The joy of computers...

So Friday morning before work I'm adding a few albums to iTunes so I can put them on my iPod. Add 1 album, plug in the iPod then try to add a second album.

iTunes stops responding, so I end task. iTunes.exe process is still running so it won't let me re-open it. So I try to unmount the iPod so I can reboot, but these freezes up.

I restart my XP machine only to get an NTLDR is Missing error. Basically, the computer can't detect a bootable partition, so it won't start.

Since then I got 2x80GB drives, one for oS & one as a backup for the OS (I know, shoulda had a backup already eh). I loaded an XP image that was on the 40gb when I got it, and set the dead drive as a slave to see if I could restore data.

Well XP can't see the drive connected at all, so no salvation of data. Tried to burn a bootable disk with Active Partition Recovery on it but the version of Nero on the image is shit, so I can't do it. APR should give me a good idea if the drive still works.

Well even the XP image on the new 80GB is acting up, so I tried SuSe 10.2 but when it went to GUI mode everything died, couldn't see it on the monitor so I loaded Ubuntu instead.

Here I am Sunday morning on Ubuntu, can't seem to save my 40GB drive and my NTFS partitioned mp3 drives won't mount in Linux for some reason either, so no music.

Aren't computers wicked? Early birthday present for me I suppose. Instead of spending money on shit I want (like 500 jewel cases to finally unpack my CD's after 2.5 years) I now have to waste it on a PC tech for data recovery probably, plus all the money I spent on new drives & some decent backup software for the future.

And that's my weekend for anyone who cares

Well I had Ubuntu, someone said try SpinRite so I did. Ubuntu was piss easy to load programs and find shit but seemed slow.

Ran SpinRite and now back on my XP drive, everything saved. Currently formatting a new drive to backup this drive now before it dies again