Old PC boot help?

[PixlRabt]

Hello Internets,

 

So I received a gift from my school today; four old compaq ex-student PCs, one monitor, a spare HDD, a bunch of spare RAM, and a tonne of spare mice, keyboards and power cables. However, upon startup each PC (having completed start up checks) shows me a screen saying "PRESS A KEY TO REBOOT"

 

Any ideas? I was told that despite their age that they had Windows7, although now I am really not so sure.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

tharrison14

[WoodenMarker]

What's the problem?

[coen113]

reinstall an older version of windows, and mine bitcoins

[Classics]

I think they might have windows server on them. Try formatting and installing windows xp/vista/7 on them.

[gibbsy81]

What's the problem?

I guess it's that It says press any key to reboot?

[DrunkAssassin]

pull out the drives and try read them on a different computer if it still doesn't boot you know its either the OS or something wrong with the drives, also try booting the computer of a fresh install of windows,

[PixlRabt]

pull out the drives and try read them on a different computer if it still doesn't boot you know its either the OS or something wrong with the drives, also try booting the computer of a fresh install of windows,

 

I installed one of the 5 drives into a different PC (another of the many hand-me-downs I seem to be acquiring since I told my friends and family I'm interested in PCs) and it recognized the drive in the BIOS but again the same screen appeared. I would assume then that the school has wiped the drives before giving them to me? 

[gibbsy81]

I installed one of the 5 drives into a different PC (another of the many hand-me-downs I seem to be acquiring since I told my friends and family I'm interested in PCs) and it recognized the drive in the BIOS but again the same screen appeared. I would assume then that the school has wiped the drives before giving them to me?

Yeah I think they would have because usually they are apart of a server based login system.

[PixlRabt]

Yeah I think they would have because usually they are apart of a server based login system.

 

Ok then. so these drives are only 20 GB each, is there really any point in trying to salvage them? and what about the other things I received, like the RAM, what could I do with those?

[DrunkAssassin]

Ok then. so these drives are only 20 GB each, is there really any point in trying to salvage them? and what about the other things I received, like the RAM, what could I do with those?

Well what kind of RAM and other parts are we talking about can we get brands,models and more details on them. If it is DDR2 or DDR3 RAM you could keep it and try sell for a profit or you could find the best hand me down/ free computer components and make some server PC's or folding/bitcoin mining PC's

[PixlRabt]

Well what kind of RAM and other parts are we talking about can we get brands,models and more details on them. If it is DDR2 or DDR3 RAM you could keep it and try sell for a profit or you could find the best hand me down/ free computer components and make some server PC's or folding/bitcoin mining PC's

 

Well I believe the RAM is DDR3, But each stick is about 256 MB (4 spare, and one in each pc, making 8 in total). Otherwise, there's the 5 seagate 20 GB drives, 2 cd drives from the 90's, one from LG and the other from Diamond Data or something or other. and a whole bunch of PS/2 keyboards and mice (Ball mice mind you) and standard power cables.

[DrunkAssassin]

Well I believe the RAM is DDR3, But each stick is about 256 MB (4 spare, and one in each pc, making 8 in total). Otherwise, there's the 5 seagate 20 GB drives, 2 cd drives from the 90's, one from LG and the other from Diamond Data or something or other. and a whole bunch of PS/2 keyboards and mice (Ball mice mind you) and standard power cables.

Motherboards? CPU's? GPU's? these are going to worth the most money or the most use to you