I had no idea where to put this, so move it where you will, modses. :)

That said...

Yesterday I tried to turn on my computer and all it does is come on to a black screen with an error message saying some executable file won't work. Windows won't open and I can't do anything. I tried leaving it off all night, thinking maybe it was just overheated, but no go this morning either. So tomorrow I'm taking it into the shop to hopefully be fixed.

I feel so utterly hopeless and screwed right now. Everything that is important to me is on that computer...my photography, my music, my digital art work...everything. I don't know what I'm going to do if, God forbid, the hd is toast and everything is lost. I've been told that files can be recovered, but that it's expensive to do so. And does anyone know if I can get my music library off of iTunes from another computer? I think that's what's upsetting me the most - losing my music. If I lose all of the hundreds of songs I've downloaded I'll be suicidal.

So I don't know what I'm going to do. If any of you pray, to whatever deity or anything, please please please pray that my computer can be fixed. I don't have a job right now either so I can't afford a new one. Help.

Edit: Place that fixes computer closed today. :( Taking it in tomorrow. Now downloading iTunes on this computer to see if I can authorize it somehow from here. If that doesn't work, I'll be contacting iTunes/Apple to see if I can get them to fix it for me. If I can just save my music, I'll be happy. :(

Edit2: MY MUSIC IS SAVED! :D All I had to do was dl iTunes on this computer, authorize it, and hook up my iPod. cries I feel so much better now. sigh Now if I can just save my photos, all will be well.

Files cannot be so easily recovered, especially pictures. It's doable, but chances are you won't get them all (depending on if your system restore works correctly or not- if it doesn't, you're screwed). I think you can get your itunes off another computer, but I would call to make sure, just in case. You don't want to lose it all and then have to put them back on.

Why didn't you store a back-up? It's so easy and cheap to get external hard drives these days.

I don't have a job right now, so I can't afford an external hard drive, no matter how cheap they are. And I found some of the photos on CDs that I had stored, so some of those are alright. I'm just still freaking about the iTunes.

you should be spending time google searching the error message you are receiving on your other computer. you should be able to do something... even if it is manual, to help your situation.

My old computer died like that on me too, and a co-worker of my sister's was able to recover all of our personal files from it. (Had to buy a new computer though.) I have no clue how, but I'm sure your files can be recovered somehow. I'm no techie, but it kind of sounds like one of the important files the computer needs to run got corrupted, so it won't even turn itself on. I think that would be an easy fix... maybe? :P

I hope it's an easy fix, Sammii. I'm taking it in to the shop in a half hour when they open. Then I'll be gone Wednesday and Thursday, so Friday I hope to have it back and running. Because I totally don't have anywhere near enough to buy a new computer. I guess if it comes to that, I'll have to have a garage sale or something. Unless a job comes along by the end of the week. God knows I have enough applications in everywhere. :(