No Operating System

After installing SP2, I've been getting random boot
errors of no operating system found. After restarting in
most cases the machine will boot and run fine. Recently
my hard drive has beem clicking off and on and will not
boot even in safe mode. Using the repair windows feature
on the xp disk the C drive is not listed (multi drive
system)and will not boot at all. I also run the latest
Norton Anti virus software.

Bob wrote:

After installing SP2, I've been getting random boot
errors of no operating system found. After restarting in
most cases the machine will boot and run fine. Recently
my hard drive has beem clicking off and on and will not
boot even in safe mode. Using the repair windows feature
on the xp disk the C drive is not listed (multi drive
system)and will not boot at all. I also run the latest
Norton Anti virus software.

This sounds like hardware problems and SP2 was coincidental. Is the hard
drive seen in the BIOS? Start the troubleshooting by making sure your
hard drive is good. Here are general hardware troubleshooting steps
(but I would start with the hard drive diagnosis):

1) open the computer and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and
observing all fans (overheating will cause system freezing);

2) test the RAM - I like Memtest86 from www.memtest86.com - let the test
run for an extended (like overnight) period of time - unless errors are
seen immediately;

3) test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr. Usually
you will create a bootable floppy. Boot with that and do a thorough
test. If you get errors, replace the drive;

4) the power supply may be going bad or be inadequate for the devices
you have in the system;

5) test the motherboard with something like TuffTest from
www.tufftest.com.

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a good local
computer repair shop (not a CompUSA or Best Buy type of store).

Good luck,

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

Ur hard drive is dead