new comp = broken?

you can try fixing the master boot record with fixmbr (i think that's the command) by putting in your install disc and choosing to fix an existing windows installation
i will tell you that on my asus p4s533 i was getting the same error because i originally couldn't correctly use an 80pin IDE cable with my hard drive. only 40pin cables would work, so i switched to that. with a bios update i have been able to switch back. i found that out on the microsoft support knowledge base, by typing in my exact error. it's a great resource that you might want to check out.

<A HREF="http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=guide&dId=1..." target="_new">WinXP tweak guide</A>
<A HREF="http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=guide&dId=1..." target="_new">WinXP tweak guide 2</A>

i tried to do that but it asked me for administrator password and I just installed so I dont know wtf it wants me to put lol..

why live just to die?

Basicaly it means it can't find your hard disk to continue loading the OS.

1) Check your data and power cables... make sure everyting's plugged in correctly.

2) Do you have 80 conductor cables or 40? Most new systems won't spark up on 40 wire cables once the ATA drivers cut in.

3) Are your drive jumpers set correctly?

4) Did you partition and format the hard disk?

5) Is your power supply 350watt or better?

6) Did the XP installer give you any errors?



Also I noticed, in your other message that it's asking you for an administrator password that you don't have... Well, this is something that's set up during installation and if you didn't set it up (bypassed the dialogues) the bad news is that you are going to have to completely reinstall XP from scratch... and this time don't skip any settings screens.

XP Pro is not an out-of-the-box OS. In it's default configuration it's set up enough to get you to the desktop and to the registration site. In it's base configuration the performance sucks and there are many things running the average person will never use. You really do need to spend time setting things up and customizing it for your purposes. In particular you will need to review/change the services, hardware and network settings customizing them to your needs before XP is worth a plug nickel.

But, this isn't so bad... if you've got hard disk problems, it's likely you've got a corrupted install... so once you get the disk passing diagnostics, you'd end up reinstalling anyway.




--->It ain't better if it don't work<---