I am seeking advice for my friend, a published writer and writing teacher who is plagued by computer problems at the moment. He lives in Greenwich Village in NYC.
His desktop died. Gateway said they would not be able to recover anything since the hard drive died. Also his laptop appears to not have enough memory to run without getting hung up.
I live more than a 1,000 miles away and am no computer expert, but after reading DKos diaries on the White House’s purported loss of e-mails, I heard you computer techies say nothing is lost on a computer.
My friend has saved most of his current writing on a flash drive, but the desktop held his financial files, journals and course lectures. I told him to hold onto that computer while I did some research.
So, I’m learning about hard drives and that it is possible to recover material. Some Web sites offer the service – mainly for companies – which I am sure are expensive. I have also seen some home remedies, i.e., wrapping the hard drive and putting it in the freezer. (Damn, you never can tell what you’ll find on the Web.)
I am in search of the community’s help/advice. My friend will be heading for Vermont soon, a summer location for his job and said he would take the computer to a repair place there. But from what I have learned, it looks like more specialized help is needed.
Since he lives in the Big Apple, I am sure there is help nearby – and in the New York tradition – at less than the posted price.
Anyway he is a dear friend and my mentor for poetry, and I am petitioning my host of friends, fellow Kossacks, for advice.
Thanks! (for everything)!