Boot Failure

[mathare]

Just had my mum on the phone. Her PC was working this afternoon but now it's not. It keeps saying "Boot failure" or words to that effect. It also said something about the HDD in the first error she saw.

She has dashed out to Currys/Comet to price up a new PC.

The PC she has is a self-build (well, built by a mate of mine several years back) and comes without recovery/operating system rescue CDs

I have given her the following advice:

1) Do not rush into anything - she only uses her PC for web and e-mail really, and the odd bit of Office stuff, it's not like she needs it for work.
2) Her boot sector may have packed up in which case she needs a new HDD (and OS since she has no Windows CDs)
3) Her HDD may have failed altogether so check to see if the BIOS recognises it. Same solution as for 2) if it has
4) Do not buy a PC from Currys/Comet
5) The repair costs may not be worth it for a PC of it's age (probably 5 years or so). She lives out of town so will have to take the PC to a man in town and the nearest towns are small so choice is limited and any help from these chaps is likely to be expensive
6) Spec up a PC she likes in Currys/Comet and give me a call and I will look on Ebuyer and find the same spec cheaper. Order it for her and have it sent to her house

Have I missed anything on the salvaging the old PC front? She has nothing on their she can't manage without if the HDD has packed up.

[Win2Win]

Cheaper getting a new one and putting the old HD in to see what you can salvage;
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10282313&pid=5&rstrat=3169

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=94538

[mathare]

Thought as much

And that Ebuyer link was just what I was looking at :)