I installed a lightweight Linux distribution, partly out of necessity and partly because the idea of coaxing web-sourced code into a motherboard older than many of my neighbors' routers felt poetic. The fans spun more slowly now that the OS understood how to manage them; the old board chimed to life with network pings and package updates. It wasn't quick. It wasn't flashy. It had the patience of a small, stubborn dog. But it worked, and in that working it told a story.
If your computer boots directly into this utility instead of Windows, it usually means the mainboard cannot find a bootable device: