Good to have you back, Joe.  I really hate when my computer goes down.  Hope you didn't lose any pictures.  

Foxy, I'm not sure; I may have lost my pictures.  I have no idea how to retrieve them from the cloud.  I suppose I'll have to Google it.  I do know that every file that was on my computer is now gone, including pictures saved from 22 years ago. 

You know, when you have such a problem with your computer, you ALWAYS need to tell them what you want recovered from that hard drive and reinstalled on the computer.  Be sure it is written into the contract, so they can't deny it was a part of your deal.  They will do that, so make them stick to it.  They can retrieve info even from a damaged hard drive.

Well, I specifically told the guy I wanted McAfee put back on it.  I went to get it, they had installed Avast again, just like last time.  Didn't do a bit of good to tell him.  And the guy turned and asked the young woman if she was able to save anything from the hard drive, and she said no.  These people are usually competent, as I have used them before for my computer problems, but this time... not so much.  First thing I had to do was remove Avast and download McAfee.  I'm paying for McAfee.

Well, telling them something doesn't mean a thing, if it isn't written up and signed off.  And Joe, they may be good at little things that go wrong, but this time you had a big thing go wrong.  It needed a team of techs, like you find at BEST Buy, who know how to do it all.  Best Buy could probably still retrieve your files from the old hard drive.  

Any sigs I have made for you, you can get back from the Castle's Special Delivery Page

Thanks Foxy.  Would Best Buy retrieve my files for me?  If so, I wonder what they would charge.

I Googled how to retrieve files from the cloud.  Everything I read about it was unclear, or downright wrong.  I tried a few things, but nothing worked.  I actually got to the Cloud, but it only had about a dozen pics on it, as compared to the thousands I lost.

A few years ago, when the guy had to reinstall Windows for me, he saved the whole contents of my computer onto a flash drive, which I still have.  I haven't had time to look into it yet, but maybe I can transfer many of the files from that flash drive.  But first, I intend to return to the computer shop on Monday and see what the tech guy recommends.

Well Joe, if you weren't a subscribed, paying client on the cloud, it was just a trial they sent to your computer to get you to buy storage space.  If anyone can retrieve the data on your hard drive, the Geek Squad at Best Buy can do it.  I have no idea what they might charge.

If you still have that flash drive, you are in luck.  Whatever was on your computer at that time, you have it, and it can be put back on.  Of course, there is a lot in later years that is not there.  

If you are taking your computer back to tech #1, I would go ahead and take that flash drive and have him to install it.  

And Joe, there are free image hosting storage sites for easy posting of pictures.  Free ones usually have limited storage space.  Fotki and Image Shack are unlimited and very user-friendly.  They are also very inexpensive.  I have both of them.  In the event one goes down, I have the other for backup.  Images are the heart of the Castle, so I have to be sure I have access to mine.  

I had been considering saving some of my photos to postimage.com, but I think I only had a couple of photos on that site.  And of course, I had that site favorited, which is now lost.

I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, then I intend to visit the computer shop to see what the tech guy says.

You definitely need a photo hosting site for your pictures.  Here is the URL for your site:  https://postimages.org/

Thanks Mike and Foxy.  I went by the computer shop today and discussed the situation with the tech guy.  He said they tried to get things off the hard drive, but it would not even turn on.  However, he offered to try again, and so I'm going to take it to him tomorrow.  I doubt the outcome will be any different though.

He surely knows how to do that.  Google gives step by step instructions for those who are more computer savvy than me.  I bet they didn't even try.  Here's hoping he can retrieve that info.  If he can't, you can have him put back what is on that flash drive.  

Yes Mike, the guy knows that, but he says he doesn't have that kind of specialized equipment, and that if I DID take it to a specialist, they would charge anywhere from $1500 to $3000 to retrieve info.  He said they could dissect the hard drive and remove the little wheel from inside the hard drive, but it's expensive.  I told him I wouldn't pay that much.

Foxy, I took the thing back to the guy today, and he plugged it into his machine to try and boot it up, and it would not.  Just made funny little coughing noises, would spin up briefly and then quit.  He let me see and listen to it.

Mike, when my hard drive crashed the tech guy ordered and installed a new 2Tb hard drive like the one I had, and it cost $181.00.

Tentatively I have restored nearly all of my photos and files from the Cloud.  The process really was a pain in the a$$, though.  Had to do most of it manually.