims they removed this feature for security reasons, but I would much rather be able to use my computer like I want to than not have the ability. A feature should be added that will easily allow someone to turn on this ability if they so choose for a single or series of webpages that are locally based. There are many other options I can use to launch my programs but I would like to centralize my computer usage around my browser and do everything with it including program launching.
The third thing I would like to see in Windows Eight is native animated icon support. The computers of today have both the processing power and memory capabilities to serve such a feature but it is not offered in any version of Windows and the 3rd parties solutions when available are buggy and do not work well. Native high-res animated icon support is clearly the way to go and would go a long way to soothing my eye-candy addiction. Animated effects on the taskbar, windows, browsers, and program search bars would be welcome additions as well.
The forth thing I would like to see added to Windows 8 is another eye-candy option. I would like the native ability to change the background of individual folder windows just like I can choose an individual icon with the option to include animated backgrounds if I so choose.
The fifth thing I would love to see added into Windows 8 is a free personal edition of Microsoft Office including Outlook, OneNote and Word with the option to upgrade to other features as needed. The advertising supported version of Microsoft Office 10 in Windows 7 is pointless because non-targeted advertising is not worth the money spent creating it and the basic office features I listed above are all a family needs to organize their lives. I would be willing to pay an extra for Windows Eight if it included a non-advertising supported version of the latest Microsoft Office software listed above.
As you can see there are a lot of improvements that can be made to the Windows operating system and I hope that the next operating system after Windows 7 has all of these features and much more. Microsoft, this is an invitation to impress and surprise me!
What's the Next Operating System After Windows 7?
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For the sound card of your windows 7 to be working optimally, you have to be able to detect and download the sound card driver. You don't just stop at downloading the driver but there are great tips that will help you to get the best from the driver you have just downloaded. Many computer users are ignorant of the fact that several problems their PCs may be having could simply be as results of one inefficient or faulty driver or drivers or the others.
Again, you may not be aware of the fact that many manufacturers update their drivers monthly so there is need for you to constantly update these drivers too to be able to continue getting the very best out of them. If any of the drivers in your PC is faulty, you wouldn't be able to update it if you can't detect what the issue really is. There are modern and efficient method of locating any driver in your system and we are going to look at the best in this discuss.
It is quite unfortunate that many PC users including you and me, doesn't know that the manufacturers or driver designers frequently change the components of these drivers for certain reasons such as security breaches, general improvements, attending to faults and so on. Think of how easy things will be for you and your PC usage experience if there is an easy-to-use and specialized system that couldn't only search but also install and maintain all the drivers in your computer.
I assume we all know what a PC driver is but if you don't, a computer driver is a computer or PC program that relates or communicates with an assigned or predetermined hardware component or software application. There are lots of different drivers in all the PCs and the moment you install the wrong driver, your device won't work properly till such driver is fixed. It may excite you to know that you really don't have to worry about these drivers any more because you can now be able to automatically find, repair, fix or replace any of the drivers in your computer at will by using a new system that is so simple and very efficient. This simply system can also update your fax card drivers, the video card of your PC and so on, apart from its unique ability to find and fix all your required drivers at any given time.
The best way of finding the right driver for you is simply by going to a reliable website or program that would find it for you. This is essential because if you are using program that optimizes your entire PC drivers' performance, you will get the best experience due to the fact that all the errors caused by problematic drivers would have been completely fixed.
In the case of a sound card driver, this unique program can easily trace, search, detect any fault and completely have it fixed so that your PC would be performing at its peak.
Sound Card Drivers for Windows 7 - Easy Update!
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Sometime Fallout 3 crashes in Windows 7 with the following message: "Fallout 3 has stopped working." This article discusses the ways to stop crashing the game.
Here are some solutions for the users having Fallout 3 crash problem:
1. Install the Patches
2. Modify an INI File
3. Fix the Registry Errors
4. Lower the Settings
5. Clear the Game Cache
6. Update your Drivers
7. Try DirectX 9 rather than Newest Versions
8. Modify Audio Decoder Configuration
9. Update Microsoft.NET Framework
Install the Patches
The company has released new patches for improving the performance of Fallout 3, stopping it from crashing and freezing and removing bugs in it.
You should find and download the latest patches.
Modify an INI File
There is a configuration stored fallout_default.ini
1. Open Computer.
2. Double click: C:\Program Files\Fallout 3
3. Open a file named fallout_default.ini
4. Look for the string named bUseThreadedAI=0
5. Replace 0 with 1
6. Insert an another line beneath the above, iNumHWThreads=2
7. Save the changes you have made and close the file. [Press Ctrl + S to save.]
Fix the Registry Errors
Invalid or improper information in the Windows Registry may cause Fallout 3 crashes in Windows. You need a best registry/system clean up software. The registry in Windows is an important component of the operating system which shall be free from hidden errors.
Lower the Settings
Setting of unsupported features may crash the whole game Fallout 3. Lower the settings to the standards or recommended settings. Here are the steps to do so:
1. Open the game Fallout 3.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Low button in the Details frame from the Options dialog.
4. Click OK | OK.
Clear the Game Cache
Bad files in the cache may crash Fallout 3 due to problems retrieving the information.
To clear the cache, open Console by pressing ~, and type PCB and press ENTER key.
Update your Drivers
If you are running the game with out-of-date graphics and sound driver, then update these drivers now. To download latest updates for your drivers, visit the website of the driver's company.
ry DirectX 9 rather than Newest Versions
Some users reported that they were experiencing very few Fallout 3 crash when they downgraded to DirectX 9 from the newer versions of DirectX they were using.
Modify Audio Decoder Configuration
Do these steps to disable a feature called FFDShow from the game settings. Any unsupported feature set enabled may result in Fallout 3 crashing.
1. Click Start | All Programs.
2. Click FFDShow | Audio Decoder Configuration.
3. Click Info & Debug or DirectShow Control from the left hand side.
4. Check up the box named Don't use ffdshow from the right hand side.
5. In the textbox underneath, add the file fallout3.exe, when it lights up.
6. Click OK and restart Fallout 3 game
Update Microsoft.NET Framework
Download and install latest version of Microsoft.NET Framework from Microsoft Corporation's website.
Highly Recommended
Fallout 3 Windows 7 Crash - Find Steps To Fix Fallout 3 Crashes in Windows 7One thing that I love about all news windows products is the remote desktop features. I previously used PCAnywhere but I find that remote desktop is now almost as good, would like to see a file transfer like PCAnywhere has, but remote desktop is free so that is a plus for it.
One of the tasks that I face with my network setup is forwarding ports through my router. There are two issues that I came across when dealing with the RDP forwarding. The first was what is the port number of RDP. With a quick search on Google I found that the standard RDP port is 3389.
Now that you have the port number you can simply go into your router and forward that port through and after enabling your remote desktop feature it will work from outside your network as long as you either know your IP address or have a dynamic dns service like I use. To enable remote desktop in Windows XP and Windows 2003 go to the start menu, find the my computer icon and right click on it. Select the properties option in the drop down list and then click on the remote tag in the window that appears. There you will see the two check boxes, check the second box, and then click on the remote user button. Make sure that the users you want to have access are in the list and then click OK until you have exitted all of the windows. RDP is now enabled on your machine.
So this simple setup would have worked for my network but the issue then became I have several servers that I want access to along with my desktop. Now I could just remote to my desktop and then remote to the other machines from there since they are all on the local network. This would create a lot of data that needed to be transferred though, with limited upstream speeds on your broadband connection you don't want this, and will cause performance issues with RDP. So I had two options, I could change the registry entry like was stated in the article. I will paste that fix here just in case that page has an issue at some point:
*****
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.You can use the Remote Desktop feature in Windows XP Professional to connect to your computer from another, remote computer. WARNING: The Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP may not work properly if you change the listening port. To change the port that Remote Desktop listens on:
Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Locate the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlTerminalServerWinStationsRDP-TcpPortNumber
On the Edit menu, click Modify, click Decimal, type the new port number, and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.NOTE: When you try to connect to this computer by using the Remote Desktop connection, you must type the new port.
Keywords: kbhowto kbnetwork KB306759
Technology: kbrdcMac100 kbrdcsearch kbrdcWin100 kbWinXPPro kbWinXPPro64bit kbWinXPProSearch kbWinXPSearch kbZNotKeyword
*****
The other option I had was to go into my router and specify another external port number and then point that port to the 3398 on the IP address of the machine I wanted to go to. I chose this second option as it was less time consuming and did the trick for me. One appealing thing about the ability to change the port number of RDP is security. If you leave the standard port number then anyone will know to check that port to see if you have Remote Desktop enabled and potentially compromise your network. Let me know if there are any issues with the registry fix though and if there are I will just remove it from this article.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Port ForwardingIf your Windows 7 desktop icons keep rearranging, there are various ways you can try to fix the issue. This is a problem which many people are now reporting on their Windows 7 machines, and can be caused by a number of issues inside the Windows 7 system. Fortunately, there's a simple method you can use to fix the problem for good. Here's what you need to do...
The reason why Windows 7 rearranges the icons on your desktop is because it "forgets" the layout that your icons had. Every time you reboot or shut down your computer, your icons are basically saved to a database which gives their exact positions on screen. When Windows cannot read these positions, it gets confused and basically just resorts to rearranging the entire list of icons on your desktop.
The first thing you need to do to fix this problem is to disable the "Auto Arrange Icons" feature of your system. Many computers have the auto-arrange icons option enabled on their system, which causes their computer to try and put their icons in a specific order. To fix this, you should right-click on the desktop, click on "View" and then see if "Auto-Arrange" is ticked. If it is, then untick it. This should stop the rearranging.
If your PC does not have the "auto arrange" option checked, then you should look at another option called "Align Icons To Grid". This is an option which basically links the icons to a certain part of your computer screen and if this options becomes damaged or corrupted, Windows has been known to rearrange the icons on your desktop. To fix this, you need to right-click on the desktop, click on "View" and then on "Align Icons To Grid".
After that, restart your PC and see if it's helped the problem. If it has not, then you should try using a 'registry cleaner' to clean out the registry. The registry is basically a big database which stores information and settings about your computer and keeps details like your latest emails, desktop wallpaper and even your login details inside. The registry is also responsible for keeping your desktop icons position, and is often the case that many registry options will become damaged or corrupted, leading Windows to rearrange your desktop icons. You should try using a 'registry cleaner' to scan through this database and fix any of the damaged or corrupted files that are inside it, which should resolve your icons issue.
Windows 7 Desktop Icons Keep Rearranging - How to Fix Them
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Why does Flash player crash on your computer and how can you fix it? You must be in a hurry to fix your problem and enjoy watching videos and multimedia content in your browser without any disruption. Actually this problem occurs due to certain errors related to Flash plugin in your system. The corruption in sound drivers and the incorrect registry settings in your Windows also result in Shockwave plugin crash. The guidelines given here will help you to fix the problem at ease.
The Flash player contains various active-x plugins which are essential to play animated content on browsers. Crashing with this plugin is caused by the conflicts in these active-x components. You can try either changing your browser or fixing the hidden errors with the Shockwave Flash to get rid of the problem.
Windows registry is a database which stores information about all programs and files. Whenever a program suddenly freezes or crashes it means it has corrupted registry entries. In this situation a best registry repair software can help fix the PC errors.
However, sometimes the problem may not have to do with the Flash player itself. Rather the web browser may be the root cause of it. Try to figure out if your Flash player works fine in other browsers or not. If it does not run on all browsers it means it has some internal Windows error. However, if some of the browsers are compatible and giving no error, you can assume that this is a browser related error.
The browsers too can crash sometimes. All the computer programs have registry files and as we use these programs frequently, the registry size of the programs increases. The problem arises when some of the registry entries get corrupted and invalid. It is important to fix the problem as soon as there appear mere symptoms of it. For instance, the Files Association Errors are one kind of registry errors which do not allow programs to open properly. Mostly these errors result in Flash Player crash.
There are few other things which you should do to fix a Flash player crash. These tips are given here:
* Uninstall the Flash player and active-x plugin. Afterwards reinstall it.
* Try to change the version of the Adobe Shockwave as sometimes the programs do not function well due to various internal conflicts. Get the most recent version.
* Update your system drivers
* Especially update the sound drivers.
At last repair Windows registry through a best registry cleaner software.
Flash Player Crash - Learn How to Fix a Flash Crash in Your ComputerThe Bad Pool Caller is a computer error which can appear on Windows based computers. It manifests in form of a so called "Blue Screen", usually right after the computer is started, at boot time. A blue computer screen might flash with a message about "Bad_Pool_Caller" and some cryptic number.
The computer might reboot again shortly thereafter, finding itself in an endless loop of blue screens and failed attempts to start properly.
The pool caller error typically appears after new hardware is added, but it can also appear after certain software has been installed or after certain updates. Another common scenario for the error would be that the error appears right after Windows update has been run, while the computer worked properly before the update.
What makes this PC error so tricky is the fact that it can be caused by faulty hardware but also by faulty software, for example a faulty driver which just has been installed or updated.
The bad pool caller error could come from a defective memory chip, or from a driver incompatibility with your hardware.
How to fix it?
You should make sure that your hardware is OK by running a memory check. You can run the built-in memory test in Vista by pressing the F8 key when the computer starts to bring up the Windows Boot Manager.
Now go down to tools and select Windows Memory Diagnostic. The memory test will be performed. You can also press F1 and change it to advanced mode. Let it run and check the memory.
You can also try to remove hardware from your computer, unplug as much as you can and see whether the problem exists. Try to start your PC with the bare minimum on add-on cards in your computer. Then add more cards to your PC, one after the other, and observe whether and when the pool caller error appears.
If you do not have a problem booting on a CD/DVD like your Windows DVD, and if you did a memory test, then you know its not your PC hardware, but some software or driver problem.
To check your drivers and registry for Windows errors and to check for a damaged registry it is advised to use a tool called registry cleaner. A registry cleaner can repair and fix various computer errors, and it can help finding the cause for the pool caller error.
Bad Pool Caller - How to FixContrary to popular belief, if a computer does not boot due to hard drive corruption all data is not lost and the hard drive may even be repairable. There are 2 types of hard drive damage. One is fixable by you and the other requires a professional data recovery facility.
Physical Drive Damage - Physical damage is the worst. Data recovery can only be done by professionals and can cost up to ,500 (sometimes higher). Physical damage usually consists of bad actuator arms, damaged platters or fried controller cards.
Non-Physical Drive Damage - Non-Physical damage (NPD) is what we're going to be discussing in this article. NPD occurs when the operating system's file system (fat or ntfs) gets corrupted due to an improper shutdown (for example). While this damage is may seem really bad (if it's preventing you from booting your PC), it's easily fixable with some software that's already including in any Windows PC and a USB external hard drive enclosure.
Here are a list of items that you'll need to follow the instructions below:
Another working computer with Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
Find out what kind of hard drive you have. There are 2 types. SATA (small flat connector) and PATA (a.k.a IDE) which has a connector with about 30 pins. An external USB hard drive enclosure with a connector for the type of drive you're going to be connecting to it (you can grab one of these at BestBuy for about USD).
Please follow the steps below to perform a non-physical repair (software repair) on a non-bootable hard drive.
1. Take the drive out of the computer.
2. Connect the hard drive to the connector on the USB enclosure.
3. Connect a USB cable from the enclosure to the computer that's working.
4. Power on the USB enclosure.
5. An external drive will probably load in your list of available hard drives. You can see this list by opening "My Computer" or "Computer". Take note of the drive letter for the external hard drive.
6. Now it's time to load a program called CHKDSK (Check Disk).
7. Click Start (if you're on Windows XP) or click the Windows globe (on the bottom left for Vista and Windows 7).
8. On Windows XP click RUN, then type CMD. On Windows Vista and 7 type CMD where it says "Search Programs and Files". This will open a black command prompt window.
9. In the command prompt type chkdsk "the drive letter you want to check": /r and press enter. So here is an example chkdsk g: /r then press the enter key.
10. This process can take hours. I've had a few that took days.
11. If this command completes successfully your drive should be repaired enough for you to recover the data from it and you might actually be able to boot from it again.
A word of warning. If your drive ever has any errors on it (bad sectors) it's reached the end of it's life and should be replaced ASAP. You'll be able to see this in the report provided to by the chkdsk command at the end of it's scan.
Hard Drive Repair Using Free Software
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