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How old is your machine? Mine died last week, motherboard problems, capacitators mushrooming (whatever that means)

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ORIGINAL: DesFIP

The only data I needed, they didn't move over was the address book. Unfortunately they had trouble reading parts of the hard drive so I don't particularly want it installed.  Oh and to cap it off, my modem died at the same time. Still can't figure out if the modem burned out the computer or vice versa or if it really was just coincidence.

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ORIGINAL: wkdshadow

Using the search feature is a bad idea, it accesses the disk more than is needed. It should be in the folder mentioned above.

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How old is your machine? Mine died last week, motherboard problems, capacitators mushrooming (whatever that means)

If you look at the verticle cylinders(electrolydic capacitors) on your motherboard, you'll notice they all have flat tops. It's an interesting story behind this problem, you see an engineer stole the specs on the electrolyte for new aluminum capacitors that his company was working on before he moved and started working for another company. The problem is, these specs had a few intentional boo-boos in them, and only the engineers working on the project directly actually knew about it. So, the caps work for awhile, and then they start to swell, or even worse, burst.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1176509&isnumber=26410

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ORIGINAL: DesFIP

CL2112, thanks for the info. Upgraded the surge protector as well. It was an external DSL modem which you can't buy a new one of, you have to get one that has the router as well, even though the router I had was of better quality.

Of course I still want to listen to music so another tech call tomorrow.

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ORIGINAL: ghitaPVH

OK.....Heres the computer update for the morning.

I tried first to just use the new profile that windows had created for me, and just transfer all of my documents, settings, favorites, and such over to the new profile. I was able to retrieve everything except for outlook express, I lost all 4 of my families adress books, and every email that was in our inboxes adn saved in folders. Unfortunantly for us alot of those emails were very imoprtant and held information on my husbands business and the like. So..I tried the retore option that so many of you suggested. I have no tried 4 different times to restore, each time going back to an earlier and earlier date, with no luck. The profile is still screwed up and not working correctly. So I would click "undo my last restoration" and it would come back to the profile windows created. Which works fine, it just doesnt have my adress books and such. The last time I restored, I went into my emails, and downloaded my adressbook and the important emails to a CD. Then after undoing the restoration, I tried to import the saved address books off the CD but it wont accept them. I am going to try one last thing. I am going to do another system restore to go back and look at the emails and address book, and try to actually email the messages and addresses to myself, then undo the restore, then open the email. Hopefully that will work and things will be back to normal....for now.

The funny thing about all this, is just two days ago P and I were sitting around thinking about upgrading the memory and graphics of this system. We may just decide to build an entirely new computer instead of fixing all the parts of this one. I have now gone through and burnt copies of all my documents and pictures so no matter what happenes this time I havent lost them.

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ORIGINAL: ghitaPVH

This system is a Dell 4600i, and from my recolection its about 6 years old. Maybe 5... Over the past few years we have begun doing more and more in the way of images and such. I now run a small website for my husband, it actually makes us a few extra hundred a month, but the software I use for it, and the amount of images Ive added lately has begun to really slow the system down. Ive still got plenty of harddrive space (except for the new problems of it being damaged or something), but I do think I need to get something with a bit more memory. I dont know, Ill have to do some research. Unfortunantly its rather important right now that we actually have a computer, but hopefully it wont have to be too big of an expense to get what we need. I do agree that there is no point going the cheap route now if its not really what we need anyway and will just have to pay more later..,...