All original parts, except for the HDD which I upgraded. The computer would beep and give me a screen showwing that the HDD wasn't correctly formatted for the machine, it still worked though. I tried installing Puppy Linux and the machine couldn't detect a HDD.
I would try a fresh lubuntu install on it. May just be a driver issue with puppy.
I agree. Puppy Linux specializes in minimalism. I'd recommend something like Linux Mint or Lubuntu. They're designed to be more general purpose distros and have wider driver support. I use Linux Mint Mate on my "newer" vintage ThinkPads (like the X131e) and Lubuntu has been terrific on my T42 (which is older than the R52).
I only tried Linux because the computer didn't boot at all, it said it couldnt find an OS! It used to have Windows XP and it worked great! I'm starting to suspect HDD failure.
Generally in troubleshooting, go for the most obvious thing to try first. In this case, I would first remove and re-insert the hard drive to test the connection between the components, and secondarily connect a different hard drive (or preferably an SSD if you intend to keep the computer) and see if the computer detects it correctly. A main board failure is way down on the list of probable causes unless your computer has had liquid spilled into it or similar.
