I didint know in which forum to post this... My data on C:\ partition keeps getting corrupted. It started first when I was downloading divx movies to my HDD, I downloaded like 10 in a row using 2 CD-ROM's at time both DMA mode. I tought my HDD had overheated but I downloaded over 20 movies(they are all around 600-700MB) in a row before and no such problems. Well, my windows xp just stopped working and I had to restart. Couldnt enter windows so I booted to DOS. Folder structure and files where completely messed, absolutely every file, if they werent destroyed they were half gone. They had junk names with wierd charachters. I started scan disc which was fixing it for whole night. It renamed all folders DIR0001, DIR0002 etc. I managed to retrieve few badly damaged files I needed. I did a format on the partition, and on the partition containing all my programs, I left my data partition alone. Then i've installed win Me and from it new install of win xp. Everything worked fine till one day when I downloaded System MEchanic 4 Professional(30MB file) and installed it. It asked me to restart and when windows xp were booting I got asked for my admin password(which I didint set). I typed in nothing and windows reported that it cant check if it's correct because it cant read the license file. I booted to win me, entered win xp folder and saw that few folders where corrupted(most of them were intact unlike last time). I did windows repair and it fixed it. Worked fine for few days untill I set system mechanic to do disk defrag. I defragged C drive successfully and since my E drive was 170GB drive I left defrag running while I was away. When I got back after like 6 hours I was welcomed by DOS message that windows cant restart because it cant load kernel dll's. I booted again to winme and files are once again,(guess what) corrupted. Not all of them but more than last time and less than first. Im lost! Help. If HDD was overheating why would only windows xp files got corrupted but win me intact? My configuration is: Windows XP/Windows ME(same partition) AMD Athlon 2800+ Barton ASUS A7N8X Deluxe Mobo DDR 512 PC3200 Samsung 200GB Maxtor HDD, 7200rpm, 8MB buffer GeForce 4 Ti4600 400Watt MS psu

Sounds to me as you also downloaded yourself a very nasty VIRUS that now runs free in your system! Take another computer, download a good antivirus software (newest version) and install it. You have to reinstall the OS or most programs allow you to make a bootable rescue disk so you can check first! Best wishes!

I have to agree with Free Weasel. I can't imagine a hardware or software problem that would cause the symptoms that you have described.