Re: I hate friends of friends with computers....

"ToolPackinMama" <laura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:m9CdnR9fTOtR2_jeRVn-pw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a friend of a friend with a HP (Pavilion 7915) computer, and it crapped out recently, so my friend's friend had another's friend's teen son wipe the HD clean. Unfortunately, the friend's son who wiped the HD didn't know what to do after that.

THAT'S WHEN THEY FINALLY THINK OF CALLING ~ME~!

I am trying to install XP to this (Celeron1.1 G, 128MB RAM) sys, and I am seeing things I have never seen before. The OS loads VERY slowly, and furthermore it keeps saying it's can't copy many files... one file after another. I've been hitting escape to ignore the ones it can't load (since that is not a new problem to me)...but it's so bloody SLOW. 

Your friend's friend's friend's son???  That's a pretty long stretch
to be asking for serious help.  Consider washing your hands of
the whole mess.

Barring that, do a basic hardware check:
1.  Check the CPU fan, case fans, and any other fans in
    the computer and make sure they are working.

2. Access the BIOS and if the BIOS has a temperature
monitor feature, make sure the temperatures are ok, especially the CPU temperature.

3.  Shut down your computer and turn off power *at the
   surge protector* (which cuts off standby power while
   leaving the computer grounded) or unplug it.  Take
   the standard precautions against static electricity
   (wear a wrist strap or keep one hand grounded at all
   times).

4. Open up the computer and dust it out. *Do not use a
vacuum cleaner* - it might cause static discharge.
Get some dust remover spray (Walmart, BestBuy, RadioShack) and a dust mask, and take the computer outside and spray out the dust. Keep the end of the spray straw at least six inches from any components and keep it moving so as to avoid excessive thermal shock to the components.

5.  Reseat all the modules, including the memory modules,
   and cables inside the computer.

6.  Remove the CMOS battery, measure its
    voltage, and if the measured voltage is significantly less
    than the voltage marked on top of the battery (usually 3
    volts), replace it.  Note: If you do this step, you'll
    have to set up your BIOS again.

7. Turn on the computer, and if it boots, download
"Memtest86+" from http://www.memtest.org and run
it for a few cycles to thoroughly check out your memory. Zero errors is the only acceptable result..

Then, upgrade the memory to at least 256MB, or preferably to 512MB. (Go to http://www.crucial.com and use their memory advisor to find compatible memory.)

--Bob Day
http://bobday.vze.com


.

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