My laptop is broken. What should I do?

[MrsWobbleTheWaitress]

It's been on it's last legs for a while now, but I haven't managed to get all the files etc. off it before it broke completely. All the photos are off it, thank goodness!

It's saying I need to put a password in to access the hard drive, by the way.

It sounds like the boot process is corrupt or the hard disk fragmented. It doesn't mean the pc is broken, just the operating system may need reinstalling.

Ask around your mates to find a reliable PC support service or a pc-savvy husband and take it in (and your original Windows disks if you have them). They should be able to boot the pc, take a copy of the files and then reinstall the operating system.

Get a quote first, having checked how much a new laptop and software would cost.