It is wrong to fault Western Digital for “making a cheap product compared to other hard drives[sic]“. I work in IT, and have seen lots of dead hard drives from Seagate, Maxtor, IBM/Hitachi, Samsung, and even Western Digital. I’ve also seen a fair share of Apple machines fall victim to hard drive failure, whether they were iMac G3s, MacBooks, or even older machines.

While you have a solid argument for complaining about not getting recovery media in the box (believe me, I don’t like the practice either), it is in no way Microsoft’s fault that your hard drive failed.

Lesson here? Learn to make backups, whether you use an external hard drive, optical media, or another means of storage. This applies whether you run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS, as ANY computer is prone to equipment failure at some point or another.

I just finished recovering everything I needed. There are something things I wanted but I will wait till I get a new hard drive because I will have more space to place them in. If I am not able to recover, not a problem I got what I really need and that is what I was really praying for.

Now, back to business.

however, I am still working on my d drive. So far so good.

I know more about hard drives and data recovery than I really wanted to know, but at least if anybody were to ask me, I will be able to help.

Thanks to Scott Moulton (my new hero) of My Hard Drive Died. He gave a great presentation last year’s Defcon 15 convention. You can see it on YouTube, here is the first part.

If you ever needed to recover data from a hard drive, I suggest using Runtime.org’s GetDataBack, Do-it-yourself Data Recovery Software. It is not freeware, but considering the time I wasted instead of posting, this was the best investment I spent.

Micro$uck is still at the top of my shitlist and now Western Digital, for making a cheap product compared to other hard drives, is there too.

It is obvious Bill Gates wanted to be the next IBM and he certainly achieved that goal. And like IBM, there will be another person like Gates, who will do the same. But for right now, as long as everybody continues to use Office, Microsoft will always be King of the computer world, regardless of Apple resurgence in the computer industry.

Len, I couldn’t help but chuckle regarding the reference you made about IBM because if you recall, prior to referring our computers as PCs, we are calling them IBM Compatible, clones, or XT.

I just receive the installation disk from SONY. I will reply to y’all responses a bit more once I see what happens. I especially do want to discuss Ubuntu a bit more because I do have some questions.

Reb, comparing PC’s as akin to Honda’s or Toyota’s is an insult to Honda and Toyota. If cars were as reliable as PC’s and Windows OS, we’d be skinnier because no one would drive. We’d all ride bikes.

The truth is that Apple is a hardware company that uses it’s OS to sell it’s computers. Maybe PC’s would be better or as good if companies developed the hardware in sync with the OS. That is what makes PC’s bad and Mac GREAT.

Plus, the customer service is AWESOME. I mean it. I had one Hard drive crash in 7 years. I’ve had one total system crash in that same span and I have 5 macs.

I have bought one PC in my life before I ever considered Apple, an HP, that I hardly ever touched because it just sucked. Always crashed. Lots of Blue Screen. My dad has it now because he’s a cheap ass. And, now it just sits in his office and he never uses it. But he loves my Macs.

Apples are expensive, no doubt about it. But, pay once, cry once. With a windows you know what you’re in for and you end paying about the same in the long run.

Peace,
Fatmex

I’ve been using Ubuntu Linux for two years now, and I honestly can’t ever see myself going back to MS-Winblows ever again. Yes, the learning curve is a bit steep but the OS is stable, ALL the software is FREE, and you can still buy inexpensive PC hardware (unlike Apple’s overpriced Smackintosh).

You can download the OS for free and give it a test-drive from the CD without making ANY changes to your machine. Try before you (don’t) buy.

And it appears the major reasons for why people switch to Mac’s is not so much the easier and nicer-looking interface that beginners seem to love, but also the problems people have with their PC’s. Much like you just described.

However, in my long experience with PC’s and Windows, I have found that in the VAST market for PC’s there are always brands, model line-ups, and particular hardware components and brands that make for the best PC’s with little to no software problems. And they are typically in the same price range as the decent Mac’s.

Business class laptops and desktops are the ultimate best. They come with the best components and hardware for a more troubleshoot-free experience. But these are not the $400 laptops at Best Buy. These are the ones at least on par with the $800-$1000 entry-level Mac laptop deal recently seen at any local community college, for example.

Without getting into too much detail, the best way for me to describe PC’s and Mac’s will always be like this: Mac’s are like a luxury car, set up for the best comfort, all-in-one packages, stunning detail and quality, and you pay for that. Problems come once in a while for Mac’s, and they can be costly. PC’s are like regular cars, you can get a cheap Chevy Nova or you can get a top-rated trouble-free Honda Accord or Toyota Camry (although not the most exciting cars). Problems can come often with cheaper models and may never come with nicer models.

Problem was detected and windows has been shut down to protect your computer from damage. acpi.sys