Our beloved, beat-up laptop is ill--very ill. The family is considering consenting to a Do Not Resuscitate order. Symptoms of this grave illness include inability to exit the start up screen and freezing up in "safe mode". The agonal Blue Screen of Death has not yet appeared, but is believed to be immanent.
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PalMD is a practicing internist in the Great Lakes region of the U.S.. Aside from the great joy he finds in his family and his work, he likes communicating some of that joy to others. He has a special interest in the ways patients---and we are all patients at one time or another---are deceived by charlatans. He aims to change the world, one reader at a time. Previous writings can still be found here, and here. I also write twice a month for Science-Based Medicine
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« Victory for science, humiliation for antivax nut | Main | Back on the nets---but why bother »
An unfortunate happening
Posted on: March 12, 2010 8:40 AM, by PalMD
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TrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/133520
Comments
Sounds like it's time to get a Mac.
Posted by: Orac | March 12, 2010 9:04 AM
My Mac laptop died 5 weeks ago, after 6 years of faithful service. I feel for ya, doc.
Posted by: Anon | March 12, 2010 9:11 AM
My condolences to you and your family. Have you tried any alternative therapies? My acupuncturist suggests that you might try burning some incense on the "A" key and sticking a needle in the meridian located between the "J" and "K". He's seen it work before...
Posted by: SurgPA | March 12, 2010 9:23 AM
Wipe the hard drive, install a Linux OS, and use it as a file server.
Posted by: Jared | March 12, 2010 9:26 AM
Is it a Dell laptop? I had one of those that broke 4 times, and the last time it happened I decided it would be cheaper to just buy a new computer than to fix that one yet again.
Posted by: catgirl
| March 12, 2010 9:26 AM
My condolences. My router's age was starting to interfere with my own medical practice.
Ok, the lag was making it impossible to heal in warcraft.
Still, sympathies.
Posted by: Left_Wing_Fox | March 12, 2010 9:30 AM
Oyy...my laptop is expressing an unhealthy interest in discussion its Five Wishes lately. Hopefully it doesn't get any ideas after reading this post.
Posted by: MFA Mama | March 12, 2010 9:39 AM
I'd like to add my condolences. Sadly, laptops are not eternal. You could take it to a technician to see if it's something reversible though.
Posted by: Dianne
| March 12, 2010 9:55 AM
You vaccinated this laptop, didn't you? You know that antiviral protection will contaminate it with code that makes it less healthy in the long run.
What do you expect, really?
Posted by: Pascale | March 12, 2010 10:21 AM
My heartfelt condolences...I have been through this twice in the last 18 months...an Acer laptop and just this month a young 1 year old Dell! My I suggest to you that which is giving me comfort in these trying time
http://store.apple.com/us-hed/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac?mco=MTM3NTMwNzk
WAHHOOOOOO BABY!!
Respectfully yours
Posted by: DrKnow | March 12, 2010 10:39 AM
i suggest re-booting. as in boot it out a second story window. very cathartic.
Posted by: rob | March 12, 2010 10:42 AM
Are you implying that the blue-screen of death is inherent in your laptop. That's cruel, even for a Mac fan boi. Or did you mean that it's death was imminent?
Posted by: JScarry | March 12, 2010 10:53 AM
Try booting it from a USB stick that has some other OS (*). If the boot works, you know there is no problem with the hardware. Reinstalling the OS should bring it back.
(*) So it won't get infected, if a virus is the problem. There are many "live" versions of Linux to choose from.
Posted by: Lassi Hippeläinen | March 12, 2010 11:55 AM
If you've got the disc, trying re-installing Windows XP (I'm guessing that's what you have). It won't delete your existing data if you select the "repair installation" option, and if it's not a hardware issue, should fix whatever's busted.
Posted by: jtradke | March 12, 2010 11:58 AM
Alas, it sounds to me like it may very well be a hardware issue. Try booting from an OS on a CD or a USB drive, and see if all behaves well. If not, you may have a terminal PC on your hands. If it does indeed boot well from another drive, you may simply need to replace your hard drive.
Posted by: Karen | March 12, 2010 3:12 PM
If failed the DST test. I need to find a way to recover whatever files i need. I need to find a boot up disc. On the bright side, new lenovo so far running smoothly.
Posted by: PalMD | March 12, 2010 4:04 PM
Use the lenovo to download and burn an Ubuntu disk. Boot the old box with that disk. If that works try to mount its hard drive and copy all the data to an external drive or USB stick.
Posted by: snoey | March 12, 2010 4:51 PM
What snoey said.
If nothing else, Ubuntu (or Knoppix) makes a great recovery disk.
Failing that you can still get the data off. There are nifty little kits (mine cost $20) that take a laptop hard drive and attach a USB interface so you can use it as an external USB drive. Do that, and you've got everything from it available to the new Lenovo.
And congrats on the new Lenovo in the family.
Posted by: D. C. Sessions | March 12, 2010 6:30 PM
There is nothing quite as cathartic as taking a large hammer to a computer. Doesn't help the computer any but it is great for the spirit.
Showing the computer the hammer, and threatening to 'give it a reprogramming it will never forget', also seems to help certain otherwise intractable issues.
A hammer is also the proper tool to use decommission a hard drive. Drives can be wiped and rewiped and still have data recovered. Nothing is quite so effect at permanently destroying data as reducing the discs to itty-bitty pieces. If your anal wipe and pound.
Posted by: Art | March 12, 2010 10:48 PM
My father tells tales of his experiences with mules used in logging 60 years ago. Computers smell better, but otherwise are similarly obstinate.
Posted by: Donna B. | March 13, 2010 7:29 AM
Is this the same laptop that needed to be taken to Intensive Care in North Carolina last year? If so, i guess it's had a good life, and should be allowed to deboot in peace.
Posted by: Bob O'H | March 13, 2010 9:34 AM
For a rationalist, you do have some odd beliefs!
Posted by: vvilleskep
| March 13, 2010 10:34 AM
I'm very sorry to hear that. But I'm not terribly surprised.
Posted by: Greg Laden | March 13, 2010 10:21 PM