Ping Ryno - "Fungus puts heat in peppers"
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From: GraduallyGoingRyno on 1 Sep 2008 19:16 On Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:23:01 -0700, Chris wrote: > > some friends gave me a computer. it's just a few years old which makes > it much newer then mine. neither of the disk drives on mine work anymore > :( anyway, in cleaning it up to give it away the thing now won't do > anything but give a black screen with a curser. [Ryno decides to get the pun out of the way first] Cursors - foiled again! Okay, now that I've been silly, I might try to offer something useful for a change. First of all, do you have a strong desire to stay with Windows or something very like it? (I lack theory of mind, but will assume YES, going with the "Aspies don't like change" idea.) If you want to stay on Windows, do you have a licence and install CD for Windows (hopefully XP, as 98/ME/2000 are mostly unsupported and a tad problematical to install on more recent gear)? ** NOTE: Some Windows licences are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). These licences are not transferrable: if the computer dies (value of "computer" determined by Microsoft), then the licence is kaput, and can't be used to load a replacement box. Windows Vista, I couldn't personally recommend. If you want Windows Vista, please make sure your choice is an informed decision. ----------- There is another way. It doesn't cost lots, and will give you the equivalent of what you had under Windows, free of charge: Linux. It's not all that scary, although I resisted changing-over for a long time (I finally *had* to change, after the Windows 'puter died very messily), and the only thing I miss from the old box is my Firefox bookmarks. You can even try Linux out on an existing computer without changing any of the programs or settings on that PC, thanks to a feature called LiveCD. (Starts the computer from the CD or DVD drive with the Linux CD in it, and runs from that, to give you a test-drive. I could go on for ages (as I tend to)... where do we go from here, O Nature Lover? Ry "obviously not cured yet" Nosseros -- The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows. -- Frank Zappa
From: Chris on 6 Sep 2008 14:38 GraduallyGoingRyno wrote: > On Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:23:01 -0700, Chris wrote: > > >> >> some friends gave me a computer. it's just a few years old which >> makes it much newer then mine. neither of the disk drives on mine >> work anymore :( anyway, in cleaning it up to give it away the thing >> now won't do anything but give a black screen with a curser. > ok, I hooked it up to my monitor to see what happens. I was going on what they said before. it goes through the boot up process and flashes to the windows XP screen and then I get a screen that has just rolling bars of light. :/ > [Ryno decides to get the pun out of the way first] > Cursors - foiled again! :) > > Okay, now that I've been silly, I might try to offer something useful > for a change. > > First of all, do you have a strong desire to stay with Windows or > something very like it? (I lack theory of mind, but will assume YES, > going with the "Aspies don't like change" idea.) > windows is all I really know > If you want to stay on Windows, do you have a licence and install CD > for Windows (hopefully XP, as 98/ME/2000 are mostly unsupported and a > tad problematical to install on more recent gear)? > along with the computer they gave me a windows XP upgrade CD. also a MSD PRoduct Recovery disk a "VirtualDrive Restore IT disk". umm.. and it turns out the Office XP disk case is empty. I'm sure I can get it from them. I think this is way beyond me. > ** NOTE: Some Windows licences are OEM (Original Equipment > Manufacturer). These licences are not transferrable: if the computer > dies (value of "computer" determined by Microsoft), then the licence > is kaput, and can't be used to load a replacement box. > > Windows Vista, I couldn't personally recommend. If you want Windows > Vista, please make sure your choice is an informed decision. > > ----------- > > There is another way. It doesn't cost lots, and will give you the > equivalent of what you had under Windows, free of charge: Linux. > > > It's not all that scary, although I resisted changing-over for a long > time (I finally *had* to change, after the Windows 'puter died very > messily), and the only thing I miss from the old box is my Firefox > bookmarks. > > You can even try Linux out on an existing computer without changing > any of the programs or settings on that PC, thanks to a feature called > LiveCD. (Starts the computer from the CD or DVD drive with the Linux > CD in it, and runs from that, to give you a test-drive. > > I could go on for ages (as I tend to)... where do we go from here, O > Nature Lover? > > Ry "obviously not cured yet" Nosseros
From: GraduallyGoingRyno on 6 Sep 2008 21:57 On Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:38:40 -0700, Chris wrote: [snippo] > ok, I hooked it up to my monitor to see what happens. I was going on > what they said before. it goes through the boot up process and flashes > to the windows XP screen and then I get a screen that has just rolling > bars of light. :/ Hmm. Monitor and display settings? Perhaps if you started it, waited till the BIOS screen (that white-on- black one that invites you to hit DEL {or sometimes F2 or another key}) has gone, then hold down F8 and keep it held (got to do this before the black screen with the nice XP logo and blue moving bar), you should get the option of SAFE MODE. This is ugly, but works, and you may be able to find out what's odd with the display. [more snippiness] >> First of all, do you have a strong desire to stay with Windows or >> something very like it? (I lack theory of mind, but will assume YES, >> going with the "Aspies don't like change" idea.) >> > windows is all I really know That's cool. I didn't change till I had to, and I had the option available for over a year... just couldn't make the jump. >> If you want to stay on Windows, do you have a licence and install CD >> for Windows (hopefully XP, as 98/ME/2000 are mostly unsupported and a >> tad problematical to install on more recent gear)? >> > along with the computer they gave me a windows XP upgrade CD. also a MSD > PRoduct Recovery disk a "VirtualDrive Restore IT disk". I can't tell from that whether it will help recover the system, but your friends might be able to tell you how the restore disk is used. > umm.. and it turns out the Office XP disk case is empty. I'm sure I can > get it from them. Hopefully. Otherwise, there are other ways that ain't Microsoft, although they do all the same stuff in a comfortingly similar way. > I think this is way beyond me. I wish we were closer geographically. Mrs Ryno has more people skills than I do, and we sometimes teamwork to help friends of hers when they have PC problems: it's pretty good if I talk to the 'puter and she does the hu-mans. Ry "PeopleSkills Module not found - insert disk or hit ESC to exit" Nosseros -- Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. -- P. J. O'Rourke
From: Chris on 13 Sep 2008 12:55 GraduallyGoingRyno wrote: > On Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:38:40 -0700, Chris wrote: > > [snippo] >> ok, I hooked it up to my monitor to see what happens. I was going on >> what they said before. it goes through the boot up process and >> flashes to the windows XP screen and then I get a screen that has >> just rolling bars of light. :/ > > Hmm. Monitor and display settings? > well.. that might make sense. > > Perhaps if you started it, waited till the BIOS screen (that white-on- > black one that invites you to hit DEL {or sometimes F2 or another > key}) has gone, then hold down F8 and keep it held (got to do this > before the black screen with the nice XP logo and blue moving bar), > you should get the option of SAFE MODE. ok.... as soon as I scrounge up the energy I'll try this. hmm... that could be a long wait. I couldn't figure out how to start it in safe mode and the screen flicks by so fast it's impossible for me to read! > > This is ugly, but works, and you may be able to find out what's odd > with the display. so from safe mode I will need to go to control panel? hmm... maybe I should force myself to try this now > > [more snippiness] > fierce! >>> First of all, do you have a strong desire to stay with Windows or >>> something very like it? (I lack theory of mind, but will assume YES, >>> going with the "Aspies don't like change" idea.) >>> >> windows is all I really know > > That's cool. I didn't change till I had to, and I had the option > available for over a year... just couldn't make the jump. > >>> If you want to stay on Windows, do you have a licence and install CD >>> for Windows (hopefully XP, as 98/ME/2000 are mostly unsupported and >>> a tad problematical to install on more recent gear)? >>> >> along with the computer they gave me a windows XP upgrade CD. also a >> MSD PRoduct Recovery disk a "VirtualDrive Restore IT disk". > > I can't tell from that whether it will help recover the system, but > your friends might be able to tell you how the restore disk is used. > heh, they seem somewhat clueless. >> umm.. and it turns out the Office XP disk case is empty. I'm sure I >> can get it from them. > > Hopefully. Otherwise, there are other ways that ain't Microsoft, > although they do all the same stuff in a comfortingly similar way. > ok >> I think this is way beyond me. > > I wish we were closer geographically. Mrs Ryno has more people skills > than I do, and we sometimes teamwork to help friends of hers when they > have PC problems: it's pretty good if I talk to the 'puter and she > does the hu-mans. > :) awww.. well you're helping. btw, how are you both doing? -- "Being *able* to do something does not automatically imply that it is easy or undemanding." - Terry ASA FAQ: http://www.mugsy.org/asa_faq/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: GraduallyGoingRyno on 13 Sep 2008 19:48
On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:55:52 -0700, Chris wrote: [more snippo] >> Hmm. Monitor and display settings? >> > well.. that might make sense. Sounds that way, at least. Darn thing with computers is there's often more than one right approach (or something that works, at least) and a couple hundred wrong ones. >> Perhaps if you started it, waited till the BIOS screen (that white-on- >> black one that invites you to hit DEL {or sometimes F2 or another key}) >> has gone, then hold down F8 and keep it held (got to do this before the >> black screen with the nice XP logo and blue moving bar), you should get >> the option of SAFE MODE. > > ok.... as soon as I scrounge up the energy I'll try this. hmm... that > could be a long wait. I couldn't figure out how to start it in safe mode > and the screen flicks by so fast it's impossible for me to read! Waiting for the first little (usually white, perhaps with a small logo) screen to fade, then pressing F8 and keeping it pressed... this may work. >> This is ugly, but works, and you may be able to find out what's odd >> with the display. > > so from safe mode I will need to go to control panel? hmm... maybe I > should force myself to try this now >> >> [more snippiness] >> > fierce! Like the proverbial wolverine, I hear. [more snippage] >> I can't tell from that whether it will help recover the system, but >> your friends might be able to tell you how the restore disk is used. >> > heh, they seem somewhat clueless. That's less dangerous than the clueless people who look confident! >>> umm.. and it turns out the Office XP disk case is empty. I'm sure I >>> can get it from them. >> >> Hopefully. Otherwise, there are other ways that ain't Microsoft, >> although they do all the same stuff in a comfortingly similar way. >> > ok See http://www.openoffice.org/ for more. >>> I think this is way beyond me. >> >> I wish we were closer geographically. Mrs Ryno has more people skills >> than I do, and we sometimes teamwork to help friends of hers when they >> have PC problems: it's pretty good if I talk to the 'puter and she does >> the hu-mans. >> > :) awww.. well you're helping. btw, how are you both doing? I'm pretty good, but don't have a lot of online time. Herself is recovering from some rather heavy surgery, and I am Designated Nurse, Fetcher Of Things, and Doer Of Stuff. Better get back to it, BTW. Ry "totes barges, lifts bales" Nosseros -- This sentence is not self-referential. |