The last week or so I noticed my computer at home was getting awfully slow, some of my programs were getting futzy too.

Since I try to keep my system clean and tuned I went to work on it Sat night. I found the problem, software, decided it was too severe to fix and went for the dreaded reformat/reload.

And couldn’t. Entering the DOS command resulted in a *syntax error* message.

And, when I did enter the command, the entire system locked up, apparently permanently. Now when I boot I get a *No Operating System Found on Disc*. Dropping te XP disc in the CD drive doesn't do anything at all. Spins up, runs for a few seconds then spins down. Twiddled the BIOS settings, did what few hardware checks I could.

I can hear the HDD spinning, and pickup arm clicking when I boot.

I managed to backup most of my vital data, unfortunately not all.

Any suggestions?