OK
Heres my problem

I recently just did a fresh install of XP (same install disk as i always use )

All was going well, have aquired sp1 on disk so put that on to save downloading it all, still going lovely, downloaded all the critical updates from the web, flying along now, and then i downloaded (from the MS update site) an update for the AMD K7 (am running a slightly clocked Athlon xp 2800), on reboot got the dreaded blue screen, computer shut down to prevent damage blah blah blah.

So try and restart it and wont even post proper, not detecting ide drives.

repeated attempts make no difference. Cleared the biosback to basic, now when booting all seems fine, well to detect ide's anyway, but after posting and when looking for os it says invalid or missing os.

Booted from cd fine, so thought well i aint got too much to reinstall anyway so will start from scratch.

Starts installing reformats (long method just to be sure ), copies files over and then wants to reboot, just as normal, only on reboot comes up with missing operating system error again, done this a couple of times with different install disks.

went into recovery console on install disks done a reformat from there, still the same afterwards.

Somehow (cant remember where now possibly a 95 install disk) got partionmagic running and it reported partition error 110 and a MBR error, which it wouldnt do anything about fixing , so went back into the xp recovery console and run fixboot and tried to reinstall xp again, no joy still same problem, then back into recovery console again and run fixmbr and still no joy

Anybody now if there a way to sort this or is drive total U/S as a boot drive now. Or as i have a nice new sata drive on order anyway, could this drive still be used for staorage (gutted at the thought of scrapping a 120gb drive totaly ) or recon it may be on its way out or more chance the windows update screwed the mbr somehow.

Any input REALLY appreciated, may take a while for me to reply as am on my laptop and depends when i can get on

Dont think i left too much out lol

Thanks

Mo
AKA Steve