well guys i might not be on a whole lot for the next couple of days. my computer froze and then pooped out today and wont start up now. CRY i am going to lose ALL my artwork. all my programs... but i guess it is for the good i can have a fresh start.

blah.

/watches day get worse.

Rainbowzz, you won't necessarily lose everything. If Windows has become corrupted then it won't start, but you can have your existing drive attached to another computer as a "slave" and then you will be able to read all our files. We did this not too long ago. Bought a new hard drive, installed Windows on that and set it as the main drive, then attached the failed drive as a slave. We now use the slave drive to save all our work (but we back it up on CD too!)
YOu may even be able to use the programs - there are lots on my slave drive that still work and I jsut set up shortcuts on my desktop to get to them easily (haven't them into the start menu yet but I know it can be done just haven't got round to it.)
hope this helps

[Maven]

I don't know much about computers (especially the hardware), but I wish you luck in recovering your information. For the future, I highly recommend backing up your information and files. Two or three backups off your hard drive is recommended. If you want to pay for it, you can also find services via Google that will keep copies of your files on several hard drives, and they have major software to protect against viruses and hackers, so even if one or two machines go down, there's almost surely a machine that has your backups intact. Plus, like I said, you should make at least one or more copies on disks, DVDs, or other items on which you can make copies. Then you're safe.

*sigh*

yeah, i know i should have.

Its a case of the should haves right now.

my friend who works for Microsoft is helping me reinstall.

Caro, would be a good choice but I havent got a second disk (im on roomates comp, and I know they wont let me use it for that)

honestly I think I may have gotten a nasty virus or something.

oh well, a fresh start

well.

Its all gone now.

Im not sure if I feel good or bad about it.

ITs running MUCH better, which is cool.

But all my pictures *sniffle

[FleeingFox]

That sucks 'BIG TIME', well gutted for you there.

Your friend from microsoft has taken a bizarre and extreme measure in getting you to format and reinstall your operating system.
I'm very shocked that your friend did not suggest you use your install disk to attempt recovery as opposed to reinstall.
Viruses do not ordinarily work that way, someone has corrupted system files, most likely drivers, but having said this, you need to make sure there is no virus 'still' on any discs you may have. There are certain types of sites which everyone should stay well away from, I'm concerned that you may not have a suitable firewall installed and properly set-up, and fully updated anti-virus software. These are musts haves for internet usage.
Try to take steps to back-up files in future, a superb method of doing this is purchasing a dvd rewrite drive and using dvd rewrite discs, they store in excess of 4Gb of information, this would be hundreds of thousands of picture files, well worth looking into. You can get external dvd drives which plug into USB ports, this would make it your hardware which you can connect to any computer.

[HelgaDE]

you guys need to get Linux... It's a much stable operating system. I recommend ubuntu (which is what I have installed on my machine) you can get more information at http://www.ubuntu.com/

i have thought about it but am not comfortable using linux enough to install it. I simply dont know enough about the workings of it and if all of my graphics programs would run in it either.

[SleepsWithButterFlies]

(((( RainBowzzs)))) I am sorry ..I am not puter smart enough to help you but I know I would be way down cause my puter often times IS my social life I hope you get it somehow fixed soon and get all your stuff back....Maybe you could mail it to Wizzard...he ,might be willing to tweak it for you?

[Maven]

My boyfriend also recommends Linux, but I don't know enough about using it, either.

[Rebound]

At the risk of going off-topic, if any of you are interested in just trying out Linux without installing it on your computer, there are versions which will run directly from CD. A google search for "live cd linux" will turn up link after link of free downloads that will each fit on a bootable cd. The sites themselves usually include instructions but i'd be willing to help in any way i can. Feel free to drop me a line. I don't know much about Linux, to be frank, but I've tried out more than one of these live cds so I have an idea of what that experience is like for the newbie.

As far as the reformat and all that goes, I agree that that seems to have been a drastic measure, but without more info it is hard to tell so I would hesitate to rate the quality of the advice you received.

OTOH, the advice to maintain backups is very sound. You never really know how much your data means to you until it is gone. I have found this out the hard way. I know you may not have the wherewithal to maintain a comprehensive disaster proof backup scheme, but there are ways to get the most important stuff safely put away. If you have a cd burner, you can compress your most important files and copy them to it. Or if you have a large enough hard drive, you can "partition" it and apportion a space for backups seperate from the main operating system files.

Perhaps your friend from Micro$oft can give you a hand with this stuff. But if not, you are free to pm me and I will try and provide more info if you like. Don't worry about it being too hard. Essentially, if you can follow step by step instructions, you can have a successful backup strategy.