Median Laptop

[robert_woodhouse]

I have been asked to try and fix a Median laptop by a lady neighbour because 'it doesn't work'!! But she would desparately like to retrieve her family photos if nothing else.
Although it refuses all the usual means of accessing the BIOS during boot-up it does seem to actually boot-up OK, at least it says it has!
The problem 'it doesn't work' is that it then requires a password which the lady says she never put in but 'she thinks' her grandson may have been playing with it but who now denies having altered anything.
I thought that if I could change the only hard drive to 'slave' I might be able to get it to access the operating system, XP, from the CD drive and then,maybe, have a chance to fix it long enough to get her photos.
I've got the hard drive, a SEAGATE, out but unlike most Desktop units it doesn't have a switch to change the unit to 'Slave' but at the end of it's multipin plug in it has a separate 4 pins of which 2 are connected by a Grey coloured link.
Does anyone know if swoping this link over will change the drive to 'slave'?
While I'm asking, does anyone have any other ideas, no, I'm not quite ready yet to tell her to 'Bin It' thank you.
musicator

[ChuckFickens]

Not sure where you've seen these "most desktop units" that have a switch.

Every single (IDE) hard drive I've ever seen (and I've seen a fair few in 20years working in IT) has had a jumper on it just as you describe. look on the drive and it should give you 3 positions the jumper can be placed on, one for master, one for slave and one for cable select (there may be other settings listed to cap the drive to a certain size, ignore those)

[ChuckFickens]

Hold up.....

Laptop drive? whats the model number of the drive?

[Beswad]

Take the hard drive out and connect to a SATA/IDE to USB adaptor, you should be able to access the files.

[LeMarchand]

A lot of laptop manufacturers like to stick adapters on the "business end" of the HDDs, which may be confusing things. If it's not an obvious IDE or SATA end you'll need to remove the adapter (may need unscrewing). Use a suitable adapter or caddy and access via USB.

OR download a "LIve CD" type Linux or Windows Recovery distribution. Re-mount the HDD and attach an external USB drive. Use the CD to boot off. Assuming that the BIOS is set to allow this - if not, find out how to access it. (IIRC my Medion Desktop has no obvious way to get into the BIOS but I found a way off the net - sorry, can't remember how! - to do it), You should then be able to transfer the data.

OR if (as your description makes it sound) it's merely that the one account is password protected there are various software tools that allow one to reset the password and/or create a new admin account. Unfortunately the ones I know of (there may well be others) require either a degree of technical skill to compile or an account with Microsoft to access. Of course, there may be some iffy copies floating around on the net if you want to risk hosing the laptop.

[ABerrant]

If you need to access the BIOS and there is no prompt on screen to indicate the correct keypress, <F2> or <Del> or whatever, it would benefit you to read the manual...

http://www.medion.com...=1&groupName=Notebook

[robert_woodhouse]

English may not be your first language but if it is, read the question and you might have realised that having the manual was the last thing I would have.
Why are some people so crass and arrogant when someong trying to help a neighbour asks for some help.
Robert.Woodhouse

[robert_woodhouse]

Thank you Beswad I'll have to buy such an adapter cable.
It's definately an IDE drive and it's not my computer as you might have gathered so I'm a bit reluctant to spent out to much on fixing the problem so are you quite sure that such a cable would work?
Thank you for your interest though
Robert.Woodhouse

[robert_woodhouse]

Lucky old you ChuckFickens, I've only ever seen the backside of 2 and that was when I put additional drives into the only 2 PCs I've ever owned.
As for your second post, I have had the Hard drive out and there was only 2 sets of pins for the jumper so maybe I've seen one more than you?
Robert.Woodhouse

[ABerrant]

I read the question and realised that you did not know the specific key sequence to access the BIOS and so, in an effort to aid you, supplied a link to the manual for the exact model of laptop.

However you failed to understand the English I used to render that aid and disparage me in a CRASS and ARROGANT manner. Rest assured I shall not attempt to help you again.