Howdy
This is the upshot of a long thread at http://forums.whatthetech.com/All_desktop_...er_t103241.html
Dealing with corruption of Windows XP home.
Seems the easiest fix is to put in a new HD (I've bought a Western Digital 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA II HARD DRIVE)
install Windows, put back in the old HD to copy files and so forth. (I have backed it up, as well).

The computer is a Dell Vostro 200

I've been looking up instructions, but find a couple of to-me ambiguous points, so surely would not mind someone's looking over my shoulder. Then there are always the things I don't know I don't know.....

One question is whether I can plug into any of the four SATA receptacles I see on the board, or have to pick the right one.
Other is, if there are no jumpers and cable selections in SATA, how do I designate the master?

I have Windows XP home SP 2 disk from my wife's computer, which is a bit higher grade Dell than mine, which came w/SP 1, and plan to use that.

TIA,
Denno

and thanks for the link to my cousins..... they are a handsome lot!