My PC seems to have died: all I get on the monitor is "no signal received please check connections", but everything seems fine. Does this mean the hard drive has given up the ghost, and how can I recover the lost data? Nick Briggs
If you're lucky, the problem is the video connection. The error message could be the result of a graphics card not being seated correctly in its slot, a plug not inserted fully or a fault in the VGA cable. Try removing and re-inserting the VGA cable. If that does not solve the problem, try to start your PC in Safe Mode. This usually involves pressing F8 during the start-up sequence, but check your manual. The menu offers a range of options, so try the one that uses the "last known good configuration" before trying Safe Mode.
If Safe Mode works, uninstall the graphics driver and restart the PC: Windows should then use its own driver. You can upgrade to newer drivers later.
If the problem is more serious, you will have to use your ears when you reboot. Can you hear the hard drive and fan starting? Do you hear any beeps? When the PC was designed, IBM included a feature called Power-On Self Test (POST) to signal any errors. One long beep and one short beep, for example, indicated a system board problem, while one short beep means everything's OK. There is a list of beep codes at the PC Hell site (http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml).
If you don't hear any beeps then it could be a power supply problem or a system board failure. Have you checked the power supply plugs, cables and fuses?
The simplest, cheapest and only reliable way to recover lost data is from your backups.
Otherwise you can try removing the hard drive and installing it in a different PC. The simplest way to do this is to buy an external hard drive enclosure of the correct size, so you can use your disk as an external USB drive.
But if you can't retrieve your data that way, and if the drive does not spin up, then you will probably need to go to an expert data retrieval company. Expect to pay £500 to £1,000 -- roughly the cost of a new PC. How much is your data worth?
