?Dud Computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter rosemary
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R

rosemary

I was asked to remove a virus from a computer. It powers
up, but doesn't boot or give any other sign of life. Is
there anyway of finding out the problem apart from taking
to an expert?

Thanks
 
rosemary said:
I was asked to remove a virus from a computer. It powers
up, but doesn't boot or give any other sign of life. Is
there anyway of finding out the problem apart from taking
to an expert?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If it's not booting at all, it's a hardware problem, not a software one.

You may also have a virus, but that's a whole different thing.
 
Hi, Rosemary.

Then you are in the wrong newsgroup. The Win98 experts hang out in the many
Win9x/ME Discussion Groups.

As others have indicated, viruses can attack Windows, or they can attack
other parts of the computer before Windows even starts to load. To make an
intelligent attempt to repair a problem, you need to determine what kind of
virus might be involved. You said the computer "doesn't boot or give any
other sign of life"; this would indicate a problem before Windows loads. A
whole new computer might be needed, or just a new stick of RAM, or maybe
just some jiggling of loose connectors. Who knows? You can see the
computer; we can't. All we know is what you've told us. So far, that's not
enough for us to help you much.

If you tell us the make and model of the computer, someone here might
recognize it and know about its quirks. If you tell us the name of the
virus, someone should know how to deal with that.

Without that kind of basic information, about all we can do is suggest you
contact someone who likes and knows about computers. You probably don't
need an "expert", but someone who can turn the computer on, watch what
happens, and interpret the beeps and other signals the computer sends. Some
of this might be explained in the computer user manual.

Post a new message in a Win98 newsgroup. Explain the problem, detailing the
symptoms you see, step by step from the time you turn on the computer power.
Be sure to give basic information about the computer so that people who want
to help, can.

RC
 
Different parts of the computer initialize in a particular sequence, so
knowing where the computer stalls gives you the first clue as to what's
wrong. What it sounds like as it boots, what, if anything, appears on the
screen, etc. are all hints.

At that point, you start removing and/or replacing suspect parts based on
where the error appears to be.

If you aren't familiar with the startup process and you don't have spare
parts to swap, it's going to be difficult for you to get much farther
without some on-site help.
 
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