Jared Collins

(Please turn sound on) Dead HDD problems I could use some advice with. This one is a Seagate with no return ramp, and the landing position of the heads is by the spindle itself (as seen in the vid.) My guess is that the heads are damaged and need replacing, but as I've never repaired an hdd and videos online don't reference this issue, I figured I'd turn to y'all. It's got sensitive info on it, so the person I'm helping doesn't want it sent to a recovery service. Do y'all have any idea what is broken/needs to be done? If not, then where could I get that info? 20240104_171145.mp4

Upgrading my cousin's PC. Going from a GTX 1080 to a 6700XT. When I try to boot from the card I get stuck on the BIOS screen, but I can't open BIOS or get to Windows. I can't pre-download drivers because AMD wants you to use their auto detect tool and it won't do anything until you have an AMD card plugged in. Here are the things I've ruled out: - PSU is 850w, so plenty of power - Cables are good, so's the monitor - I DDU'd the old drivers, so no interference - Fresh Windows install, so no problems there - Disabled every BIOS setting I could, from TPM to Secure Boot to UEFI boot yadayada Stats: i7-8700 Z370 mobo 850W PSU 16GB RAM We found threads about it, but none of them helped. Any help would be a lifesaver

Thanks y'all for the serious answers! I'll salvage what I can and see about making a new rig off of it. Now I just have to decide whether or not to reuse the case. One last question for anyone who sees. If I did reuse the case would there be any way to still use the lighting zones? Currently they're used/configured through the BIOS and/or AW Command Center and I'd like to still be able to customize them.

Stats: (Motherboard ID: CN-07JNHO) PC - Alienware Aurora R4 (2011) CPU- Intel i7-3820 3.6ghz GPU- Gigabyte gtx 1060 6gb RAM- 4x4 Samsung 1600mhz Drive- Samsung 850 EVO SSD PSU- I don't know tbh. I'm fairly certain it's sufficient for the power need though as I haven't raised the demand over the original. Software: Drivers up to date Bios up to date (Version A11) All hardware reset to factory clock Issues: DIMM slot #3 does not recognize any of the oem memory sticks. 2 USB slots, one on the front of the case and one on the back no longer function. Actions taken: Precautions taken to avoid flea power and dirty connections. BIOS and CMOS flashed and restored Reseated RAM. Switched RAM sticks around to ensure no bad RAM. Conducted ePSA tests and Dell SupportAssist hardware scans; no issues found. Searched visually for damaged capacitors and the like, but I have no idea what to look for except bulging. Tried various BIOS solutions to no avail. Ran thermal tests for overheating and stress; no issues found. Story: My Aurora R4 is around 9 years old now, and various ports across the system are slowly dropping off the map. Losing the USB ports was fine, but now a RAM slot is gone and my system isn't versatile enough to work around that. I have run every test and reset I can think of yet they all say my computer is fine. I'm base level when it comes to PC's, so if anyone is willing to assist this babbling loser I'd appreciate it. My first question is: Is my mobo actually dying, or am I missing some obvious wonderfix? If it is: - Is it safe to run it into the ground, or will that likely damage other components? - Is it a bad or unsafe idea to get an identical replacement off eBay? They're around 200$ but it means I wouldn't have to throw out anything. - Should I just salvage whatever I can and rebuild my PC? If I should salvage: Would it be possible to salvage the liquid cooling system? The thermal controls aren't on the mobo, rather they're on a strip and a card elsewhere in the case (see pics.) I'm assuming those wouldn't work with another mobo but again idk. Thank you for any help you can provide and God bless all of you.