computer crashed

[ohiotuber]

For the 2nd time in about 6 months, my PC at home has crashed. I will be mostly OFF the board until I can get it fixed or repaired...probably around 11/1.
Mike

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Mike,

Sorry to hear that buddy. I know from experience
how exasperating it is. Hope ya get back up soon.
You'll be missed.*G* Warm regards, Jim

[MontanaMoose]

I hope I don't cast a spell on my comp, but can someone tell me just exactly what 'crashed' means as relates to computers? By the sound of it, a comp is somehow rendered unusable and has to be taken into a shop. That's a guess, but what I don't know or understand is how this happens and if I'm even correct about what 'crashed' means.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[DianeID]

A crash is a failure break. Maybe you've heard it used as hang or bomb. ("My computer just bombed," or "My computer is hung up in Never-Never land." is a favorite term when we're writing programs at home and we do an 'oops!')

A crash is a serious computer failure of hardware or software like a hardware malfunction or a very serious software bug. A computer crash means that the computer itself stops working or that a program aborts unexpectedly. #1 thing to remember: If your computer crashes, it is not your fault. If the program is fine and your hardware is working correctly, there is nothing you can do to make your system crash.

[WarrenP]

I asked that question in a computer class years ago and the instructor removed a hard drive from another computer and disassembled it to show me what was inside the hard drive. It had many small round discs in it, similar to a CD disc, stacked one on top of another one and I doubt that you could get a sheet of paper between each disc. They were very close to each other. The instructor explained that when the PC is running, each disc would be spinning and all the PC info is stored on those disc. If, while spinning, the PC gets jarred or bumped hard enough for those disc to touch each other, that would be a "crash". Now that was years ago and things may have changed since then.

[Jed]

At this point a hard drive crash is really slang for your computer broke. Think of it as a car crash. Sometimes you crash and your car can limp along until it is repaired. Other times it takes a tow truck to take it to the body shop (or computer repair shop) and still worse is that sometimes it takes a new computer.

jed

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Sometimes the fix is to just turn it off and re-start it.
Sometimes it is dead as a doorknob something is burnt out or otherwise fritzed beyond repair and you need to buy a whole new computer.

Lots of times the software just needs to be wiped off your computer completely. Then it is reloaded. This is called a complete re-format and is probably the most frequent and easiest of fixes. Computer shops do re-formats all the time usually charging for an hours labor. Some will tell you that you need a new computer when a format is all that is required.

This is where it is really helpful having a friend who is a computer whiz help you with the problem.

Disclaimer: I am not a computer whiz. All or part of the above information may be incorrect or in fact an outright lie. As always If You or any of your IM force are killed or captured while fooling with a computer, the Secretary will dissavow any knowledge of your actions.

[DShock]

I found a handy way to crash my computer. I unwisely clicked yes on a popup and introduced a SPY and hijacked my computer. So if your tired of your old computer that is one way to get a new one.
Consult with your neighborhood computer repairman before you download anything. Is it just me or is the entire country of Nigeria sending us E-Mails trying to help us?
Doug

[jktrout]

Having taught Computer Science for over 20 years before retiring and now I build systems from scratch, it always amazes me how many people will spend a lot of money on a computer and fail to take precautions should a "crash" occur. If you spend a little more(less than $100) and install a second hard drive, do a regular backup (lots of freeware out there for that)to your second drive, at least all your important data will survive. The chances of both drives dying at the same time are almost impossible. Think of it as the spare tire in your car.

I could write a book on the do's and don'ts but I'm sure there is one out there all ready.

Your computer like your air conditioner, your car, your washer and dryer needs a regular cleaning and tune up, both physically and electronically. I take as much care of my computers as I do of all my fishing equipment. So far I have NOT had a crash at home yet and I have 6 computers running for my family that includes a 5 year old and a 7 year old with thier owm systems.

Anything unusual and I sweep the computer with anti-spyware and anti-virus.

Physically I vacumn each computer twice a year with a small shop Vac for the big dirt and a small vacumn cleaner with a thin tube attchment for the fine cleaning. Replace any fan that makes any unusual noise and I'm done. I have way too many fishing memories stored on my systems to loose them now.

All the best.

[DShock]

Another thing I learned was that there were TWO fans in my computer. I had no idea until I was at the comp repair store and I had him show me what was going on inside the computer. So if you hear a fan going out in your computer, you might have a second fan backing it up.
Doug P.S. jktrout, could you explain WHAT function the fans have in the tower?
THANKS!