Laptop Computer/Printer, Email Set Up

[Nick33]

Can someone assist me please? I have absolutely no idea when it comes to computers and recently took my laptop into a repair shop as it was playing up. Somehow in affecting the repair they lost everything on my computer - all documents, Outlook Express (diary, contacts, email's), Skype, photos - indeed everything on C and D drives of the computer. Even my gmail was deleted and lost from the Internet? and guess what I had no backup to any of it so I am completely up the Swanee! Is there anyone in Buriram or surrounds that would be willing to help me, come to my house, set up my 3 email addresses and my printer and make sure that it has a weekly back up system so that next time something goes wrong I would have at least some back up of all my efforts. I would be eternally grateful and I am sure that I could repay the debt in some way. Hoping to hear from a Good Samaritan soon.

[Cuban]

I would suggest that you ask a moderator to edit the title of your post to include "Buriram" to draw local attention for you.

Next frequent the expat drinking holes to find the local "expat/expert".

[mario299]

I would suggest that you ask a moderator to edit the title of your post to include "Buriram" to draw local attention for you.

Next frequent the expat drinking holes to find the local "expat/expert".

Nick33

Before you go to the drinking holes, let's try a few things first. What operating system do you have? Windows or Mac? If Windows, is it Windows 7, Vista, XP? Can you go to "start", then search for "system restore". This procedure is designed to take your computer back to a previous date, i.e. before you took it in for "repair".

Would doubt that your email has been deleted on the "internet", have you tried to access from another computer, say at an Internet Cafe or such? Do your email addresses work from there?

If the repair people have "crashed" your computer...memories and everything, they'd be responsible for fixing what they did. Was it a legit repair shop? Did you get any manuals with the computer that would help with trouble shooting problems?

Try a few things first, then if nothing works I can perhaps get you pointed in the right direction for proper repair.

[Nick33]

Mario

Thank you for your suggestions but I really have tried everything that I am capable of. I work from XP Windows. I tried the system restore process but it stated that system restore was turned off. I have now turned it on (like closing the gate after the bull has run).

Also I have tried to access my gmail from an Internet shop but there is nothing left there. At the bottom left hand corner it gave a single figure %. They state that as I took a netbook with me and tried to log in with that it whilst there I took all my gmails off the Internet and put them onto the netbook. Unfortunately that only had limited memory and has only therefore retained the last 40 email's (out of 6000 plus)!

It is a legit repair shop but as you know TiT and they said that the fault on the computer wiped everything off it and distanced themselves from any responsibility. They couldn't even find my Outlook Express which I have subsequently found and reinstalled but that only has some of my sent items on it.

When I picked up my computer the first time it was like they had put someone else's content back on my computer - all programmes that I do not use or recognise. I asked them to restore all my data and they spent three days playing with it but finally gave it back empty. They did not make a charge but I almost feel violated and totally lost with nothing left.

Next frequent the expat drinking holes to find the local "expat/expert".

Nick33

Before you go to the drinking holes, let's try a few things first. What operating system do you have? Windows or Mac? If Windows, is it Windows 7, Vista, XP? Can you go to "start", then search for "system restore". This procedure is designed to take your computer back to a previous date, i.e. before you took it in for "repair".

Would doubt that your email has been deleted on the "internet", have you tried to access from another computer, say at an Internet Cafe or such? Do your email addresses work from there?

If the repair people have "crashed" your computer...memories and everything, they'd be responsible for fixing what they did. Was it a legit repair shop? Did you get any manuals with the computer that would help with trouble shooting problems?

Try a few things first, then if nothing works I can perhaps get you pointed in the right direction for proper repair.

[mario299]

Nick33

Get the Mods to move this plea for help to the "Internet, Computers, Communications, Technology" forum on ThaiVisa, there are many knowledgeable computer types that would probably leap at the chance to help you.

Unfortunately I am limited in advice, would suggest you contact Microsoft for online tech rep help, but you might get better help from some of the computer geeks here on the forum.

Mods...are you listening ???, or Nick33, post it yourself there, I think that's your best bet. Best of luck, I know how you must feel.

[beano2274]

When I took my laptop to a computer shop because it had a virus, they installed new windows on it for me, what they did not tell me is that they changed the hard drive for another one.

If they put new windows on there then all the documents on the D drive would still be there, it seems they might have played with your hard drive.

[Langsuan Man]

Even my gmail was deleted and lost from the Internet?

Your gmail account is kept on Google servers so there is no way that you lost everything in gmail (contacts, and past emails are still there)

Just go to any Internet shop and log into your account and everything will be there as you left it so long as you remember your gmail address and password

[Nick33]

I know what you are saying and would agree in normal circumstances but I assure you that by logging into my Google gmail account with the laptop it somehow took off all my emails from the laptop and off the Internet server. I have logged in on other computers and in an Internet shop and my past email's have been deleted. I have even tried to contact gmail to see if there is anyway that they can reinstate the email's lost to no avail. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If no one can visit my home in Buriram could someone in the know please visit my computer remotely through Teamviewer in an attempt to put my computer back in some kind of order. Any assistance would be appreciated.

[Supernova]

Even my gmail was deleted and lost from the Internet?

Your gmail account is kept on Google servers so there is no way that you lost everything in gmail (contacts, and past emails are still there)

Past emails would be deleted if the OP used a mail client (e.g. Outlook) to retrieve messages without enabling Leave a copy of messages on server option.

[Supernova]

I work from XP Windows. I tried the system restore process but it stated that system restore was turned off. I have now turned it on (like closing the gate after the bull has run).

System Restore lets you undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal data.

System Restore is not intended for backing up personal files, so it cannot help you recover a personal file that has been deleted or damaged. You should regularly back up your personal files and important data using a backup program.

When I picked up my computer the first time it was like they had put someone else's content back on my computer - all programmes that I do not use or recognise.

This is typical of repair shops here. Instead of doing a fresh install, they reimage the entire hard drive from a disk image.

[Spoonman]

When I picked up my computer the first time it was like they had put someone else's content back on my computer - all programmes that I do not use or recognise.

This is typical of repair shops here. Instead of doing a fresh install, they reimage the entire hard drive from a disk image.

In order for this to be successful wouldn't they need a disc image that actually suited the machine including all of it's hardware ?

[Thaddeus]

I know what you are saying and would agree in normal circumstances but I assure you that by logging into my Google gmail account with the laptop it somehow took off all my emails from the laptop and off the Internet server. I have logged in on other computers and in an Internet shop and my past email's have been deleted. I have even tried to contact gmail to see if there is anyway that they can reinstate the email's lost to no avail. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If no one can visit my home in Buriram could someone in the know please visit my computer remotely through Teamviewer in an attempt to put my computer back in some kind of order. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Sounds like two very important things have happened.

1. Outlook has been used as a POP3 client to access GMail, therefore the GMail inbox will be empty and there is no chance of recovering it.

2. The people who looked at the PC have formatted the drive and ghosted one of their setups to it. There is no chance of recovering any data from it, unless they performed a quick format, which is unlikely.

So, it's gone I'm afraid, start again.

[Thaddeus]

When I picked up my computer the first time it was like they had put someone else's content back on my computer - all programmes that I do not use or recognise.

This is typical of repair shops here. Instead of doing a fresh install, they reimage the entire hard drive from a disk image.

In order for this to be successful wouldn't they need a disc image that actually suited the machine including all of it's hardware ?

Not really, no, missing drivers can be added after the base system is copied over.

[Supernova]

When I picked up my computer the first time it was like they had put someone else's content back on my computer - all programmes that I do not use or recognise.

This is typical of repair shops here. Instead of doing a fresh install, they reimage the entire hard drive from a disk image.

In order for this to be successful wouldn't they need a disc image that actually suited the machine including all of it's hardware ?

As you load the newly "re-imaged" system for the first time, Windows will automatically detect new hardware and install drivers accordingly. Most shops I've seen have two images: one for AMD and one for Intel chipsets.

[Supernova]

In order for this to be successful wouldn't they need a disc image that actually suited the machine including all of it's hardware ?

Not really, no, missing drivers can be added after the base system is copied over.

One caveat: HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer).

I've never tried it, but I don't think you could use an AMD ghost image on an Intel machine and vice versa.

[Spoonman]

nice one, Ive only ever re-imaged my own PC, never thought to drop my image onto other machines and instead done full clean instals.

[Thaddeus]

In order for this to be successful wouldn't they need a disc image that actually suited the machine including all of it's hardware ?

Not really, no, missing drivers can be added after the base system is copied over.

One caveat: HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer).

I've never tried it, but I don't think you could use an AMD ghost image on an Intel machine and vice versa.

True, but as you said before, they probably have both. Failing that, they have an XP boot CD and done it the old way.

Whichever method they have used, it's still bad news for the OP I'm sorry to say.

[Darrel]

Much if not all of your data can probably be recovered by someone who knows what he is doing. By your own admission, this is probably not you. Nor will it be anyone, no matter how well-meaning, who isnt in front of your PC.

The more you do to the PC before that someone can look at it, the less data he is likely to be able to recover. Reinstalling, imaging and formatting notably will make it much harder (but probably not impossible) to recover some or all your data which, from what you say, is probably still (mostly) intact if it hasnt been overwritten.

So stop everything, NOW, and find someone who knows what he is doing. If necessary, use another PC until yours can be looked at, as every time you or anyone uses the PC you run the risk of overwriting something.

Hint: Thailand (and the internet) has many incompetent people of various nationalities, so dont assume that any of them actually know what they are doing, even if they say they do. This thread especially contains many comments that are just plain wrong as far as recovering your data is concerned. Making your PC work again is simplicity itself and many here have suggested workable ways of doing this, but this isnt what you need.

Recovering your data successfully is much more complex and, to me, much more important.