100 clams for a new drive is a little high if clams cost one dollar. For example, http://www.amazon.com/Maxtor-DiamondMax-4R160L0-5400RPM-Desktop/dp/B003709OUW/ is under 40 clams.
As to the information that was not on your backup copies that runs on average about 1,000 clams at places like drivesavers.com
If a person has never learned why we backup, this is how most learn that lesson.
Bob
I have a Sony Vaio Desktop with Windows XP Media Center Edition. It is old.
Intel Pentium 4 Processor
2.80C GHz1 w/hyper threading technology
160 GB HD (7200 rpm)
512 MB PC-2700 DDR (exp. to 2.0 GB)
(I don't know anything about computers I just posted all of what seems important.)
So about 2 months ago my computer just randomly restarted itself. Wierd, but I didn't worry too much, it did it a few more times but I didn't have any other issues so I figured the power got interrupted (the power in my apartment is no good and often trips)
Then Itunes stopped working about 2 weeks ago and I could not seem to get a working copy downloaded and opened. I downloaded and removed like 3 times and it wouldn't load. (not sure if it's related but whatever)
Then yesterday I get home and my computer says from a black screen:
"Reboot and insert proper boot software"
I hit some key and it went to a menu which gave a read-out of my hardware which said
at the bottom:
"S.M.A.R.T. drive command failed"
so I got on a forum and someone said try disabling that function in the "Bios" menu so I did that, and tried to restart it, ended up on the same screen and this time it said:
"Primary Hard Disk Error"
And the hard drive clicks like it is trying to start spinning but it is not.
Please help. I don't want to lose all my information and I do not want to shell out 100 clams for a new drive.
Thanks in advance

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