Date: 10/19/05 (Computer Help)    Keywords: linux

Okay. I've tried everything, but I just CAN'T seem to get the damn thing working, so I came here to plead for help.

I was recently given a laptop that refused to boot the version of Windows it was currently running: when it got past the loading bar screen, there'd be nothing but a black screen. As a lot of people here are programmers, or were, we tried to re-install it. Loading the drivers: nope. Formatting the entire hard drive and reinstalling the OS from CD: nope. Creating six Windows boot disks and trying to use them: nope. (This error continually occurs on Boot Disk #3: it keeps telling me 'File hal.dll could not be loaded. Press any key to exit Seup": and I've tried loading the file by hand.) Finally, someone told me to download and burn a Knoppix CD and use that -- great idea, I've always wanted to run Linux on a personal computer of mine. However, NONE of my downloads want to run... I have CoreFTP Lite, the same FTP utility I've always used, but I get nothing. Maybe I'm overtired and maybe the medication I'm on is fucking with my head... but HOW do I get a bootable CD from the list of files in the Knoppix Parent Directory, which is ALL I seem to keep getting?


Can ANYONE help me here? With either option? I'm going freaking insane, and I'd be eternally grateful. We NEED this computer, yesterday.


TIA

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/computer_help/512253.html