Hi,
This article explains probably what happened and how to fix it http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;122221&Product=winxp

Note the section about third party partitioning software, if the disk was prepared with this it can cause problems, unless the third party software has some sort of rescue proceedure.

>Hi,
>
>A few weeks ago, I turned on my computer after it had been off for 4 days (during a Typhoon), and there was a vibrating noise coming from inside the case. I shut it down, went to an appt., then turned it on again. This time I thought maybe it was a fan, and i'd better shut it down RIGHT AWAY, and instead of doing a graceful shut down, I hit the power switch (which I know, oc, is a no-no).
>
>Next time i turned it on, i saw a blue screen of death, w/a message that said that the system counldn't boot up..the boot sector was wiped out!
>
>After having the fan checked out and fixed, I ended up reinstalling all my programs, and resetting everything up, which is quite time consuming. Fortunately, I didn't lose much, as I backup often.
>
>I'm currently running MS WIndows 2000 service pack 4, and i THINK that's what i was running before (it was MS Windows 2000, anyway).
>
>Can anyone shed light on this, or tell me if it's a common thing (oc, most of us don't just turn the computer off, but I know it happens other times, w/no such disaster).
>
>thanks...j