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For the laptop in the closet

Give that old PC another boot.

Your old computer can still browse and write a letter. Spareboot gives it a light, legal operating system, a starter you can download tonight, and help that looks at a photo instead of putting you on hold. About $79 a year — and only if the machine is actually Ready.

  • Official downloads only
  • Pay only if Ready
  • Chat + photos, no call center
Spareboot logo: a flying boot with a flame, on a monitor, above the Spareboot wordmark

Repair slip

If Ready

Patient
Closet laptop, last decade
Complaint
Windows 11 said no
Treatment
A lighter OS, official download
Job
Email, browsing, the odd letter
Amount due
$0 until Ready

How it works

Four steps. No phone tree.

You don’t need a screwdriver personality. You need a charger, a USB stick, and a phone that can take a photo of a confusing menu.

  1. 01

    Show us the patient

    A photo of the sticker is plenty. Brand, model, and a guess at the memory. The sweet spot is roughly the last ten years.

  2. 02

    Pick a light system

    ChromeOS Flex, Linux Mint XFCE, Lubuntu, or antiX. The one that fits the hardware — from the publisher’s own download page.

  3. 03

    Boot from a stick

    Use the starter pack on a USB stick you already own. A mailed kit comes later. Ask Spareboot walks the weird BIOS screens with you.

  4. 04

    Pay if it’s Ready

    Browsing and word processing, for real. Then the yearly license. If the machine can’t do the job, we stop and you don’t pay.

What’s included

Everything for a first boot. Checkout can wait.

Yours today

Starter pack

A short checklist, the official download links, and the first-hour plan. Download it now. No account required.

Not shipping yet

USB kit

The same plan in an envelope, when fulfillment opens. Until then, a name-brand stick you already own is the kit.

Chat and photos

Ask Spareboot

Grok, on your phone. Send a photo of the screen, the BIOS page, or the sticker. You get one next step, not a lecture.

Pay if Ready

Yearly license

About $79 for one machine. Charged only when that machine is Ready. Checkout isn’t switched on yet.

One system, chosen on purpose

We don’t install four operating systems to see which one feels lucky. RAM, the certified list, and a usable screen pick the winner.

  • The tidy one.

    ChromeOS Flex

    Only when Google’s certified list says this exact model is welcome. We check the list. We don’t guess.

    Certified models

  • The comfortable one.

    Linux Mint XFCE

    A normal laptop’s favorite second career. Choose the XFCE edition on the download page.

    Official download

  • The lighter one.

    Lubuntu

    For 2–4 GB of RAM and honest expectations. Still fine for the web and a letter.

    Official download

  • The scrappy one.

    antiX

    When the machine is modest and still worth keeping. Browsing and writing, without the fanfare.

    Official download

House rules

  • Official downloads from the publisher
  • A bill only after the PC is Ready
  • Help by chat and a photo
  • Backup before anything is erased

Cracked Windows, mystery ISOs, and phone queues are not on the menu.

Pricing

The honest part, up front.

Spareboot is a yearly license. The number we say out loud is $79. The usual band is $50 to $100. You pay it for a machine that works — not for a heroic attempt.

Ready
It boots the light system, reaches the internet, and a person can browse and write.
Not Ready
It won’t boot, the picture never arrives, or you don’t want to erase the disk. We stop. The license is $0.

Yearly license

$79/ year

One machine. Charged only if it’s Ready.

  • Boots the light system
  • Gets on the internet
  • Browses and writes a document
  • Help stays in chat, with photos

Checkout isn’t open yet. There is no buy button on purpose. Join the list and we’ll email you when payment is real — still gated on Ready.

FAQ

Questions, before a cousin recommends a driver site.

About $79 a year, usually somewhere from $50 to $100, for one machine. You are charged only if it is Ready: it boots, it gets online, and a person can browse and type. If we stop early, you pay nothing. Checkout isn’t open yet, so today there is nothing to buy.

That computer still has a boot in it.

Grab the starter, ask for one photo-guided step, or leave your email for the day checkout opens.