That free computer I got from my office's recycling program…yeah, not so much.
First, I had to travel to our other office (project related) and grabbed the 8 units for the people at my office so people could have them over the weekend. Unfortunately The IT guy and I both forgot to make sure we had the power cords – luckily I had a spare at home but only to find out I had a problem.
I'll keep you posted as we resolve this issue.
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Dude: LINUX!
I know. I just wanted to give it a quick run to see what I was dealing with. Plus, I'm not sure I want to invest the time into setting up a Linux box since I won't likely use it for more than basic internet stuff
Um. just plug an Ubuntu or Fedora install and you're done. I don't really think you'lll need to configure much if those are your needs
Thanks. I'll look into those when I'm ready to give it a go.
Seconding the Linux idea. There isn't any more time investment in setting up a Linux box than it would to install a copy of Windows
Thirds on the linux. If you're looking for something fast and snappy, I would suggest lubuntu. It has the lightweight DE: LXDE. Ubuntu comes with some unity/gnome shit, which probably wouldn't be all that smooth on your computer.
http://lubuntu.net
Looks like the IT department may have gotten a little over zealous with their file cleaning… assuming they did any.
+Shane Brian thanks for the tip and link. Here's my system info in case anyone is wondering…
Dimension 4600 Pentium 4
3.2ghz
1gig RAM
75gig hard drive
running XP SP3.
or someone listened to one of those trolls that say "delete system32"
+Ron Hunt they did clean them (so I'm told) but not sure if they did a clean install or just delete personal files.
It might be a good idea to inquire about the system discs that came with the machine. You might end up needing them before this is over. Oh, and, there may be a hidden recovery partition too. I think pressing F12 during bootup get's you to that.
Didn't see a hidden recovery partition in F12 and I doubt there are recovery disc as these are corporate machines.
+Luke Shiras Hi, I also forgot to mention, LXDE is pretty similar to the basic layout of Windows. So if you've been a windows user for a while, LXDE should be very familiar and easy to use.
+Luke Shiras You might be able to get the discs from Dell for a nominal fee. You can try calling them or contacting them through email. Be sure to have the Service Tag info handy when you call.
As long as you have a valid product key sticker, you should be able to use any copy of the Windows XP install discs to reinstall,
Patrick is right…I forgot about that.
Well, I should clarify, you can't use XP Home discs to install XP Pro, but other than that any discs should work.