URGENT: help with blue screen error needed

[troxartas]

hello everyone, i hope someone can help me because this is a problem i don't need right now! eternal glory and respect to the person who solves this problem for me!!

i just moved into a new apartment and tried using my computer. i have a cordless keyboard and mouse. the mouse was not working very well and was starting to aggravate me, so i took it out and plugged in an old one i found. this old one worked...for about five minutes, then it quit too right in the middle of something i was doing. since i couldn't do anything because of the mouse, i hit the restart button, and that is the last time i was able to use it. okay, that's the backstory, now on with the error messages.....
first, during the restart, the following came up:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
...and then it says you can attempt to fix it by starting the windows setup from the cd-rom and selecting 'r' at the first screen. i do this, then it goes to the screen that says: Microsoft XP Recovery Console provides system repair and recovery functionality...etc. if i try to do this i get this blue screen:

A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to the computer.
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
if this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart....etc.

at this point, i'm not holding any hope for recovering any of my data on the hard disk, so i'm just looking to sweep the hard drive and start over. however, i get this same error message if i try to run the install Window XP option from the setup CD. after i select that option, it asks me to accept the terms, and after i agree.....it goes right to the blue screen with the IRQL error message. i don't even think i can run it in safe mode...

all I want to do is to sweep the hard drive and start over. i just want the computer to be alright to run another day. does anyone have any clue as to what to do? i would be eternally grateful for any help anyone can give me!

[glc]

Run diagnostics on the hard drive and your ram. Use www.memtest.org for ram, and use diags from the hard drive manufacturer. If they both check out good, post full system details.

[troxartas]

i think i know what to do with the memtest.....how do i "use diags from the hard drive manufacturer"? sorry, i'm kind of new to all of this.....

[RJS2]

Originally Posted by troxartas i think i know what to do with the memtest.....how do i "use diags from the hard drive manufacturer"? sorry, i'm kind of new to all of this.....

What is the make of your hard drive Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor Etc?

After you find the make of your hard drive you can go to the manufacturer's website and download the diagnostic tool to check for errors like GLC is saying.

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by RJS2 After you find the make of your hard drive you can go to the manufacturer's website and download the diagnostic tool to check for errors like GLC is saying.

Or you can just download the Ultimate Boot CD -- it has Memtest and all the manufacturers' hard drive diagnostics on it. Obviously you will need access to another computer with a CD burner.

[troxartas]

okay....i'm running memtest right now (just started second pass, first pass found nothing), and i just made a diagnostic disk for my western digital hard drive. does anyone know how many passes I should let it run?.....also, thank you guys for your patience with my problem! i greatly appreciate it. i'll keep posting to let you guys know my progress.

[troxartas]

okay....I ran memtest for 9 passes and it found no errors. then, I ran the hard drive diagnostics CD i made from the download from the Western Digital website. the following message came up after the test was run:

PLEASE CONTACT TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND REPORT THE FOLLOWING ERROR....

DRIVE NOT READY

ERROR/STATUS CODE: 0104

anybody know what that means and if you do, what is the next step? I feel like I'm getting closer....and thank you guys for helping me!

[glc]

Contact WD Technical Support, just as it says. It's looking like a failed drive. If it's still on warranty, they will replace it. If not, buy a new drive.