Hi!

First, follow Ben Myers' advice to test the hard drive. If it tests good,
you're looking at what is now a screwed up installation of Windows XP. I
wouldn't even bother repairing it, especially if you have the data. You need
to do a fresh installation at this point. Do not bother to repair the old
installation. It will not work.

If you have the HP restoration DVDs/CDs, just use them. They will put all
the preloaded applications back as they go.

1. Start the system and enter setup. It will tell you what key to push after
you turn the computer on. Look for a "boot order" or similar column. Make
sure the computer is set to try and start from CD-ROM first.

2. Put in the first recovery CD that came with the computer. Save the
settings, exit setup and let the computer restart itself.

3. If prompted, press a key to run setup or start the recovery process.

4. If asked to keep any data, repair your windows installation or do
anything similar, don't. Choose to format the hard drive and do not repair
Windows.

5. Follow the instructions on screen. Sit back and watch, or go do something
interesting for a while.

6. Put your documents and files back on the computer. Don't copy programs or
anything like that...just get your data files.

7. To help prevent this from happening again, head into the device manager
when your computer is up and running. Find your hard drive, double click it
and choose the Disk Properties tab. Remove the check mark from "Write cache
enabled". This will allow Windows XP to handle having its disk work
interrupted by an unexpected power down or crash.

William