Hello, everyone. I've been lucky the past few years and have had no computer problems I couldn't eventually figure out myself, so am new to this forum.
About the computer: A Dell, probably about five years old. Gig of RAM. Couple of hard drives. XP with SP2. Video card is an Gforce 5000 or something like that.
I'm pretty sure the video card went out today. I had left it on; when I came back it was frozen so I did a hard reboot. Well, when I turned it back on the thing when psychedelic on me. It's done that before but I'd take the card out and put it back in and it would work. The last time that happened was probably about a year ago and it was humming along until today.
Hoping it's not a motherboard problem. I'll try to get another video card tomorow, but in the meantime I really, really need to get to some files on it tonight for work, so this question is asked with some urgency, I guess.
The desktop is networked to this laptop, but without being able to see anything I cannot log on to the desktop and the laptop will not see the other computer. Is there a way to get around logging in without being able to see anything? Shot in the dark, I know.
If it's a motherboard issue, I guess I'll get a new computer. Having just paid the IRS a bunch of money I really hope not. It also presents other problems. Even though my desktop is old, until tonight it's been perfectly functional and easier to work with than this thing, so I have a lot of files on its C Drive that I'd like to get. If I were to get a new computer, would it be possible to put the old C Drive as a secondary just for temporary purposes? Would having XP loaded on it interfere with anything?
I'm sort of a computer idiot. I know enough not to put that hard disk in a new computer without asking smarter people, though.
Thanks
