computer repair

Vikki, your questions leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Weather or not to fix an old computer depends on how old. Not so much as whether it will continue to operate, but whether it will support todays software and hardware. You didn't mention what cpu the old computer is. That is probably the most signifient concern. Any thing before Pentiums is definatly not suited for todays computer enviroment. I would think a pentium 100-200 would be ok for just web surfing, but way to slow to do much more. Next is the amout of RAM you have, or can install. Today, less than 64 megs falls into the same catagory of not good for much more than web surfing, and depending on the OS, maybe to slow to do even that. Todays pc133 ram is cheap, but does yourmotherboard support it?
I won't even get into cd's, hard drives, USB support, modems, sound boards, etc.... As you can see getting to the setup screen or the BIOS is not the issue. What vintage of computer are you working on, that is the issue. A lot of computer companys sell complete systems cheaper than the cost you may encounter in trying to fix your old one. Look at the specials at http://www.tigerdirect.com you will see what I mean.
Hope this helps, and doesn't dissapoint you.

When you are in the AMI setup screen, first look and see if the Hard drive is recognized.
(There should be entries for Cylinders, Heads, and Sectors.)
If there is just zeros, the battery has probably gone flat. (Totally discharged.)
Leave the computer on for at least six hours to recharge the battery. That will recharge it enough to work with.
To explain all of the settings, I would have to know more, but that is not a problem.
The AMI BIOS has a "Load Defaults". Use it, and it will work fine 98% of the time.
If the PC is new enough it will also have a IDE Utility. (Automatically loads the Hard Drive Numbers.) If it doesn't you will have to open the PC and read the information off of the Hard Drive.
Keep a boot floppy in the A: drive, (First Floppy Drive)and
whenn the PC gets to the point where it can boot to the DOS prompt load Windows.
If this PC is a 386 you will have to run Windows 95. Win98 and above won't run.
If you are surfing with an analog MODEM, 56K or lower, this PC will work. Word processing is OK also, just don't try photo editing or voice recognition with a 386.
Regards, Chris

Because you don't have an IDE utility, and you want to learn about PCs, its time for the phillips screwdriver and flashlight.
To open the case, remove the phillips screws around the edge of the case.
For a minitower there will be four screws. (normally)
For a desktop there will be five.(normally)
DON'T remove the screws in the middle of the unpainted metal. They hold the power supply, etc.
A minitower cover will slide back and up.
A desktop cover will slide straight forward.
Remove the cover and use the flashlight to get the numbers off of the hard drive.
If you are lucky the Cyl. , Heads, and Sectors will be listed.
On an older drive you will have to find the model number, then go to the manufacturers website.
This is also a good time for cleaning and checking the machine for loose cables, etc.
Do not close the case yet.
Enter the numbers off of the Hard Drive into the BIOS and see if the PC will boot on the hard drive.
If it won't, check to see if the Hard Drive is spinning. (The old drives vibrate more, and they make more noise than the new ones, so it is easy to tell if they are spinning up when you turn on the PC.)
If the drive is spinning, but it won't boot, download the utility for it from the drive manufacturer. Run the utility. This usually will find the problem.
(You have to know the manufacturer of the drive. They don't work on other manufacturer's drives.)

Regards, Chris