Windows cannot boot, windows setup cannot access disks.

if you continue the see a flash of Blue Screen (BSOD)
you want to disable Automatic restart to find the error code

So, you want to uncheck the "Automaticall Restart" option and next time, system wont reboot again. Instead it shows the STOP blue screen. There you can identity which drivers is causing the error.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
Click the Advanced tab.
Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
Under System Failure, select the check boxes that correspond to the actions that you want Windows to perform if a sever error occurs.
Uncheck "Automatically restart"

Then report your error code.

maramom: I doubt that he'd be able to access his control panel if he can't get past the BSOD.

Tom: I recommend using a boot disk, preferably a WinXP OEM -- from here, attempt to go to the recovery console instead of booting up. In the help menu, there should be a command to rewrite the boot sector. I had a similar problem when I bought my 200gb from a friend... If that doesn't work, I'll try and give more suggestions... but try this first, as I'm almost certain that's the same problem I dealt with...

Hope this helps you,
-aNthrax

anthrax,
notice troubleshooting tips before that recommendation, as well as safe mode, as safe mode prevents some drivers from causing BSOD

sorry, Tom, I reread my comments, and see that I wasn't clear
I did mean if you can get into safe mode change the settings

hey guys

Anthrax; i have no floppy drive or floppy disks, is there another way...

maramom; I do not see an option for safe mode and ive forgotten they key command for it.

at the "starting windows"  splash screen press F8

well you'll be pleased to know (excuse my sarcsm) that i just tried turning it on after leaving it all this time and the drives are being detected but when i boot from the master nothing happens after the bio finishes. When i boot from the XP CD the same thing happens as before, i get an error saying;
76934 MB disk at id 0 on bus 0 on atapi [MBR]
(setup cannot access this disk.)

I get this for both disks. When i reboot they are detected by the bios.

if your data is important i'd recommend data recovery now, first
getbackdata www.runtime.org has an excellent track record. free to see if you can recover, pay for license to actually recover.

How is that going to work on a pc i cant even boot.

you could also try slaving the drives to another system to see if you still have your data.

getbackdata offers a cd version, and it did boot from cd, the hd apparantly has no MBR. getbackdata can also work with my slaved drive suggestion if the data can't normally be seen.

if your not concerned with the data, it looks like recovery console can't help, you may have to repartition/reformat.

How do i do that, when i try to format in windows xp setup it wont allow me as it can access  the disks.

checkout the site: www.runtime.org

and this: http://www.runtime.org/peb.htm

>>How do i do that, when i try to format in windows xp setup it wont allow me as it can access  the disks.
sorry,  TommyTwoPints, you were talking about formatting, not data retrieval

My hunch is that these drives are either failing or you may have formatted the mbr. are you hearing any grinding or unusual noises? if you can't access either drive it points more to failing than the mbr...you said they were second hand..a reliable or questionable second-hand?

reliable, when i say second hand, i mean this is the second pc they have been in

check you bios settings, make sure you disable virus protection, if it was enabled, it may prevent you from changing the mbr...
important question....are you concerned about your data?

if you are concerned about your data, you should use a data recovery program before you try anything else
you can also try using a bootable cd (not install disk) to see if you can access the drives as well as slaving them to a good system.

info for making a bootable cd:
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

you can also use Knoppix cd (standalone linux based os on cd).http://www.knoppix.net/    
there's a chance you may be able to see the drives and format as well

here's an article from microsoft kb
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314503/en-us

here is a program TESTDISK that may help..you'll have to add it to your boot disk or slave the drives to a good machine to use it
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1139&page=8

im not concerned about the master, just the slave, so what can i do to reformat the master

As I had suggested before, although I wasn't clear about it I guess, I suggest trying your Windows XP CD and go to the Recovery Console and rewrite the boot sector for the primary drive (with the OS installed) -- or try a Repair. After you try this, report back with the results (no change, worked, etc.) and if needbe, I'll try and figure something else out.

Hope this helps you,
-aNthrax

the xp recovery console requires a floppy disk, i now have a floppy drive but no disks, is there a way around this (apart from what has been suggested by maramom). I dont get an option to repair.
This thread has gone on for longer than i expected thankyou both for sticking to it with me.
Im out of ideas and ready to give the PC man a call but the last time i did that i had a bad experience and didnt see my for a couple of months so im quite reluctant to do that.
We just need to find a way of cleaning the disk and getting a fresh installation on there.

if you try to run testdisk, it will try to show you your hard drive and partitions(even damaged). it will fix the partitions if there are errors. xp will not see the disks. testdisk might. don't do this yet on your slave, because fixing the partition has a risk of losing data.  if you need the data, use a reliable data recovery program first.

also, if you like some more experts to join in, you can post a new pointer question worth 20 points, tell them to post on this thread, not the pointer, and include the url: http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Desktops/Q_21734729.html