...error message....

"the file windows\sys32\config\system is missing or damaged. You can try to fix it by pressing 'r'.....bla bla....

well, I did that....and then I typed fixboot....now I don't even see xp....(but at least 'me' is working...

You could try installing XP over itself from within Win Me

once you press R, it detected the proper Windows partition and you selected it by pressing "1" right?
how about typing "fixmbr"?

be sure to backup any important documents before reinstalling, because reinstalling overwrites the documents and setting folder.

good luck. :)

Boot from your windows XP CD, Ignore the first prompt asking if you want to repair an installation. Wait for the installation to scan your computer, it will then tell you you have an existing XP installation and it will offer to fix it. Choose Yes, this will take around 45 mins but will replace all your windows files with working ones- You will need to enter your XP cdkey during setup.

is what I do - sometimes you have to do it twice.

I just experienced an mbr corruption and had some difficulty fixing it because my usual boot disk wasn't getting me where I wanted to go. It's a Western Digital hd and I ended up downloading WD's dos based utility. It worked great and had a feature in it to correct the MBR. But what is recommended above normally works.

Added this because, it was such a simple task (once I discovered the existence of the WD utility)

Hehehe...turns out, it was a bad stick of ram gone bad.....

Thanks all...

Ohh, then you where lucky :)
Think what could have happend if it as a good stick gone bad :P

:unsure: Didn't it show bad memory when it did the memory check at startup?

Are you sure it isn't your WD HD going bad on you? :huh: