Computer with W8.1 out

[rrkknight3]

If I click on the "OS Boot Manager", I stay on the same tab, buut I have a text in a frame

"Windows Boot Manager (TOSHIBA MQ01ABD075)   [I think it's 0 and not o]

Anyway, take time for you lunch also 

So that tells us that the BIOS can see the hard disk (that's the model number and hopefully we won't need to know it).  And this means that it is at least alive enough to see that.  Good news!

I believe what Chiron is proposing may work.  The idea is that, using something like a USB key with a copy of another operating system on it (He's suggesting Windows PE), you would start that operating system and use it rather than Windows 8.1 to read the hard disk and save its data somewhere else.  Does the laptop have more than one USB port?

Lunch was a sandwich my wife had made for me.  I'm finished.   

[Chiron]

Does the laptop have more than one USB port?

No need: the new HD can have a small partition for the OS and a large one for the backup, thus just one USB port would do. The backup can be as well an image file instead of a sector-by-sector.

Lunch was a sandwich my wife had made for me.  I'm finished.   

Does your wife happen to know mine? 

[Aelin]

So sandwich was delicious if it's your wife who made :winks:

Yes, I have 3 USB ports.
I saw somewhere I need a minimum key with 512MO, it's that?
I can remove stuff of one with 1Go.

I stay always with questions (but will probably make nothing more before tonight here):
- after that, computer will rework temporary, or more 'permanently'?
- otherwise will I be able to use hard disk to create an external, or is it too bad for that?

[rrkknight3]

Does your wife happen to know mine? 

Could well be.  Eating anything more exotic at my desk would probably just cause trouble, however. 

So sandwich was delicious if it's your wife who made :winks:

Absolutely!  I see that you DO know her.   

I'm going to step back and let Chiron describe the process he was considering.

[Chiron]

So sandwich was delicious if it's your wife who made :winks:

Yes, I have 3 USB ports.
I saw somewhere I need a minimum key with 512MO, it's that?
I can remove stuff of one with 1Go.

I stay always with questions (but will probably make nothing more before tonight here):
- after that, computer will rework temporary, or more 'permanently'?
- otherwise will I be able to use hard disk to create an external, or is it too bad for that?

If I get you right, and assuming that the problem really lies with the HD, it would be very risky to use that disk again. Just extract from it as much as possible, write on it "DO NOT USE" and then retire it in a drawer.
Of course this implies opening the laptop to replace the hard drive, but as I told you that's not as scary as you see it... :winks:

Uh, I forgot... no writing, deleting or moving data on the current disk! Nothing but reading it out, lest further data loss may occur if a directory area is involved in the problem.

[Aelin]

Replace the hard drive is out of touch for the moment. But open the laptop for Windows PE? Please say me my brain starts to be out of function,and I haven't understand well.

[rrkknight3]

Well, lunch time is over and I've got to get back to OpenStack, so apologies for saying I'm going to be quiet and then speaking.

Replace the hard drive is out of touch for the moment. But open the laptop for Windows PE? Please say me my brain starts to be out of function,and I haven't understand well.

As I have understood Chiron, he's proposing that you use a USB connected hard disk with Windows PE in one part and another data area on the same USB connected disk to save all of the data that is possible from the hard disk in the laptop.  So, to do the saving part, you should not have to open the laptop.

[Chiron]

Replace the hard drive is out of touch for the moment. But open the laptop for Windows PE? Please say me my brain starts to be out of function,and I haven't understand well.

No, your brain is OK, it's me the one who wasn't clear enough :smile:

- WinPE requires only an USB port and a working BIOS to tell the computer where it should boot from.
- Once PE is up and running, the contents of the HD can be copied onto another disk. Still no screwdriver.
- If the current HD proves defective, the copied contents should be secured elsewhere (any old crappy drive would do, if healthy): the OS installation could - and probably would - reformat it.
Here begins the screwdriver work:
- the old faulty HD has to be removed
- the new one (possibly same size, same manufacturer, same everything) should be mounted in the laptop.
End of the screwdriver phase.
- The OS (Win8) is now to be be reinstalled from scratch (a suitable installation DVD should be available for that)
- The application software has to be reinstalled.
- The secured files can now be copied back onto the newly installed HD and you'll live happily ever after 

Yes I know, it looks like a lot of work, but if everything runs smoothly it will hardly take longer than one day.

[Aelin]

So screwdriver isn't for tomorrow, pfffew.
I looked a little on web for Win PE before the dinner, but I lost quickly my way. And the result is I totally don't know how that works.

Anyway, I'll send you a mail in the next minutes. Be ready to see "aelin" in the address.
 

Oh, and my usb key is empty now. NOt formated. Not a problem?

[Aelin]

I have a stupid question.
My computer worked under French language. Is it normal the Bios has a system configuration with English?