...and honestly, that PC might actually run totally fine on Windows 10 too... but we're just guessing at this point because we don't have the actual specs, you know? Like, what are we looking at for the CPU, the RAM type, the GPU, the hard drive, or even the motherboard?
First things first, you’ve gotta make sure you actually have a legit .iso file... I mean, don't be pulling stuff from sketchy sites or, even worse, random torrents. Then, you grab some burning software and tell it to take that .iso and burn it onto a CD or a DVD—whichever one fits the data size you're working with. The biggest rookie mistake people make is when they just copy the .iso file directly onto the disc. You can tell you messed up if you look at that burned CD using a standard file manager and see nothing but a single .iso file sitting there. That's not how it works.
Right now, I’ve just got an external drive plugged directly into my Cisco router. I have two PCs and a TV all hooked up via Ethernet, and everyone can grab files from that drive, plus we can all access it on our phones over Wi-Fi. There are actually dedicated devices built specifically for this kind of setup... just Google "NAS" and you'll see what I mean.
...whenever I need to tackle a project like that, my toolkit usually consists of a drill, a jigsaw, an angle grinder, a hammer, and just a whole lot of grit and patience 😁
Back in the day with old motherboards, you had to mess with a physical jumper for +5V SB, but with newer boards, it’s usually just a setting tucked away in the BIOS... check your manual for the +5V SB option. I always keep mine enabled because I need to charge my smartphone even when the PC is powered down. And honestly, having a little LED glowing on my mouse at night doesn't bother my sleep one bit. 😁
...maybe it doesn't even support WPA2, and your router is set to that? ...it says right there for that adapter it's just a,b,g mode (so we're looking at a max of maybe 25Mbps) and uses AES, WEP, or WPA security. Maybe the owner is running AES or WPA, which is why it works for them...?
You could try switching your router settings to no security or just WEP, and make sure the mode is set to "auto" rather than "n only" (just remember to switch everything back to how it was later).
"...It’s also totally possible that someone disabled the wifi radio before the OS was even wiped, and now they can't toggle it back on until they get that Power Management app installed and manually click enable there..."
So, I dropped the link for the specific drivers needed for that IBM machine, but the guy tried them and still nothing. Even if someone turned it off previously, it shouldn't matter now because he wiped the drive and did a clean install of the OS—meaning those old settings in the app are long gone.
ps: thanks for the "kid" comment... I'm only 60. 😛
Check if it’s showing up in Disk Management... if there isn't a drive letter assigned, try manually giving it one. Once that's done, see if it pops up under "This PC."
Look, needing to use a USB drive isn't necessarily a bug... there's probably a solid reason behind it. I’m guessing the software won't even run without it because it's hardcoded to look for a physical "key" plugged into the USB port.
ps: You might actually be able to see what's inside if you go into your File Explorer settings and check the boxes to show "hidden files" and "protected operating system files"—assuming the partition on the drive isn't hidden and the data isn't encrypted.
..man, I just gotta remind myself what the Windows XP "network connection" screen actually looked like... you know, where if the LAN and Wi-Fi icons both show up, you can try right-clicking the Wi-Fi one and hitting "enable" ...
...this thing is really struggling even with Windows XP, just constantly swapping to the hard drive... honestly, maybe the user upgraded the RAM after all (fingers crossed).
If you want the Wi-Fi to actually work on Windows XP, you’re gonna need service pack 3 installed to handle WPA... plus, you didn't even mention if the wireless card is showing up in the Device Manager or if it's got that annoying yellow exclamation mark next to it.
It’s possible those Fn keys are just sitting there dead because you're missing the specific keyboard driver... here's a link, give it a shot http://www.notebook-driver.com/ibm-t...vers-software/
...or maybe when you were taking it apart and doing some quick cleaning, you just unplugged those two little cables from the Wi-Fi adapter (the coax antenna ones)... and totally forgot to plug them back in.
...it's a real thing where the latest drivers actually cause more headaches than they solve, so honestly, rolling back to an older version isn't a bad move at all... I just stick with whatever Windows 10 installed by default on my old rig, and I haven't run into a single issue.
What motherboard are we talking about here, and which BIOS version? If the CPU isn't being identified right, you might be looking at voltage issues... or maybe someone was messing with an overclock somewhere. Are you running a dedicated GPU, or just relying on the integrated graphics? Also, what kind of cooling setup are you rocking—just the stock cooler or something beefier? Can you grab a screenshot from CPU-Z showing the frequencies, voltages, and temps for both the CPU and the motherboard? Man, if it’s actually hitting 100°C, you'd probably fry your finger just touching the aluminum heatsink while it's running...
Look, if you've got a partition sitting there with all your important files but it just doesn't have a drive letter assigned, don't sweat it—just go ahead and manually assign one, like F: . ...but if you already went ahead and hit format, then the data is gone, even if the drive letter shows up and you can see the partition again.
If those aluminum heatsink fins tucked under the fan blades are choked up with dust, just pop the fan off and give them a good scrub with a brush (using a vacuum at the same time really helps). Don't even think about pulling the heatsink itself unless you've already got some fresh thermal paste ready to go for the swap.
ps: seriously, watch yourself when you're cleaning those fan blades—they can snap like they're made of glass if you aren't careful😢