not exactly

you need another working pc/laptop and be able to boot to 1 drive and connect the other drive as a 2nd HD via a ide to usb adapter or a 2.5to3.5 HD adapter.

can you boot into xp at all?

 

hmmm... alright, well, i think im gonna talk to this guy that comes into my bar all the time. he does all the tech stuff for the high schools here, maybe he'll be able to help me. all i care about is getting my files saved so i can reformat it... or if theres a way to fix this without reformatting it, thats good too.

 

what is so important about these files? :rick:

 

i have all my school work on this laptop, not to mention all my music ive been downloading for the past few years, and a few expensive programs i dled that took forever to get lol.

but my main reason is my schoolwork lol... and music

 

after owning a packard bell and dealing with WinME...i've learned to spread my valuable files across several mediums: hard drives, cds, email attachments, school computers

 

oh ive learned my lesson. thats for sure.

 

if its a burned xp copy, burn another. mine craps out all the time.

 

no, its an authentic copy.

 

It sounds to me like you have a CD drive problem?

try and reinstall your cd-rom/dvd-drive driver, you can also reinstall windows without having to lose your files. It doesnt necessarily require you format.

 

I agree with solarWind. sometimes when you have a cd drive problem it will give you all kind of error. try to disconnect if you can by removing the keyboard panel and remove the cable.