I am really freaking out right now. I was on my computer and all of a sudden it just shut off. It won't restart. It's like someone pulled the plug! Does anyone know anything about computers? Does this mean my data is probably all gone??? Right now I'm on my husband's crappy computer but I do all my work on the other one. I haven't backed up anything in a few months. This is REALLY bad if I lose my data. I know it's my fault for not backing up more frequently. Anyone have any thoughts?

Sounds like your power supply- in my unprofessional opinion. They are relatively cheap and easy to replace. My husband works in IT, and we have 11 computers (9 running, 5 on network), so I have picked up a little.

If it's the power supply, or even a motherboard falure or power surge fry, your harddrive will be fine. You can unplug it from your computer, and plug it into another one and pull off it just like before.

If it was a harddrive crash, it wouldn't have shut your computer off, so that's a good sign for your data.

Thank you for your encouraging words. I'm praying you are right and that this can just be a lesson learned. I will be better at backing up my data. My husband rehabs houses and there are thousands of dollars of receipts entered into Quickbooks. Also, all my BPO orders, income and outstanding balances are in Quickbooks. If I lose it all, I am screwed when it comes to my taxes this year. I'll have to get out my Quickbooks backup CD and see when I did a back up last. I hope you're right, OnHolidayRE.
Thanks.

I agree..probably power supply. Easily replaced by yourself.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-supply.html

Try this link, it will explain how to identify and remove. Go to computer store and buy it and then just plug it in.

Bob, I am so glad to find someone that agrees with OnHolidayRE. My former broker's son has a computer business on the side. He will usually do quick fixes for me for free (I pay for parts). I'll call him in the morning. I can't imagine trying to replace it myself. Thanks to both of you. I feel better. Now maybe I can get some sleep and not worry so much.

BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP

Most people who back up do it because they experience a disaster and suffer major losses. You are probably lucky, as I've been in IT for 20 years and I agree with the others - hard drive is probably fine. Please backup all important data to CD or DVD at least every few days. It's so cheap compared to the alternative.

Thanks, it was my power supply. I lucked out this time. Now I'm going to back up everything at least once a week.

Thanks for your help.