yes, I had the same problem last nite, only mines said that the "system configuration" file has corrupted...in other words, my computer crashed. Desperate to fix the computer I use on a daily basis, I called Dell-On-Call DOCs, went through many operators but in the end they fixed it, only downside is it's pretty costy and I lost all of my files. Therefore I encourage you to call them if you want immediate help, but if not, take it to the shop!

The drive in question has indeed failed.

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD drive.
2. Boot the system from the CD drive. by tapping on F12 on the dell logo when booting your system.
   The prompt Press any key to boot from CD... appears.
3. Press the spacebar.
   The Welcome to Setup dialog box appears.
4. Press the key to repair Windows by using the Recovery Console.
5. Select the number that is associated with the Windows installation you want to log into, and then type the administrator password (or press the key if no administrator password exists).
6. From Recovery Console, type the following command:
   CHKDSK /R
7. Press the key.
8. From the Recovery Console, type the following command:
   EXIT
9. Press the key to restart your computer.

Update me if ur issue is resolve...:smileywink:

DO NOT do this without a backup of the data on the drive. With failing hardware, any attempt at repair can make things unrecoverable.