Yep as happened just before new year, has happened again.
Just after installing a MS auto-update, rebooting XP, it failed to boot, flashed up the Intel logo and tried to reboot and crashed horribly.

Windows claimed that c:\windowsr\system32\ was damaged.

Rule #0 you own more than one computer, use the other one ...
Rule #1 don't panic!
Rule #2 don't install anything!

Go out and surf with the error message that you've got and read as many articles as possible that mention the error and ways of fixing it. Go for the least destructive :)

Instal windows over the top.

Put your winxp cd into your drive
reboot
boot from cd
choose the first option.
it will tell you that it found another operating system (your old crashed one)
run the repair instal.

fixed.

thats one of the easier ways, or you can go into dos and recopy the system32 folder

Yep as happened just before new year, has happened again.
Just after installing a MS auto-update, rebooting XP, it failed to boot, flashed up the Intel logo and tried to reboot and crashed horribly.

Windows claimed that c:\windowsr\system32\ was damaged.

Rule #0 you own more than one computer, use the other one ...
Rule #1 don't panic!
Rule #2 don't install anything!

Go out and surf with the error message that you've got and read as many articles as possible that mention the error and ways of fixing it. Go for the least destructive :)

The real issue is why this is happening. It could be a bad/dying disk drive or spyware/adware/virus nasties.The only version of XP I had that crashed once in a manner similiar to yours was followed a week later by the heads crashing on the system drive. XP just doesn't crash like that unless something else is very wrong. Try running the most detailed version of the Windows disk error software and see what you get.

XP Recovery console said there was an error enumerating folders.
So it couldn't read the C:\windows\system32 folder !

I think there may be two causes:
1) extreme heat and poor case vantilation
2) use of standby mode

The D: drive failed, just vanished from the PC, while I was backing it up after reinstalling Windows on C: - The drive is really "dead, Jim" to quote Kirk.
So as a precaution I bought two new drives.

I have now replaced both drives and put a fan in the empty hole in the back of the case.
The weather has cooperated too :)
However the drives still ran hot at 55C
I cut a hold in the fornt of hte case and put in a fan to blow air across the drives.
The hard drives are now running at 37C instead of a maximum of 59 !!

Lessons:
Make sure your email is backed up on another computer.
Print out the emails that contained your licence keys for downloaded software.

Seems like hardware isn't as robust as it used to be. I'm replacing fragged hard drives more often than I remember in the days of the 386/486/original Pentium.
Any one else have similar experience?

Seems like hardware isn't as robust as it used to be. I'm replacing fragged hard drives more often than I remember in the days of the 386/486/original Pentium.
Any one else have similar experience?

Yeah definitly. the 386 days were golden haha. Sadly bigger drives mean more heat, and heat is the #1 killer of computer parts :mad2: