In reply to a post by john2007:

... Why are people so reluctant to ask neighbours for help?

Because, in her case, she knows her neighbours well enough to know that most of them don't even have a computer.

Very few people are likely to be lucky enough to have a clued-up neighbour like you.

Why, otherwise, do you think she would ring a novice like me?

"... There has been nothing to cause it to hibernate ..."

My desktop Dell's factory default setting is to hibernate after 1080 minutes of inactivity (or some number like that).

This Dell is running Windows 7 and the hibernate option is found at Start -> Control Panel -> Power Options -> "Change plan settings" -> "Change advance power settings" -> Sleep -> "Hibernate after".

Vista may be similar.

Ian

In reply to a post by Titus:

So why should it do that on startup, when connected to the mains?

Perhaps I did not make myself clear. It does this "resuming windows" on the next start-up after the last shutdown that was forcibly hibernated when e.g. the battery is near flat. There are other events that may cause hibernation, as another poster pointed out.

Did she allow it enough time to resume Windows, considering it has to boot Windows itself, as usual, and then load everything else that was running when it hibernated?

Edited by XRaySpeX (Mon 18-Jul-11 00:13:11)

It hadn't been hibernating.

It had been operating normally the previous day, and was switched off overnight - not left to lapse into hibernation.

When she switched it on and tried to use it the next day (her usual routine), instead of loading wndows as it normally did, it just (eventually) went inot "Recovering ..." mode, and stayed there - however long she left it.

As I said, It had not been hibernating ...

In reply to a post by Titus:

it just (eventually) went into "Recovering ..." mode

"Recovering" or "Resuming"? You said "Resuming" before, which pointed us at hibernation.

IDEA: If you can get into Windows Recovery Console, either built-in or from a Windows CD, you could try deleting (or rename) C:\hiberfil.sys. It can't do any harm and may prevent it thinking it is "Resuming Windows".

Edited by XRaySpeX (Mon 18-Jul-11 01:19:55)

If you can't get hold of a Windows Recovery CD, you d/load Hiren�s BootCD 13.2 (not v.14; I pointed out it's faulty and they removed the link). It's brilliant!

You burn it to CD; a burner prog is included (you may need to tick SAO).

Boot from it and choose "Run Mini XP". You will then see an XP-like desktop, which will be familiar to you, and you can Explore all your files and do what you like to them, just like in XP.

Then send her the CD with these instructions.

Amazon, Maplin, PC World and most computer shops would be able to supply a caddy. Even removing the HD and giving it to someone with a PATA/ SATA cable connector should be able to access the info.

I have a Dell Studio 1555 and all that was required to remove my HD was a small flat screwdriver to undo the screws on the case bottom and my fingers to pull off the small cable. Voila!

I'd say somewhere between changing a light bulb and wiring a plug in difficulty. Much closer to changing a light bulb though.

You have a light bulb in your laptop?

Some even have LEDs to illuminate the keyboard to enable typing in the dark!