"Don Phillipson" wrote:

"Arlykat" wrote in message
...

Hi. I have a computer I haven't run for about a year. It got plugged in
and
out, disconnected things, connected them back, etc. thru the year. When I
now
want to start it up to copy or move all of my important pics/info so I can
give the computer to a friend, Windows won't start.

Separate your two tasks.
1. You want to save onto your regular PC your important
pics/info. Method A is to link the two PCs together as a
temporary network, then just copy over. Method B is to
put the hard drive from the old PC into the new PC, copy
over what you want (e.g. all files created between dates A and B)
then put the hard drive back. Method B would be the
fastest if you have any trouble starting the old PC.

2. You want to give away the old computer in good running
order. The fastest way of doing this is to use FDISK to blank
the hard drive, then reformat and reinstal the operating system,
as described he
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/w98_restore.html

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)




Hi Don,

Thanks for answering my post. To save the info I want from the old computer
would have to make me use your Method B - switch the hard drives to new
computer, etc. I can't get the old computer up at all. Don, this is just
way out of my league, I wish it wasn't, but it is. I posted to Ben that I am
female and I am so close to start crying it is depressing. So, I won't be
changing any hard drives today. The REASON I want to see what is on the old
computer is because my mom died recently and there MAY be pictures of her on
that computer that I surely wouldn't want to lose. That is why I am still
trying to do everything the other people who are trying to help me are
posting. Doing the FDISK thing will be my last resort, but I do thank you
for letting me know that is what I would need to do to clean it out. Sooooo
Don, again, I am grateful to you and, if you happen to have any other ideas
that don't involve actual hand tools, please let me know.

Arlykat