My F'n hard drive crapped out again.
After BIOS does its thing I get the following message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt
Windows/system32/config/system

So I get the XP disc and boot from that, I go to recover but I have no idea what to do from there.
I get the "Which windows installation would you like to log on to" prompt and the only option I can use is "1"

This brings me to another point.
This is the third problem I have had since installing XP and a new HD and DVD Burner.
The original HD is the one I run my OS off of.  Is it possible my old HD sucks and I just need to run off of my new one?  The old HD is a Maxtor 40gig and it is about 3 1/2 years old.  I have run it fairly hard and leave it on a lot.  

Thanks for the help and if I have to reformat from scratch my wife is going to kick my ass.

Swap the settings on the old and new HDs (make the new one the primary), wipe and reinstall. Maxtors are not known for their longevity and it is probably failing.

Just for SnG's, before you do any of that, spend a couple $s and put in a new CMOS battery. I've cured a few "serious" problems with just that little replacement.

You assume a basic level of competency I don't possess.  My biggest problem right now is simply fixing my OS to the point where I can do stuff.
I have already decided that my C drive is going bye bye and I am going to install another one.
I just need to resurrect my OS long enough to dump everything to my D drive so I can reconfigure everything.
I'll change the battery while I am at it.  Like I said, its been over three years.

Well since you are going to replace your hard drive, install XP on your new replacement drive and then copy your data from the old one.  Also are you using a after market ide controller(like a promise ata100)sometimes they are are not finished writing to the drive and the pc shuts down and corupts your system files and you get the kind of errors you are talking about.



Billynilly

If you install your new drive as the primary, and do a clean install of Windows XP on it, then install your old (current) drive as a secondary, would you be able to copy your important files from the old drive to your new drive?