windows ME Boot problems

I upgraded to Windows ME and was experiencing problems, so I decided to reload the OS. After all files were copied to the system, the system automatically rebooted and got into a loop. A message was repeatedly displayed that said "Cannot upgrade file from %1 to %2 %1%2" and the hard disk drive continues to thrash in a repeating rhythm. I booted the system from the floppy start disk and tried to run scan disk. Didn't work. So, I tried to run Windows ME setup from the CD-ROM after booting from the startup floppy. The program wouldn't run. I got a message that said something like "Program won't run in MS-DOS mode." I tried uninstalling Windows ME using the startup floppy and I got just past the line that stated "REstoring directory structure," and the machine now seems to be in a loop. The message on the screen says "Checking Files: xxxx" The count is up to 15609 and has been running for over an hour. I do have a 75GB disk, but should it take this long?