[sarahmm4]

I downloaded Puppy Linux from this site: http://www.puppylinu...puppy-linux-412. I then tried to copy it to a cd. When I then put it in my computer, nothing happened. What am I doing wrong?

Edited by sarahmm4, 08 February 2009 - 09:17 PM.

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Where would I get a floppy drive? I didn't realize they were even used anymore.

[sarahmm4]

Where would I get a floppy drive? I didn't realize they were even used anymore.

[Troy]

Did you burn the Puppy Linux .iso file as an image?

You can follow my instructions here to achieve this. Obviously, this would need to be done from another computer.

Then you need to boot the computer with the CD already in the drive... I.E. turn on the computer, put the disc in the drive, then hit the restart button on your case.

If it still doesn't boot, you'll need to change the Boot Order Priority so the CD Drive is above the hard drive. You can change the Boot Order Priority by entering the BIOS during POST.

You can still purchase floppy drives new, check out Newegg.

Troy

[sarahmm4]

So you've said using a floppy drive is an easier solution. I'm trying to decide if I should buy a floppy drive or try again with the Linux approach. Do I get the same result with both but using the floppy drive is just a quicker way to do it? Would you recommend buying a floppy drive or trying the Linux way? If I buy a floppy drive, is there a specific type I need to buy? I see internal and external ones.

[happyrock]

try this...
when the login screen does show up....try hitting CTRL+ALT+DEL a couple of times... should pop up the dialog box style login.... Enter a username and password.... Then go to User Accounts in the Control Panel. Click on Change the way users log on or off....

If the Use Welcome Screen is not turned on... activate it and reboot

If it is checked, turn it off then back on to see what happens. Reboot.

If neither of those work... try running a system restore

[sarahmm4]

Ok, I was able to get puppy linux up on my computer. I then copied everything from the Document and Settings folder to my external hard drive. What else should I copy other than the stuff under documents and settings? What about all the software I have on my computer? I don't have another computer to copy all my documents to from my external hard drive. Can I just keep it on the external hard drive then somehow get it back to the computer after it has been fixed? Also, I wanted to somehow take a screenshot of all the software I have on my computer but I can't figure out how to use print screen or copy and paste or print from puppy linux. How do I do that?

[Troy]

You cannot copy over the programs, that will not work. You will need to reinstall them again once the computer is running again.

Leaving those files on the backup hard drive is better than not having a copy at all.

Where you able to have any luck with happyrock's suggestions? I can't see from your posts that you even get to the login screen - does it try to log you in automatically?

Once you are certain you have copied your important documents over, the method below will completely erase your hard drive and install Windows and the original programs as they came from the factory. You would then need to reinstall your personal programs and copy over your data from the backup hard drive. If you aren't happy with this option, you'll need to get hold of a floppy disk drive and install it in the computer to continue with Artellos's repair suggestion.

The following information I have copied/pasted from the manual for your computer, which I found here.

Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec
Use Dell PC Restore by Symantec only as the last method to restore your operating system. PC
Restore restores your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer.
Any programs or files added since you received your computer—including data files—are
permanently deleted from the hard drive. Data files include documents, spreadsheets, e-mail
messages, digital photos, music files, and so on. If possible, back up all data before using PC
Restore.
NOTICE: Using PC Restore permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and removes any applications
or drivers installed after you received your computer. If possible, back up the data before using PC
Restore.
To use PC Restore:
1 Turn on the computer.
During the boot process, a blue bar with www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen.
2 Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press <Ctrl><F11>.
If you do not press <Ctrl><F11> in time, let the computer finish restarting, and then
restart the computer again.
NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step.
3 On the next screen that appears, click Restore.58 Advanced Troubleshooting
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
4 On the next screen, click Confirm.
The restore process takes approximately 6–10 minutes to complete.
5 When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer.
NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot.
6 When prompted, click Yes.
The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the
screens that appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that
appeared the first time the computer was turned on.
7 Click Next.
The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts.
8 After the computer restarts, click OK.

[sarahmm4]

No, Happyrock's advice didn't do anything. Nothing happened when I did ctrl-alt-del and I'd already tried a system restore.

You said it's better to copy my program files to the external hard drive so shat else do you recommend I copy over? I want to save as much as possible! So far, I've only copied over my "Documents and Settings" folder and plan to copy over the "Program Files" folder.

[Troy]

No, I said you cannot copy program files over, as it won't work. If you have the installation file, then that's what you want to copy. You'll need to reinstall it again.

You've already tried the Dell PC Restore option and it didn't work?

[sarahmm4]

I understand that copying over the program files will not replace the need to reinstall programs but you did say that "Leaving those files on the backup hard drive is better than not having a copy at all" so I interpreted this to mean that I should copy over my program files to the external hard drive. Is that correct? I haven't tried the Dell PC Restore yet because I want to make sure I have all the necessary files and documents saved to my external drive before reformatting.

I would like to be able to take a screenshot of the programs in my program files folder that I see through puppy linux before doing the restore but I can't figure out how to take a screenshot and print from linux. How do I do that?

[Troy]

Hi again,

No I meant your personal documents only, not the program files as well. The best way to go about it, in my opinion, would be to make a complete separate backup of the data as well - perhaps burn them onto DVDs. That way, if something happens to the backup hard drive when you format your computer, you have an extra copy somewhere.

I'm not sure how to take a screenshot in Puppy Linux, although I just found these instructions, so let me know if they work or not:

Take a screen shot using Start//Graphics/mtpaint snapshot

Cheers

Troy

[sarahmm4]

If I'm able to get a screenshot, do you know how I can print it out? I can't figure out how to print from Linux.

[Troy]

Well you'd need to install a printer, and that would be a major job. Why not upload it to a free image site, like Photobucket?

[sarahmm4]

I could do that if I could figure out how to get on the internet. I can't even figure out how to get on the internet using Linux. Is it easy?

[Troy]

Well it depends on your situation. How do you connect to the internet?

Instead of all this bother, perhaps it would work out faster to write them down as a small list?