It can happen to anyone, at any time, without any warning - the dreaded computer crash! Yep. It happened to me. The day after I finished my taxes my computer stopped working - apparently the system was as tired of the IRS as I was!

The article this week is about my experience trying to recover my system with another article coming soon about the utility that I used.

Happy Geeking!

Recovering From a Computer Crash

If a computer switches off again the minute it starts - does that count as a crash?

Luckily I have my laptop, but the kids have lost their PC!

It just says 'no signal input' and the monitor won't switch on.

All advice appreciated!

Wow Allison you poor thing! It really is SO important to have backups. We are only really reminded of that when our systems fail!

BellaShorts - have you tried a different monitor just to rule out the monitor as an issue?

Thanks Lisa - yes we tried a different monitor - it did the same - just put itself on standby after a minute or so - so frustrating! If we could just see the icons, I could probably fix it. Computer shops can charge a fortune for a tiny programming/start up error!

It took me a while before I was able to recover files from my last crash. One of the boot disks finally worked.

It *might* be a bad video card - hard to diagnose over the Internet - but if you tried a different monitor and still have problems that would be my next step for testing.

If it is the OS placing the monitor into standby then there are ways around that - let me know and I can help.

P.S. - Sorry for not responding earlier - my system crashed again and is making my life/work VERY difficult.

Seems to be a lot of crashes about! That's ok, thanks for response - shall I just buy another video card? OS? I will check for this - how do I approach it?

Thanks for help.

What OS are you using? The power save settings are typically in the control panel under power options.

After reading the posts again I am leaning more towards a bad video card than power options.

You can purchase a new video card to see if that fixes the issue. If the computer has a separate video card (instead of on the motherboard) just remove the card and bring when getting a new card to make sure they match.

If the video is on board then you want to check the specs on your computer so you get a video card that will work properly with your system.

Make sure that that the place you buy the card from will allow you to return it if that is not the issue.

Keep us posted!

Thanks, we're using Windows XP which we've always been happy with. I don't suppose we can try the Master Boot Disc if we can't see a screen? Are video cards tricky to remove?

If it is a faulty video card then the boot disc will most likely not work. If it is an issue with Windows XP and video drivers or settings then you could try to boot to safe mode and fix the issue.

Video cards are not the difficult to remove but it really depends on the computer. I usually find that the cover for the computer is the hardest part to remove and put back on! LOL

Usually the video card (if not on the motherboard) is seated into a slot and held in place with a screw. To remove the card you need to remove the screw and gently remove the card from the slot. When you get a replacement it can be placed in vacant slot.

This is a basic description but it should not be that bad. If you need more information let me know.

Try a different outlet and try differnt cords (phone lines).