"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message
...
In message , HB writes:
[]
I had to pass since Linux was a 8 GB download and I don't have unlimited
ISP
service. The website didn't say what to do with it once downloaded. The
extenstion was unknown to me. The MS rescue software I downloaded did
nothing to boot the Toshiba nor did the Avira boot disk.

Was the extension .iso?

No, not ISO. I don't remember but never saw it before.



If you're not sure about this, ask (telling us
what burning software you use) and we'll help; if necessary, we'll
recommend suitable free burning software. (The most popular seems to be
ImgBurn, version 2.5.8.0 or 2.5.7.0 [later versions have junk bundled
with
them], which can be got from repositories like oldversion.com -
http://www.oldversion.com/windows/imgburn-2-5-7-0 .)

I have Ashampoo installed. I would have to go through the thumb-drives to
see what else I have saved and not installed. I personally haven't burned
a
CD or DVD in years.


If it looks like the screenshots on
https://www.ashampoo.com/uk/gbp/psr/...ng-studio-free
, then on the "Main" screen, I _suspect_ you want "Disc Image" rather than
"Burn Data"; without having it installed myself, however, I'm not sure if
Disc Image is for *making* (.iso) images *of* _existing_ CD/DVDs, or for
burning them *from* an .iso file. Try clicking on it: it should be obvious
which. (It may do both - in fact if it can take images of existing discs,
it's unlikely it can't also burn from such images.)

So the Linux PUPPY file will be what's called an ISO file? And I have to
find out if my copy of Ashampoo burns ISO files. What about Imgburn? I
think that one burns them.



Alternatively, get ImgBurn - Paul has shown where. It's obvious when
running that. But I suspect your Ashampoo can do it.




it in the tray and.....? At what point does the CD go into the tray?
That

Ideally, before you turn on the computer. Since you'll need it on to
eject
the tray (unless you use the paperclip method), turn it on, press the
eject button, turn it off.

wont mess up the windows files already on the HD?


Just booting the Linux shouldn't. Things you do while _in_ the Linux
may,
but only deliberate actions - and after all, assuming the HD doesn't
have
a hardware fault, we're going to have to tweak files on it anyway.

OK... so I look for and download Linux PUPPY and burn it to a DVD. Eject
tray, then off the PC, insert DVD and turn the PC back on. What supposed to
happen then?


Wouldn't it be easier for me to just take the HD to a shop and let them
check it? How would Linux get the Toshiba to boot since it doesn't react
to
the rescue discs? Isn't there anything smaller to give the same
information?


SHOP: Depends what relationship you have with the shop. If they're going
to charge you their standard service charge just for looking at it, then I
imagine that'd be more than the cost of the external dock (at least if
bought online) anyway. If you do get them to look at it, then there's
incentive for them to say it's duff to get you to buy a new one - I doubt,
unless it's a very good shop, that they'd recover it for you even if they
say it isn't duff: the best they're likely to do is offer to reinstall
Windows from scratch.
LINUX: the laptop should boot from a CD/DVD, provided (a) the CD has been
burned correctly (not just the .iso file written to it as data),

How is it burned properly? I am in alien terratory here. How do I know
how/where to get the PUPPY version as an ISO?

and (b) the laptop's BIOS boot sequence is set to try CD/DVD first.
SMALLER: Linuxes _are_ smaller than 8G; we're not sure what it is you have
downloaded.

I didn't download it then I saw the unknown EXE.

[]
I don't know know if it's SATA. Opening up the case and pulling out parts
is not something I'm anxious to do. How would I know if the HDs good or
not
if it's hooked to the CD cables? What would that tell me?


If you did that, then turned on that PC and went into Windows Explorer
(Windows key and E), if you can see a drive or drives other than the
existing hard disc and any card reader slots that normally come up, then
you are getting some response from it. If it shows how full that disc is,
things are looking even better. If you can then see what files are on it,
things are looking very good. You would also be able to run assorted tests
on it - read its SMART data, do an HDTune read run, and so on.

How can I do it using the USB port? Where do I get a Dock?


It will cost me because I don't have unlimited service and will either go
over the 20 GBs or my family will have around 2 GB for the rest of the
month
which is unrealistic around here. Verizon charges $10 a GB and it adds up
fast. There has to be something smaller than that out there.I know nothing
about Linux. It would be useless to me.

Paul has given you a link to one that's under 400 MB. Personally I
wouldn't go that route as I know virtually nothing of Linux either, but
then I already have an external disc dock, and even if I didn't, I would
not be averse to putting the disc inside a desktop computer that had the
right cables. Your situation may be different.


Another alternative would be to make a Windows 7 DVD (see one of Paul's
posts), and boot from that, to get at the recovery console.

How do I do that when you can't move W software that comes with one PC to


You'd follow Paul's instructions on how to make the Windows DVD. While it
might not be exactly the right one for your laptop, you should be able to
boot from it (running entirely from the DVD and in RAM, same as the Linux
options) and get at the recovery console, where we might be able to repair
corrupted files, partition tables, and so on. This would only be worth
doing if the drive itself is fine, but has just had its contents corrupted
somehow; I think the first thing is to establish that. You can do that by
*EITHER* booting a Windows or Linux disc on the laptop (running entirely
from the DVD/CD and in RAM) and using that to _look at_ the HD in its
normal place in the laptop, *OR* taking the HD out of the laptop and
examining it using another computer, EITHER by connecting it internally OR
accessing it via USB (dock, "cable", or housing). I prefer the latter
method as (a) I have a dock (b) I don't know my way around Linux, or the
Windows recovery console. YMMV.
[]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I can prove anything with statistics - except the truth.