If the computer at least has power going to it, and as long as it's not beeping incessantly when you try to turn it on, chances are you can get it back up and running with a nifty little program called Puppy Linux. It's free, and it turns quite a few useless machines into usable computers in no time.
First - what Puppy is: it's an operating system, much like the Windows XP/Vista most are used to using, that runs off a CD or a USB drive. It doesn't need to access a hard drive at all, which makes this perfect for computer problems involving a bad hard drive or a messed up Windows installation. It's a version of Linux (obviously); a safe operating system that is less prone to virus and malware infection. Some versions of Linux are much more "technical" than Windows, but this version is easy to use for most everyone.
What it isn't: Puppy isn't Windows. It isn't exactly like the computer screen you're used to, though it's close. Not every program out there works on Linux, so you may not be able to play some games or run certain programs. This isn't a long-term solution for every computer user. It also doesn't fix the underlying computer problem. If your hard drive is toast, Puppy won't magically fix it. You've got to take care of that on your own.
When Andy's computer suddenly crapped out Sunday afternoon, I went through the usual steps I take to try and fix a messed up computer. I opened it up and made sure everything was plugged in where it was supposed to be, I checked to see if any parts were running too hot, I unplugged and replugged some parts, and we still had a computer that wouldn't start Windows. After doing some other technical stuff involving the BIOS, I conceded that Windows XP was probably corrupted. It took about an hour to check everything I wanted to check and at that point I grabbed a CD with Puppy Linux on it. I put that in his CD drive, had the computer boot from the disc, and a few minutes later Andy was surfing the web. Now he's able to use his computer for most everyday tasks like using the internet while I work on determining exactly what the problem is (with help from my supergenius friend Michael, who knows how to fix any computer problem on the planet).
What you should do right now:
Download a copy of Puppy Linux. Even if you may never need to use it, it's free and it doesn't hurt to keep a copy on hand just in case. You can download it directly to a thumb drive if you have one (and they're so cheap anymore it's not a bad idea), or you can download it to your computer and put it on a CD.
If you're going to put it on a CD, you need to use burning software to do so. Active ISO Burner is free and works just fine. That's what I use. Install Active ISO, download Puppy, put a CD in your CD drive, open Active ISO, and drag the Puppy file right onto the Active ISO screen. It will take several minutes, but it'll load that baby right onto the CD. Once it's done, put the CD in a case, label the case so you know what it is, and put it somewhere safe in case you ever need it.
What to do if your computer craps out:
Dig up that Puppy CD or thumb drive. Put the CD or thumb drive into your computer.
Try to turn on your computer. As soon as the fans start whirring, hit the DEL key or the F2 key (depending on your computer) repeatedly until a screen comes up that says something about BIOS at the top.
Use your arrow keys to navigate over to the Boot menu and press Enter.
This will bring up a screen that allows you to change where your computer tries to boot (start) from - you'll see options like Hard Drive, CD-ROM Drive, Removable Devices, and so on.
At this point you'll want to change the first option on the list to whatever type of media you have Puppy on. If you made a CD, change the first item on the list to CD-ROM Drive. If you put it on a thumb drive, change the first item to Removable Devices.
When you've changed it so the first item on the list is CD-ROM Drive or Removable Devices, press the F10 key to save your changes and exit this screen. A screen will come up asking to confirm that you want to save and exit; choose Yes. You can change all of this back later as needed - just follow the same directions above to make Hard Drive the first choice on the list.
Your computer should restart itself now - just let it do its thing. Instead of the normal screen you're used to when the computer starts, you'll get a screen similar to the image at the beginning of this post: a cute cartoon puppy head. That's Puppy Linux starting, and if you see that you're in good shape!
Let Puppy start up (it takes a few minutes the first time you use it) and once it's loaded it will walk you through setting the time zones and the graphics settings with a few on-screen prompts. It's very simple.
Next, look for a globe icon on the desktop; it should be labeled as Browse or HTML or something similar depending on which version of Puppy you're using. Click on that once (everything is single-click in Puppy, which takes some getting used to), and it will walk you through getting connected to the internet.
In no more than 10 minutes, you should have gone from a dead computer to a working computer that's connected to the internet. Now you can search online for help on determining what your exact computer problem is, or you can look for the nearest computer shop so you can take your machine in to be fixed.
The best part, in my opinion, is that if you're looking at an expensive problem and you're on a budget, or if you can't get the machine fixed right away for whatever reason, Puppy will allow you to use your computer until you can get the repairs done. In many cases, it will also allow you to retrieve files from your hard drive (assuming your hard drive itself didn't crash & burn) and move them to a thumb drive so you don't risk losing important or sentimental data like photos, music, spreadsheets, etc.
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| Puppy desktop - it's quite similar to Windows and you shouldn't have any trouble navigating it! |
Puppy won't resurrect every dead computer. If it won't power up at all, take the computer to a professional for help. If you can't even get the BIOS screen to load, take it to a shop or a knowledgeable friend. Some problems like a bad power supply are even beyond Puppy's abilities. In many cases, though, this free piece of software will at least provide a temporary solution to major computer issues. Now go download Puppy!
