Ok, so I formatted my mother's hard drive and decided I would start on a clean slate to reinstall windows.  However, I run into some problems.

Windows XP setup can delete, create, and partition just fine, but it's only until the files start copying on the hard drive that problems start popping up.  Specifically, I get to the point where the (DOS-based?) setup program with the blue screen gives me a yellow progress bar indicating how far the file copying process has moved along.  I will get to 11% (the file being copied at that time is driver.cab) and then the whole thing will crap out.  What I mean by this is that another blue screen shows up with an error message that reads "Windows XP Setup has halted in order to prevent damage to your computer" or something to that effect.  Then it will give me one of several errors, which all mean jack squat to me, including (listed in order of frequency):

PFN_LIST_CORRUPT

PAGE_ERROR_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

A DRIVER CORRUPTED POOL MEMORY USED FOR HOLDING PAGES DESTINED FOR DISK

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Then I will simply reboot the computer, and of course the boot process does not complete.  The system gives me a single error which reads:

NTLDR is missing.  Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to restart.

And these errors will happen again and again, every time I try to reinstall windows.  Every time I delete an old partition, make a new one, format it, quickformat it, leave it be, whatever, I don't get much further than 11% on "Setup is Copying Files".  Does anyone have ANY idea what in the hell could be wrong with this computer???

Run F disk and create a new bootable partion ?

support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314057

Quoted: Run F disk and create a new bootable partion ?

done that, no dice.

Quoted: support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314057 For this problem to occur, all the following conditions must be true: • The system/startup partition is formatted with the FAT32 file system. • The computer starts by using INT-13 extensions. (This is a partition larger than 7.8 GB with a System-ID type of 0C in the partition table). • Because of the cloning procedure, the Heads (sides) value in the FAT32 BIOS Parameter Block (BPB) does not match the geometry of the physical drive.

Using setup, I made the partition NTFS, so either this must be incorrect or I have a different problem.

Do you have any USB stuff or anything else besides the monitor, keyboard, mouse plugged in?

I have seen XP not load correctly or have issues after installation when something was plugged in during the install.

Only connect the monitor, keyboard and mouse, pull out all PCI cards and try again

a couple things to try.  

find out what kind of harddrive it is.  maxtor (powermax)
seagate
westerndigital
are the commond tools to test the harddrive to make sure it is funtioning proberly

and test your memory memtest

Quoted: a couple things to try.   find out what kind of harddrive it is.  maxtor (powermax) seagate westerndigital are the commond tools to test the harddrive to make sure it is funtioning proberly and test your memory memtest

+1

And all those utilities (and more) can be found on the Ultimate Boot CD.  Go here and download an image.  It's something that every PC tech or tinkerer should have availible.

oh wow the ultimate boot cd rocks!!

it's got all the knoppix stuff too!

gee thanks bandit

hopefully i can fix it using this here cd and that fix for the ntldr thing, will advise...

well i got the ultimate boot cd and took it to my parents' computer.

since some folks had a suspicion that my memory was screwing up, i ran the memtests and another memory diagnostics program, and all my RAM failed miserably!  tomorrow i am going to go get another stick of ram and see if that solves the problem.