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I'm not very sure on the make or model of this computer, i'm not too savvy, but it used to have vista, then had 7, with 7 it would freeze often and have boot issues, iv had the hard drives wiped (thinking the issue was a virus and hoping that would fix it) but when i put in the xp install cd the computer freezes, ive tried installing ubuntu 10.10 from a flash drive, but all ive gotten is "boot error" i know the usb boot was done correctly, all nessecary partitions activated and so on, but to no avail, could it be a MB problem? or an issue with the bios? without cd i can go into bios and such but im not sure what all to do (over my head) please help

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Did u try upgrading BIOS? – Sudantha Nov 21 '10 at 5:38
how would i upgrade the bios? – Dacota Nov 21 '10 at 23:52
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It's too hard to tell from the description you've provided, especially since you're unsure of the make and model.

I would take it to a (reputable) tech shop so that they can have a look at it, and make recommendations. It may be anything from the motherboard to RAM, to a faulty power supply.

Good luck!

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thank you, i was hoping to avoid that (low on cash) – Dacota Nov 21 '10 at 23:52
Understandable, but I fear you're out of your depth, and you could end up fighting for days against a hardware problem you can't fix on your own anyway. – Randolph West Nov 22 '10 at 0:29
One thing which can cause lockups and freezing behavior is heat. Even just during the minute or so where you reboot windows setup CD. If it is an old computer, there may be dust in the fans and heatsinks. You can unplug the computer, open the case and use some compressed air or even a vaccum cleaner hose to suck up all the dust bunnies etc. I would recommend holding the fans to keep them from spinning (an electric motor is potentially an electric generator). Do this gently and don't knock stuff about. Avoid cleaning products, maybe use a watercolor brush to dislodge cruft on the fan blades. – horatio Feb 14 at 22:32
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