Windows won't start - Some system files are missing or damaged

[Guest]

I left my PC on overnight to install the most recent windows updates. This
morning the PC was sitting at the window login screen displaying an error.
Clicking through various errors about not being able to write to my profile
or M$ft I get to one saying:

"Some system files are missing or damaged" and then instructions to run
chkdsk or repair the installation. The error code is 0x80040507.

I could not log in because of the errors. Having restarted the PC, I cannot
get to the login dialog anymore - windows crashes with blue screen of death
during startup (and restarts before I can read the errors).

Running chkdsk via the Windows XP Console (the repair optionon the install
disk) gives me "The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable
problems".

The updates being installed included Office 2002, Office 2003, Visual Studio
2005 and the normal set of Windows XP security updates.

I also installed Age of Empire III: The War Chiefs 2 days ago.

Any ideas before I start replacing the hard drive and reinstalling Windows
XP. I do know that this PC has a habit of crashing once in a while and
producing Dump files that fill up the hard drive.

 

[Rock]

I left my PC on overnight to install the most recent windows updates. This
morning the PC was sitting at the window login screen displaying an error.
Clicking through various errors about not being able to write to my
profile
or M$ft I get to one saying:

"Some system files are missing or damaged" and then instructions to run
chkdsk or repair the installation. The error code is 0x80040507.

I could not log in because of the errors. Having restarted the PC, I
cannot
get to the login dialog anymore - windows crashes with blue screen of
death
during startup (and restarts before I can read the errors).

Running chkdsk via the Windows XP Console (the repair optionon the install
disk) gives me "The volume appears to contain one or more unrecoverable
problems".

The updates being installed included Office 2002, Office 2003, Visual
Studio
2005 and the normal set of Windows XP security updates.

I also installed Age of Empire III: The War Chiefs 2 days ago.

Any ideas before I start replacing the hard drive and reinstalling Windows
XP. I do know that this PC has a habit of crashing once in a while and
producing Dump files that fill up the hard drive.

Sounds like the drive gave up the ghost. Download a drive diagnostic
utility from the drive manufacturer's web site. That will create a bootable
floppy or CD. Boot from that and run the diagnostics.