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seashby
July 28th, 2011, 01:17 PM
Hi, I've just started running Ubuntu from a USB stick as the OS on my pc has failed. I can now turn it on and use the computer, but I can't access all the files that are on the computer already, and I need them! They are still there, all 70+GB of them, but I can't see them or move them to an external hard drive. How can I get them?
Cheers.:confused:

Megaptera
July 28th, 2011, 01:20 PM
If you click the 'Places' option in the menu, what's shown there?

seashby
July 28th, 2011, 01:46 PM
Home folder, desktop, documents, music, pictures, videos, downloads
Computer, HP Pavillion, Casper-RW
Network, Connect to server
Search for files, recent documents

When I click on HP Pavillion, the folders are all there, but the files aren't, even those that are in formats that can be read eg jpegs. The desktop folder within the HP pavillion is totally empty (the files that weren't in last months backup were on my windows desktop) :mad:

Megaptera
July 28th, 2011, 07:43 PM
That's not something I've seen before, sorry!

Let's see if anyone else can help.

Hakunka-Matata
July 28th, 2011, 09:08 PM
Welcome to the Forum:

Please tell us:



What version Ubuntu? 10.04, 10.10, 11.04?
Can you use the program "Take Screenshot" under Applications, Accessories to show the Places output?

blackbird3216
July 28th, 2011, 10:13 PM
Yes, please take a screenshot. It would be helpful if we also had a shot of the "Computer" folder.

How exactly did the computer fail? Was it a hardware issue? That may explain why you can't see your HD.

Although, it may be that your HD is called "HP Pavillion." Usually ubuntu sees HDs by their size, e.g. 120gb Filesystem.

If that is indeed your HD, then you can just go into the drive like any old windows PC. HD>Documents and settings>*your username*>documents.

seashby
July 29th, 2011, 10:04 AM
OK, things have got a whole lot weirder, and now i can't get Ubuntu working either :/

Screenshot...will have to wait, cos there's nothing there that DOES anything.

The PC was a bit cranky, but running quite happily after a reformat last month, but we were thinking of switching to Linux because XP seemed to be a bit unstable. then the hd seized up and the computer won't boot in xp. ran some diagnostics and they came up with error codes that suggested that it might be possible to boot from another os or to reformat again. fine, except i wanted some files that hadn't been backed up since last month, notably a folder of photos from our holiday that i had been working on. Hence running Ubuntu from the usb stick so i could grab the files. only i couldn't - when i opened the folder that they are in it tells me there is nothing there. o items.

then last night i went to try to do the screen shot and found that ubuntu is no longer working. it boots apparently as usual from the usb (i still have to go into the BIOS to make the computer boots from the usb), but it doesn't completely load the desktop. where there should be things i can click onto reach menus or apps, tere are just empty boxes. the power button is there, but it doesn't do anything. NOTHING does anything at all.

What do I do now?????

Hakunka-Matata
July 29th, 2011, 08:27 PM
It does sound like hardware problems, if the machine is not a laptop, you could disconnect the hard drive completely and see if the machine boots to Ubuntu, and works properly. That would only prove that the rest of the machine is functional. You can also use a pencil or small screwdriver resting on the hard drive to see if it sounds nasty. You know, put one end against your ear and the other end touching the drive.