I think it's time to update the standard 'solutions' to problems posted
here...

- If it doesn't move and it should - WD40 (even though it isn't a
lubricant)
- If it moves and it shouldn't - car body filler
- If it doesn't come apart and it should - angle grinder

and now the newest (boringly often) 'universal panacea'...

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

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Hmm, well, there are other commonly suggested things of course.
Apparently pressure washers will clean almostanything, assuming it does not
smash it first of course.


I thought the standard responce to any computer problem was reformat. Seems
to be the mantra of most of the computer fixers I've encountered.
Unfortunately of course, all that does apart from involve you in a lifes
work updating and putting stuff back, it simply resets the problems no doubt
responsible for the eventual issue back a while. Groundhog day will come if
the machine is still working by then.
Brian

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From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
I think it's time to update the standard 'solutions' to problems posted
here...

- If it doesn't move and it should - WD40 (even though it isn't a
lubricant)
- If it moves and it shouldn't - car body filler
- If it doesn't come apart and it should - angle grinder

and now the newest (boringly often) 'universal panacea'...

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:
I think it's time to update the standard 'solutions' to problems posted
here...

- If it doesn't move and it should - WD40 (even though it isn't a
lubricant)
- If it moves and it shouldn't - car body filler

Or duct tape, for more minor fixes

- If it doesn't come apart and it should - angle grinder

and now the newest (boringly often) 'universal panacea'...

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

Comedy aside;
It doesn't *have* to be a Linux CD though, it's just the easiest way and
it gives access to settings Windows doesn't like you changing.
I have a WindowsPE XP CD I used to use for booting recalcitrant XP machines.
There is also Windows to Go, which allows Windows to be installed on a
USB stick with a persistence file, if you are Linux averse

On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:47:31 +0000, Lee wrote:

On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

Comedy aside;
It doesn't *have* to be a Linux CD though, it's just the easiest way and
it gives access to settings Windows doesn't like you changing.
I have a WindowsPE XP CD I used to use for booting recalcitrant XP
machines.
There is also Windows to Go, which allows Windows to be installed on a
USB stick with a persistence file, if you are Linux averse

I personally used a FreeBSD CD, or stick the drive in a caddy attached to
my development machine.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
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*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:03:06 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote:

Hmm, well, there are other commonly suggested things of course.
Apparently pressure washers will clean almostanything, assuming it does not
smash it first of course.

Mother , "My Dog looks clean and tidy, how did you get his coat to
fluff up that nicely".
Me " Silly sod kept trying to bite the water from the pressure washer
when I was cleaning your car so I pressure washed him as well,you
won't have to brush his teeth for a while either".

To concerned dog lovers, I did turn the washer down to minimum and
took great care to avoid eyes etc.
Damn thing never stopped trying to bite the jet.

G.Harman

On 19/03/2014 11:39, newshound wrote:
On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:
I think it's time to update the standard 'solutions' to problems posted
here...

- If it doesn't move and it should - WD40 (even though it isn't a
lubricant)
- If it moves and it shouldn't - car body filler

Or duct tape, for more minor fixes

The answer is always gaffer (or duct) tape. For large jobs, it simply
becomes *more* gaffer tape.

Colin Bignell

newshound wrote:
On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:
I think it's time to update the standard 'solutions' to problems posted
here...

- If it moves and it shouldn't - car body filler

Or duct tape, for more minor fixes

Or a nylon cable tie, or three.

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

On 19/03/2014 11:47, Lee wrote:
On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

Comedy aside;
It doesn't *have* to be a Linux CD though, it's just the easiest way and
it gives access to settings Windows doesn't like you changing.
I have a WindowsPE XP CD I used to use for booting recalcitrant XP
machines.
There is also Windows to Go, which allows Windows to be installed on a
USB stick with a persistence file, if you are Linux averse

I have recently been introduced to http://www.hirensbootcd.org/ which
has proved useful.

On 19 Mar 2014 12:47:12 GMT, Bob Eager wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 11:47:31 +0000, Lee wrote:

On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

Comedy aside;
It doesn't *have* to be a Linux CD though, it's just the easiest way and
it gives access to settings Windows doesn't like you changing.
I have a WindowsPE XP CD I used to use for booting recalcitrant XP
machines.
There is also Windows to Go, which allows Windows to be installed on a
USB stick with a persistence file, if you are Linux averse

I personally used a FreeBSD CD, or stick the drive in a caddy attached to
my development machine.

I use the definitive Linux Live CD, Knoppix 5.3 (usb stick and actual
CD for systems with MoBos cursed with a broken USB boot mechanism).

The later versions seem to have 'Lost Their Way' in terms of
usability (no obvious means of sharing the hard disk volumes over the
LAN by a simple two clicks of a mouse button operation for example).

I've also got a BartPE boot CD (winXP flavour) which can be useful to
correct boot issues after an unplanned MoBo change but I only resort
to using this since it takes a bad 3 or 4 times longer to boot than
Knoppix (or almost any other Linux Live CD alternative for that
matter), a rather glacial 5 minutes or so to boot to the desktop.

And, of course, as you mentioned, there's always the option to pull
the drive out and hitch it up via an external adapter (e-SATA
connected SATA docking station or else my trusty IDE to USB2 adapter
in my case).

Pulling the drive out is usually to permit an unmolested AV scan of
the drive's contents but can include running CHKDSK scans (I'd have
either booted from the UBCD disc or pen drive on the stricken system
to run HDD diagnostics beforehand or else connected it to my workbench
test machine for that purpose).

If anyone is intrigued enough to burn themselves a Linux Live CD (or
create a bootable pen drive to use as an extra faultfinding option, I
recommend the Knoppix Live CD. You _might_ be forced to use the latest
version but I'd recommend burning a copy of v5.3 as a good starting
point regardless - if it boots ok, you have an easier to use desktop
than the latest versions when you're not entirely familiar with Linux.

The OP is well justified in adding a "Linux Live CD" to the list of
panacea solutions to "PC Problems" imho. :-)
--
Regards, J B Good

On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:35:29 +0000, Allan wrote:

On 19/03/2014 11:47, Lee wrote:
On 19/03/2014 09:46, Bob Eager wrote:

- if the PC has a problem - boot a Linux live CD (even if it's just a
screw that's stuck, probably)

Comedy aside;
It doesn't *have* to be a Linux CD though, it's just the easiest way
and it gives access to settings Windows doesn't like you changing.
I have a WindowsPE XP CD I used to use for booting recalcitrant XP
machines.
There is also Windows to Go, which allows Windows to be installed on a
USB stick with a persistence file, if you are Linux averse

I have recently been introduced to http://www.hirensbootcd.org/ which
has proved useful.

Actually, I rarely use a boot CD, per se.

I boot images of memtest86, etc. over the network.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
My posts (including this one) are my copyright and if @diy_forums on
Twitter wish to tweet them they can pay me £30 a post
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor