a bump for mel99.

(And just a comment to others - when you look at the comments below, do NOT think oh boy I can ask dave technical computer questions because I will likely not know the answer. Beyond Windows 98 I can barely function and it has been so long since I've run 98 and 95 that I've forgotten most of what I used to have in mind for them.)

mel back on jan 14-15-19 there were some discussions from karl and me to dianne about hard drives. Karl had some comments about formatting them and I had a post about removing them.

If you have an old windows 95 computer, it should have a floppy disk drive. With that and two diskettes you should be able to easily clean off the drive.

The basic process would be:

Get any info you want to save off the computer.
(This will also need to include getting any diskette based data you want to save onto a more current medium because you will no longer be able to read the diskettes unless you keep the computer.)
Format a diskette.
Find and download a disk cleaning program.
Copy it to the diskette.
Create a windows 95 boot diskette.
Power the computer down and boot it from the diskette to be sure it works.
Power the computer down and boot from hard drive again.
Take a last look at files to be sure there is nothing else you want to print-save.
Power the computer down again.
Boot from the floppy.
Just like playing a diskette game, remove the boot floppy and insert the floppy with the erase program.
Run the erase program for the c drive.
(I would probably then reformat the hard drive for win 95 from the floppy just as an additional security, but I don't think that's really necessary.)

Data saving methods-printing-thumb drive if you have a usb port-writing to cd.

This has taken me awhile to type out as is. I am not going to add details for the steps right now. Karl and I can help you with that later when and if you decide you want to do it. I would have to do some searching and reading to refresh my memory about some of the things.

It takes a lot of writing to express the steps, but it really won't be a very difficult process for your computer.

so we're not all imagining this. I wonder why "it" does that.

Happens to me too sometimes.

I have had the same thing happen, Dave . . . yes, early in the morning. Glad to know I'm not just imagining things . . . or if I am, that you and I are both "imagining" the same thing! Ha.

It seems like I am seeing the daily chat thread missing from the site sometimes in the morning. Maybe in the 5 o'clock hour Pacific time? Is this just me? (I am using a "dead" browser.)

One post disappeared this morning (although I was eventually able to get it on there), and one didn't disappear. For the one that didn't disappear, I wrote it out in Word (like I did the other post), but I put in my name and put in the code first, then pasted in the text really fast and then submitted it. I don't know if there was anything magic about ordering things that way (doubtful) or if I just did it all faster than I did the first posting attempt. (The latter is more likely the case.) I am not having trouble so far posting on other threads.

Karl,

I've had long posts completely disappear. I have typed out lengthy posts and then tried to upload them, they don't work, and all I can see when I go back is blank screens. I've been able to do what you say with shorter posts, but on the long ones if I don't do what Dianne and Tillie have said, make them in Word first or copy them to Word or notepad before posting, they are gone. (and I usually forget the copy step.)

I wondered about the length of the thread too--and if it was possible to make the current daily chat a read only thread and start a new one for new posts.

Karl,
would you be so kind as to send an email to Cory explaining the computer issues?
Maybe he could get a tech to try & tweek this system.
I would try to explain it to him but would just end up confusing him with my poor computer knowledge.

Thanks, Karl.

FYI, my "really fast posts" today (not all, but most of them) have posted on the "What are your plans" thread, but even a slightly "slow" post didn't work for me. Tried refresh and all that good stuff you mentioned. I've also had problem with getting that thread to load.

What are the odds that the overall problem is affected by how big that thread has become? Just wondering.

Karl, with apology. I am undoing all your computer salvation work here!


Dianne,
As far as removing the hard drive is concerned, when you get ready to do that, I think you will find it very easy. (at least on older "tower" boxes like I'm used to and the comments below are oriented to a "tower".)

Unplug all the cords and cables going into the box.

Usually, as you face the front of the computer box, the side that should come off is the left side. Usually you can find two small screws on the back of the computer holding that side on. after you remove the two small screws, it is sometimes necessary to pry it loose with a medium size flat blade screwdriver.

When the side is off, then you go to the towel cabinet, get a towel and lay it on the table (so you don't scratch the table). You then lay the computer box on the side that is still on the box with the big opening facing up to you.

(if you are like me) You then find yourself gazing into the body cavity of the computer with some mixture of tredpidation and curiosity.

Next - MOST IMPORTANT STEP - place your trembling hands in your lap, close your eyes, take some deep breaths, think of some challenging thing you sucessfully did and bring that sucess attitude to this project.

Then you open your eyes with a big smile thinking how easy this is going to be-BECAUSE- you are not going to use this computer again. It does not matter if you break something. It does not matter if you strip any screws. It does not matter if you leave blood, sweat, snot or tears in the computer (I think I've left blood and tears over the years, not sure about the other two :) ). And it most assuredly does not matter if you don't know how to put it back together. (That's why Mrs Dave likes the crowbar side of house repair!)

As you look down on the opening, you want the bottom closest to you, the front on the right and the back on the left. Mentally split the opening into quadrants. Most often what you are looking for will be in the lower right quadrant.
Your first impression will be an overwhelming mass of metal, wires and flat cables. Just relax and look at it and let the pieces emerge in your head. You should start to see metal that looks like part of the computer frame. Somewhere within that frame stuff you should see a small tray or a secondary framework holding a small rectangular metal box. The little box will have some wires and cables coming out of its back end. Since we are not trying to save anything, brute force is perfectly acceptable here. Just grab a pair of pliers and pull the wire and cable connectors off the little box. If there is a tray, you will then have to unscrew or unsnap the tray from the frame. There will be one or two small screws holding the box in the frame or tray. Unscrew those and you are then holding .... HAMMER FODDER!!!!

If the computer happens to have two hard drives, you will have to repeat the process for the second one. If there is a large rectangular box at the top of the upper right quadrant, you do not need to worry about that. That is your cd/dvd drive and (unless you left something in it) it does not contain any data.

If there is some eco friendly way available to you to dispose of the tower sans hard drive, it would be nice if you could then do that.

Re: insert thumb drive before you turn it on....

She needs instructions on how to change the boot order to look at flash drive before hard drive in order for that to work.

The red envelopes indicate there are more than 10 posts in the thread.
The blue envelopes indicate there are less than ten posts in a thread.

Just a quick question about the difference on the envelope colors. Some are red & others blue. I think it may have to do with ones that I have entered but just getting the clear significance.