If your computer isn't booting up and is just showing a flashing cursor, this usually means that your computer is unable to start up using the hard drive. This doesn't mean that all the data on your hard drive no longer exists, but it does mean that you'll have to work your way around that flashing cursor to get to that data. You will need to use another computer with an Internet connection to solve this problem. If you don't have a second computer, borrow a friend's computer

1. Step 1

   Go to Pendrivelinux.com to download and install USB SLAX (see Resources).

2. Step 2

   Follow Pendrivelinux's instructions on how to make the USB device bootable.

3. Step 3

   Go to the affected computer (the one with the flashing cursor) and connect the USB device to one of its USB ports.

4. Step 4

   Boot up the affected computer using USB SLAX; wait until the operating system is finished booting.

5. Step 5

   Find your hard drive and browse it, copying the data you need to keep onto an external hard drive or a DVD (depending on your preferences and the amount of data you want to recover). Make sure you copy all sensitive data that you can't afford to lose (you might not be able to recover everything, so you'll have to prioritize). This works best if you have an external USB or FireWire hard drive instead of a collection of DVDs.

6. Step 6

   Turn off your computer and remove the USB device you attached.

7. Step 7

   Get the operating-system CD that came with your computer and reinstall the operating system, following the simple instructions when booting from the CD. If your computer didn't come with an operating-system disc, you'll have to purchase one from a computer retailer near you. If you use another operating system other than the one your computer came with and this is the operating system you were using up to this point, use this disk to reinstall your operating system.