My brother has a compaq celeron pc running Win ME (at least ten years  old).
It now will only start up in the minimum colors and resolution which when
changed in properties reverts to minimums upon re-boot. No programs will run
(that we've tried) except for windows solitaire game.
 When starting up, I have tried pressing the esc button and each of  the F
keys to get into bios or at least see if safe mode will help but haven't  had
any luck. He said he was able to start once in safe mode (didn't know how he
did) but still had no change in performance.
Are there any suggestions? I seem to remember someone on the list
recommending one of the "repair" cds found on EBay but there are so many  different ones
listed, I hesitate to order one even though the cost is so much  less than
having a technician retrieve the files he wants (mostly photos).
 Another thought is, can I connect his HD to my computer to retrieve  files?
 I humbly bow to your collective wisdom!
Phillip Williams

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