My computer died....

[mjk]

My Toshiba laptop died yesterday. Had a retired IBM scientist spend an hour with me today, the end result was a hard drive that was apparently dying. In one night, I lost my mouse pad, audio, and WIFI.

But that is beyond the point. I am trying to come up with a way to retrieve (through memory) bookmarked websites, as they aren't retrievable. Google has been deemed an 'incompatable' program now.

So, I believe I am about half way there. What is more concerning is financial billing websites vs general forums. I realize there really is not an answer for this, but I am going to throw this out there... any ideas from people who may have gone through this ?

I appreciate it !

 

[StevieC]

Were you signed into your browser using Chrome, Opera, or Firefox? If so it might all be synced with their servers and might come back automatically when you sign back into the browser with your credentials on another computer.

 

[Donald]

I have all websites I use stored in LastPass password manager. Everyone should have a password manager. This will not help this time but for next.

With Google search, having favorites stored is less of a benefit. And how many months is a favorite website still a valid link before something about it changes.

Crystal Disk Info is a great/free tool to evaluate hard disks.

 

[danez_yoda]

try this. for is the name of the user you setup in windows.

AppData may be hidden so you need to go to VIEW tab in file explorer and click the checkbox next to "hidden items"

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

find the file called bookmark and copy it.

Replace this file in your new installation of chrome and it should work. If not you may need to import it (bookmark item in chrome pulldown menu).

good luck.

 

[BrocLuno]

This is why I have external drives in USB enclosures. I use Macrium to clone my primary HDD about every 45~90 days and put it away. If the one in a machine goes poof, I just stick the clone in and keep on trucking

SSD's are not that expensive. Quick and generally reliable. I hate to be where the Op is. Having to fight my way back from ground zero is painful ...

 

[javacontour]

Did you have backups?

 

[JeffKeryk]

If you wish, there are hard drive recovery services that work very well.
But they are pricey...
Going forward, perhaps think Cloud so you do not lose your valuable information.

Good luck.

 

[uc50ic4more]

You have to back up your data regularly. Most of us had to learn that the hard way. I am now pathological about the sanctity of my data, because my "data" now consists of family photos that I need to be around in 25 years. Research the 3-2-1 rule.

Use a browser that syncs your data. Then, all you have to do is log into your account - be that Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera - and your data should re-populate in the browser. "Data" in this sense refers to (saved) passwords, history, bookmarks, etc. Like someone above posted, using an add-on like LastPass keeps a lot of this data agnostic of the browser.

Try a live Linux OS on a USB stick to try to grab data from the HDD if the HDD can still function at all. If the HDD is not working at all, there are some voodoo tricks you can use to get another few minutes out of them. Google it. I think I once stuck a HDD in the freezer for a while and it worked enough to mount it and get some data.

 

[StevieC]

BackBlaze is about $5 USD a month for unlimited storage and it will back-up automatically over the internet encrypted to their servers. You can download your files any time or they can send you a drive with all your information on it and if you send it back in 30 days there is no charge for the drive.

 

[mjk]

Well, long story short. I regained WIFI for a short period of time on the old computer last night. I uninstalled Chrome, then re-installed it. Surprisingly, all the sites were there with the new version.

I did it the long way..... not going to pretend to be computer savvy. I copied/pasted all the bookmarked sites onto a Word doc. Saved the doc to a flash drive. Inserted it into the new computer, then copied them onto my new computer.

I've heard there is an easier way with Chrome -- like you can just move it all within a folder, but that is something I just heard about.

I plan on having a SSD drive installed soon, and a fresh copy of Win 10. This was a refurbished Toshbiba (by the IBM retiree), and he uses Win 7. At least it is a stable platform.

 

[JeffKeryk]

There will be a lotta sales coming up.
I suggest you look into a mid priced Chromebook.
These things are the future. Cloud baby!

For the same $$, you get a lot more computer vs. a Windows computer.
And waaaay more than a Mac.
By the way, we work in Silicon Valley High Tech.
There are probably 50 notebooks in the house, from Chromies to high end Win and Macs.

Good luck!

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by mjk
Well, long story short. I regained WIFI for a short period of time on the old computer last night. I uninstalled Chrome, then re-installed it. Surprisingly, all the sites were there with the new version.

That's the way it usually works, unless you go and delete the user data. As mentioned by danez_yoda, there is a directory that is good to back up. I use Linux and Firefox, and I just back up the user directory, so whenever I redo an operating system or change computers or hard drives, I just slip the directory into place, and the browser experience is much as it was before.