Reliable computer repair in NYC

August 7, 2014 6:51 PM

My desktop computer crashed. It won't boot or even recognize the key combo for a Safe boot.

I have a month-old backup to an internal hard drive, but I can't get to it.

I need the name of a competent, honest repair service in New York City that can get all the absolutely current files off the C: drive, or maybe even repair the drive.

posted by KRS to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Presumably a PC? Possibly a dumb question, but do you have a second one, or access to a second one? Because there are a lot of "live boot CD/boot USB" operating systems that are free and will give you the power to do pretty much everything that any computer repair service, honest and competent or not, can do.
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:06 PM on August 7, 2014

This is the one I have used most frequently in the past, when I did this sort of stuff, with the greatest success for exactly the sort of problem you are describing.
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:15 PM on August 7, 2014

My boss at the computer repair place I work at used to live in NY and worked with the people at A1 Computer Services. We regularly refer New York-based clients to them, and I haven't heard any complaints.
posted by JDHarper at 8:03 PM on August 7, 2014

Sounds like you want to accomplish two things:

1. Get the files off the drive Depending on what exactly you mean by "won't boot," it's possible that the data on the actual drives is just fine. The easiest way to get to that data will be to open the case, remove the drives, and put them into an external hard drive enclosure. You'd then be able to get data off of them using another computer. If this is a hard drive problem, it's unlikely that both your main hard drive and your backup hard drive will have both failed, so you should have at least one copy of your data to restore
2. Get the computer back to a working state There's a wider array of options here. You'd need to first identify what the problem actually is — it might not be the hard drive. A repair shop should be able to identify this for you, but depending on what the issue is it may be cheaper to buy a new desktop or new hard drive. If there's physical damage to the hard drive, repairing it can be costly so replacing it may be your best bet.

posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 10:25 PM on August 7, 2014