have you throught about trying something like one of the linux live cds (live cd meaning its an operating system that runs off a cd) - that would allow you to determine whether the problem is hardware or software - hopefully.
Booting into the linus os via a cd like this (as long as you dont choose to install when you log off/shut down) wont make any changes to the computer. So unlike normally - when you have to pretty much format a hard drive to reinstall the os (operating system), you can take Windows totally out of the equation for diagnostic purposes - without actually having to do anything to the current installation.
Try linux puppy - and you might want to try a couple of versions - in case the laptop is not compatable with one of them). Basically you just download the file (linux puppy is also a tiny os, and very easy to run from a live disk even if you have not ever used linux before). You can download it for free and the file size ranges from about 80 to 200mb. You then burn that onto a CD (so you would need to have your own pc to burn the downloaded image to), stick that into your friends pc and boot it
If you can boot up into linux puppy without any issues it means that either:
The operating system is the problem
Or the hard drive is knackered.
If the hard drive is the problem, then running linux puppy from a cd rom, or a usb card, is also an option your friend could use to carry on using the pc if they dont have the money or inclination to replace the hdd. It is pretty easy to set it up to connect to the internet, and it comes with free softwrae to do all the usual things + an app downloader (a bit like an app store but free) built in.
I used it for a month or so when the hard drive failed on a laptop I had - the laptop was under warranty but I had to ship the hdd away and wait a few weeks for a new one to be sent back. In the meanwhile I had no hard drive in my laptop, so I plugged an 8gb usb key drive into the hard-driveless laptop and was up and browsing the web, checking my email, and all the usual stuff in minutes...
Its also great for older pcs. Because the entire os sits in ram, not on your hard drive its SUPER fast - its like having a new pc, compared to the speed when running windows, they run like the clappers
. Great for putting on old pentium 1 and 2's which wouldnt be useful for anything but a tip otherwise
Ive added a screenshot from the website
Once you have puppy running on it, you can probably also find diagnostic tools either through the included downloader or possibly already installed - which may give you more info on whats wrong with the hard drive.
Finally - if you try and boot up a few versions of puppy on a live cd and none of them work, it may be a sign that there is a more catastrophic hardware problem
Dont forget to go into BIOS and set the boot order to boot from CD (or usb drive - cd is easiest if the pc has a cd rom) first - else it will just boot into windows and ignore the linux puppy os.
Anyway here is the url. Its opensource - so totally free, lots of support on the site, lots of versions,relatively small download, and easy to use. I now sound like I am selling it lol. Im not, and have no relationship with the makers - have just used it lots over the years and find it a really nice, and useful tool for situations like this....
Download link
here[recovering disk space, attachment deleted by admin]
