I have 2 big problems.

First: When I turn on my computer and it starts to load XP at the Flash Screen it freezes for about 2 minutes.

Second: When I log in not all of my programs start in the taskbar.

I have already formated the harddrive and reinstalled XP and the problems still happen. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

A program that you installed could be doing this. If you just reformatted it with nothing installed other then XP and it's still doing this, then it is prob your hard drive going out.

I'd reformat it again with no programs installed and test it out for a day and see if it is freezing up.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ OC 2.7ghz
2GB Dual Channel DDR 3200
Nvidia 7900GT
SATA II 2x 300gig 7200rpm 16mb cache RAID-0+1
Gigabyte Nforce 4 SLI

Check your hard drive.
See the latter part of response 1 in this:
http://www.computing.net/windows95/...

I am not going to reformat my Harddrive, again. I am also not sure what the manufactur is of my harddrive. I have a copy of Iolo System Mechanic 7, so if there are any tests on there I should do, let me know. I am typing this message on the troubled computer. This Time when I turned it on it didn't freeze at the splash screen, but the bar went accross about 15 times. Also any help on problem #2 is what I really want fixed. Can you guys also link me to programs that can check my hardware? I've put alot of time and money into this machine so I hope I can get it working right.

The freeze could be caused by software or hardware problems.

emachines computers have a reputation for using power supplies that tend to become defective and eventually fail more often than average, and when they do fail they are more likely than average to damage other components of your system - a common occurance is it will kill your mboard.
Check your PS.
See response 4 in this:
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...

Your problems in Windows.

Test your hard drive!
You should not be having these problems with a fresh install of XP!
If the hard drive is faulty that is the cause of your problems, and you need to get another one and stop wasting your time with this one.
The model of the hard drive, if not the maker as well, is in Device Manager - Disk Drives, and the model is also often shown on the first screen as you boot your computer.

It is the Segate ST3100011A. Any tools I can use to test the drive? (I am only 14 so I can't really afford a new harddrive, except during the Holidays.) Here are my system specs:

CPU: AMD Sempron™ 3100+ Processor
(1.8GHz, , )
Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home (SP2)
Chipset: VIA K8M800 chipset
Memory: 1GB DDR (1 × 1GB) 400MHz (PC3200)
Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive: 100GB HDD (7200rpm, 2MB cache)
Optical Drive: 48x CD-RW/DVD
18x DVD-RW/CD-RW
Combo Drive Media Reader: 8-in-1 digital media manager (Secure Digital™ (SD), Smart Media, Micro Drive, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO, Compact Flash, Multimedia Card, USB 2.0)
Video: S3 UniChrome™ Pro Integrated Graphics
64MB DDR shared video memory
AGP slot available for upgrade
Sound: AC '97 Audio, Dolby 5.1 (6-Channel)
Network: 10/100Mbps integrated Ethernet LAN
Modem: 56K ITU V.92-ready Fax/Modem (with RJ-11 port)
Peripherals: Standard multifunction keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 Ports (1 in Media Reader, 4 in back), 1 VGA External Connector, 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back)
Dimensions: 14.25"H x 7.25"W x 16"D
Weight: 22.5lbs (PC only, no packaging)
MB: MB,MS-7142 K8MMV 104759
CPU: CPU,AMD SEMPRON 3100 1.8GHZ 1600FSB 256K 754P
CPU Fan Type: FAN,H/S AMD3100+ 754P
HDD: HDD,100GB 7200RPM
Memory: MEM, DDR-RAM 1GB (Max. 2GB)
ODD1: COMBO,N3LC CDRW48X32X48+DVD16
Modem: MODEM,FAX CONX RSLG V.92 56K 56PRC CCOM
Power Supply: PS,300 WATT
LAN: LAN, 10/100 Integrated
Multimedia Reader: MEDIA READER,8IN1
Mouse: MOUSE, SILVER WHEEL, BLACK GLOSS
Keyboard Model: KB,9908 ES105K,PS/2,EM BLACK
Speaker: SPEAKER,EM 2.0 SILVER NO LOGO AMP
Video: Video, integrated
Chassis: Chassis,Nexgen 3 MAIN FRAME

For Motherboard Information, Go To http://www.directron.com/k8mmv.html...
MSI K8MM-V (MS-7142-010) Socket 754 MicroATX Motherboard, Dual DDR400, AGP8X, SATA RAID, VGA & LAN, 6ch Audio.

"It is the Segate ST3100011A. Any tools I can use to test the drive? (I am only 14 so I can't really afford a new harddrive, except during the Holidays.)"

New hard drives are relatively inexpensive these days. If your hard drive is faulty there is no point doing anything with it.

See response 2 for what tests to do, etc.

Specifically, go to www.seagate.com and find the download for the utility Seatools Desktop Edition - floppy version. If you don't have a floppy drive get the CD image version, but you will need to follow instructions and use a CD burner or DVD burner to make a CD-R burned disk with that.

It is important to test the power supply on emachines computers - see response 4.

Nothing is available from Segate. My harddrive isnt even listed on their site.

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...

" If at first you don't succeed, Please Post Back "

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

windows version is not available and my system does not support DOS applications.

I found a windows version and ran it but it said "No HBA Found."

You don't load it in Windows - there is no need to.
Both versions of the Seagate Desktop Tools are bootable, and they load their own operating system. The program package runs from the floppy or the CD - it will work even if there is nothing on the hard drive(s). They can be used on any computer, regardless of whether whatever operating system you have on the hard drive is Dos aware or not.

"My harddrive isnt even listed on their site."

Where did you get ST3100011A from?
A search of the Seagate site does not find that model number, as you say.
A search of the web, however, finds many "hits".
Often it's listed as ST3100011A-R
or ST3100011A-RK.
A search of the Seagate site finds
-RK = Retail Kit
and
"-RK #'s do not necessarily match the model of the drive in the kit."
.....

As I said...

"The model of the hard drive, if not the maker as well, is in Device Manager - Disk Drives, and the model is also often shown on the first screen as you boot your computer."

If you see ST3100011A in both places, which I doubt, the actual model number of the drive os on the label on the drive itself.

Or look in your bios Setup - the model number is often shown there somewhere.
.....

I noticed that many of the "hits" on the web for ST3100011A are listed as "refurbished".
That means they are formerly defective drives that have been repaired.

got the number from device manager. Googled it.

i made a memtest86 live cd and another one for the segate utilities. it than goes into DR-DOS and wants me to command it something. what should I comand it to do? it does that on both programs.

You must boot the computer with the CD.
If your bios is set up right, you will be prompted to press a key shortly after booting - "Press xxx (a key) to boot from CD", or simlilar. Press that key.

If that's what you're doing, the SeaTools utility should start by itself automatically - what is the exact message you're getting?
The CD's must be made bootable as part of making the CD.

The floppy drive must be before the CD drive and hard drive in the boot order in your bios setup. The best way to set that is floppy drive first, cd drive second, hard drive third; if you can set it that way you don't normally ever have to change the boot order again. A bootable floppy disk will not be found as bootable on most computers if it is after the CD drive and before the hard drive.
.....

If you're going to run memtest86, do this first or you may get false memory errors:
See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...

the cds boot up and work. i dont have a floppy drive but it is set to boot first as it was when I bought the system. the programs ask for input through DR-DOS command. the cds are not defective. i can boot from them fine. i just dont know what to do to run the tests.

I have never made a bootable CD, so I have never made the SeaTools bootable CD. All my computers have a floppy drive - I will not buy a computer I cannot connect a floppy drive to, even if it doesn't come with one, unless I have no choice.

As I said in response 15:
"If that's what you're doing, the SeaTools utility should start by itself automatically - what is the exact message you're getting?"

it goes through a ton of things like scanning for USB HDD. It goes to fast to read what all its doing. it then just goes straight to DR-DOS wainting for my command. I was kind of dissapointed when I bought this computer that it didnt have a floppy drive since I sometimes fix alot of old computers.

What I need to know is what it says at the end of all that.

You could try typing: seatools (press Enter) or: seatool (press Enter).

If that doesn't do anything, type: dir /p (press Enter) and look for files ending in .exe that are similar to seatools, and try typing that at the prompt.

Note that if you are trying to run the Seatools CD on a computer that doesn't have a Seagate hard drive drive, the program may quit. It is actually made by a company called Ontrack for Seagate, and it may work only if you have a Seagate drive because the full program Disk Manager it is based on that can test any hard drive brand is not free.

Sometimes there is a 28 pin (a double row of 14) header on the mboard for a floppy drive - they just didn't install the floppy drive itself. A new floppy drive is less than $15, and a data cable for it is less than $5, if you get it from a small place that builds and repairs computers that has lots of computer parts.
I will try to find out if your mboard has that - assumimg the stated computer in first post is correct - emachines D3107.

emachines D3107

It would be a good idea to copy this.
emachines has no manual available for your motherboard.
Note that when you copy this, the longer links will be cut off in the copy - you must correct that in your copy by going to each link and copying its address and pasting the true address into your copy.

http://www.emachines.com

Generic User Guide:
http://downloads.emachines.com/user...

According to this:
http://www.emachine-upgraders.info/...

Your D3107 uses this motherboard - MSI K8MM-V (MS-7142):
Some unofficial information:
http://www.emachine-upgraders.info/...

It has the floppy drive header!

Possible cases - if your case is the same or very similar to any of these, some of them have manuals for the case at an underlined HERE:
http://www.emachine-upgraders.info/...

Depending on the style of your case, you may be able to install a standard floppy drive in a place that has a blank for a floppy drive, or you may be able to remove the plastic front from a standard floppy drive and install it behind a slot in the case.

Or you can just open up the case and connect a floppy drive when you need to.
...........

Support for your mboard on the MSI sites.

http://www.msicomputer.com/ (USA)

K8MM-V (MS-7142)

Description and specifications:
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/...

Recommended ram:
http://www.msicomputer.com/msiforms...

Downloads including a mboard manual:
I do not recommend you use the MSI bios update files - your computer may not boot after flashing the bios.
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/suppo...

The manual has information about what you see in the bios Setup and how to set settings - that may be very similar to what you see in the emachines version of the bios Setup pages, or the emachines bios pages may look quite different.

Ram that has past testing on this motherboard:
http://www.msi.com.tw/html/products...

CPUs supported:
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/produ...

***********************************************************************

" you may be able to remove the plastic front from a standard floppy drive and install it behind a slot in the case."

The eject button on the case must line up with the eject lever or linkage on the floppy drive.

there is only one problem...MY SYSTEM HAS NO ROOM FOR ANYTHING INTERNAL LIKE A FLOPPY OR A CD DRIVE BECAUSE I ALREAY USED THE EXPANSION SLOT FOR A DVD BURNER!

i put in my live linux cd and what do you know? it had memtest86 on it so i used that. it found no problems.

You still need to test the hard drive.
I can't tell you what to do when you supply no information I have asked asked for.

1. I made a bootable version of the seatools iso
2. I booted up from the cd
3. It starts scanning devices such as it looks for any USB HDD (i dont have any)
4. the screen makes a quick flicker
5. It then goes into DR-DOS
6. I dont know what to do.

I ran the memtest 86 and it found no problems. Also, my computer seems to be working fine now. neither of these problems are happening.
tomorrow I will be going to my neighborhood computer store to buy an external floppy drive (not for this situation). Is there anything else I should buy to help fix this problem?

"5. It then goes into DR-DOS
6. I dont know what to do."

You STILL haven't told me what messages you see on the screen at that point, if any.

See response 19 for things to try.

"I ran the memtest 86 and it found no problems."

Good. I expected that. It's very rare for the ram to be the problem.

" Also, my computer seems to be working fine now. neither of these problems are happening."

If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.
But it is a good idea to check your hard drive in any case.
Sometimes just removing the power to the case, making sure all the connections are okay and making sure the ram and cards are all the way down in their slots is enough. Make sure the cpu fan and heatsink are clean - if they aren't you may need to remove the cpu fan to get the mung off the top of the heatsink

"tomorrow I will be going to my neighborhood computer store to buy an external floppy drive"

Local places often have web sites - shop around. The small places that build systems and repair computers and have lots of computer parts are a lot more likely to have a good price for an external USB connected floppy drive.
E.g. I got one at a small place for $45 that costs $75 in the big box stores. (I got it so I could help people with laptops that have no floppy drives).

You still have the option of buying a regular floppy drive and data cable, total less than $20 at the small places, and when you have problems opening up the case and connecting the floppy drive .
.......

By the way - your response 22.
Typing many words in all capital letters is considered to be the same thing as shouting as far as posts on the internet are concerned and very RUDE.
There was no need to do that. I can't see your case, and I got no description of your case from you, so how could I possibly know you had nowhere you could install a floppy drive!
For that matter, you don't need two cd drives - you can do everything with one burner drive; all having two does is allow you to sabve a bit of time inserting cds less often - and you can easily get an inexpensive adapter and plate that allows you to install a regular floppy drive in a 5 1/4" bay.

i did not purposly put it in capital letters. i accidently bumped the caps lock. sorry. I realized it after I posted it. I will try what you said to do.
also, i like having two CD drives because if I need to copy a CD it goes much faster without having to copy the disk to the HD first. (I make alot of movies so I do alot of burning.)
Oh yeah, the problems are happening again, so it temporarly not happening is just making it harder to diagnose.

i went to the shop and they do not carry external floppy drives. I might go to Microcenter tomorrow to get one.

Local places that sell laptops and accessories for them should have them; sometimes they also sell desktop computers too, sometimes they only sell laptops and related.

By the way - check in your bios Setup to see if you can select a USB device or a USB floppy drive in your boot order - if you can't I don't know if you would be able to boot with a USB connected floppy drive.

If you don't find that there, I could try booting a bootable floppy in my USB connected floppy in my computers before you go out and buy one (they are probably all older than your system and mboard is).

"...i like having two CD drives because if I need to copy a CD it goes much faster without having to copy the disk to the HD first. (I make alot of movies so I do alot of burning.)..."

If what you are copying is larger than the available free memory at the time, it is copied to the hard drive in any case.

yeah, the computer store sells everything for computers except alot of external stuff. I have been in my BIOS before and I don't remember seeing anything for USB Floppy Boot.

i ran the sea tools CD and i typed dir. then i typed in the only .exe that was listed. then it said "not enough memory"

i checked the BIOS and in the boot sequense it had 3 types of USB listed for floppy

"i ran the sea tools CD and i typed dir. then i typed in the only .exe that was listed. then it said "not enough memory""

If you didn't boot the computer with the CD before you tried that .exe file, there may not be enough free memory available. If you did boot the computer with it, that's odd. I'll take a look on the Seagate web site to see if there is any info about the latter.

"i checked the BIOS and in the boot sequense it had 3 types of USB listed for floppy"

Sounds like a USB connected floppy drive should boot the computer if you choose one of those.

"If you did boot the computer with it, that's odd. I'll take a look on the Seagate web site to see if there is any info about the latter."

I found nothing specific.

It does say in this that there are some mboards the CD is not compatible with and you have to use the Seatools bootable floppy; or you may get error codes displayed briefly - page 5 of the pdf.
http://www.seagate.com/support/seat...

thank you for that but I read a few pages and it did not have anything related to "not enough memory." I am planning on going to microcenter today to buy an external floppy drive for $35.00. That was the cheapest I could find. I will post when I get back.

"...I read a few pages and it did not have anything related to "not enough memory."

I have noticed that you don't like reading. What part of "I found nothing specific." do you not understand??

"If you didn't boot the computer with the CD before you tried that .exe file, there may not be enough free memory available. If you did boot the computer with it, that's odd."

You haven't told me whether you got that error after booting the CD or not. If you didn't boot the CD, that's a message you often get for a Dos program that requires more free conventional or extended memory than Windows provides.

"I am planning on going to microcenter today to buy an external floppy drive for $35.00."

That's a good price.

i did not get a floppy drive. the ones they had were more than $35.00. i got another harddrive (exact same one that was already in the system) and after I put it in I reseated and checked all the cards and connections. and what do ya know, the system booted up fine all the times I booted it up. it might have just been a loose connection. i'll post if anything changes.

Also, I did boot the system directly from the CD.

the problems are back

See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules.
http://www.computing.net/hardware/w...

Did you install XP on the new hard drive?

Is your Windows XP CD an original or a copy?

Is it XP MCE (Media Center Edition)?

Is the original hard drive still connected?

- If it isn't, the most likely thing is your power supply is defective.
See response 4 - check out your power supply.
If it is a Bestec brand model, they are known to cause problems more often than average.
It is a good idea to check out the power supply on an emachines computer in any case.

- If the original hard drive is still connected, you need to disconnect it to eliminate the possibilty it is causing your problems. Depending on how you have the new drive jumpered and where it is connected to a data cable, you may have to change that for the new drive, and you may have to use the XP CD and some commands in Recovery Console to get the new drive to boot XP if it already has XP on it.

XP Home Edition is on the original hard drive. Both hard drives are in the computer. My Ram was purchased in November and my dad does not want me cleaning the Ram. The XP is the OEM CD I got with my computer. The new HD is still blank. I did not put anything on it. Both HDs are set as Cable Select. The original hard drive (with XP on it) is at the end of the IDE Cable. The new hard drive is on the same ribbon cable and then it connects to the motherboard. (In easier terms starting at the end of the cable it goes, original to new to motherboard. I checked the voltages and Temps in the BIOS and everything was fine. Voltages were right and the temps were at a good temp. Could outdated drivers cause these problems to happen?

"My Ram was purchased in November and my dad does not want me cleaning the Ram."

I bought new ram not long ago and shortly after that got memory errors that stopped XP from loading and it turned out it's contacts needed to be cleaned. You don't necessarily see anything - a fingerprint on the contacts is all it takes sometimes. You don't have to clean the entire module, just the contacts. If you follow the instructions I pointed you to, you can't do the ram any harm. If you don't want to do that and would rather try something else first that's up to you.

"Could outdated drivers cause these problems to happen?"

Extremely unlikely, especially for a fresh install of Windows. Besides, you had the same drivers before - the computer worked for a long time previous to these recent problems didn't it?
........

If there is nothing wrong with your power supply (that's very uncertain especially if it is a Bestec power supply model), your problems are probably caused by there being something wrong with the original hard drive!!!

You have not supplied enough information for me to determine why the Seatools bootable CD did not work.
Take a look at this:
Seatools for Dos User Guide
http://www.seagate.com/support/seat...

e.g. you may have made the utility on a bad CD - try making it again.
Verify the blank CD before you record to it, and verify the copy after it is recorded.

In addition, if the utility encounters too many bad sectors, it may give up and quit - it may display some message that tells you that, or it may produce an error code.

......

Eventually you need to disconnect the original hard drive and connect the new one either jumpered as CS like it now is and connect it to the end connector on the data cable (that is necessary for it to be seen as master with cable select), or you can jumper it has master and connect it to either connector on that data cable.

You need to install Windows on the new hard drive.

"The XP is the OEM CD I got with my computer."

Is it a regular OEM Windows CD, or is it the one came with the computer when it was NEW? If it is one that came with the computer when it was NEW it is probably a Recovery CD, not a regular OEM Windows CD.

If you're not sure what you have, how do you tell by looking at the CD?
A regular OEM Windows CD is probably primarly orange with holograms all over it; a Recovery disk probably looks nothing like that, and it may have emachines branding on it in your case.

How else can you tell?

If it is a regular OEM Windows CD, if you re-load Windows from scratch the drivers for some things will probably NOT be found automatically - e.g. for the USB 2.0 support on your mboard if it has that, and anything else Windows doesn't have the built in drivers for. After Setup is finished, you have to load all the drivers for the mboard chipset, drivers for anything else built into the mboard Windows doesn't find automatically, and any drivers for your cards Windows doesn't find automatically.

If it is a Recovery CD, if you re-load Windows from scratch the drivers for everything on your mboard and all the cards that came with the system will be found automatically because the ones Windows itself doesn't have are pointed to by the brand name builder - via additions of those drivers to the Windows software, or via those drivers being on the recovery partition and Windows is pointed to there by the brand name builder .

When you buy a new name brand system you almost always don't get a Windows CD - you might get one Recovery CD, or no CDs at all.
The Recovery CD may or may not have all of Windows on it; if it does have all or most of Windows on it you can use it like a regular Windows CD to repair your Windows; it also has added features that allow you to restore the original software from the Recovery partition.

The hard drive for a brand name system originally comes formatted with two partitions - a larger one you use as C: and a smaller one often called the Recovery partition that has all the original software on it that came with the system, usually including Windows itself, and you may or may not be able to see the Recovery partition in Windows, depending on whether the brand name builder chose to hide it or not. In any case, the contents of the Recovery partition can be accessed by Recovery CDs or other utilities put there in Programs on C: by the brand name builder.

You are supposed to make your own Recovery CD set by using a utility in Programs put there by the brand name builder, in this case emachines, while the computer is operating properly - with that set of CDs you can restore an entire hard drive, including the Recovery partition, to the state it was in when it was new.

If you haven't made that Recovery CD set, the Recovery CD you got with the computer when it was new is not enough to restore all the software on the system to the way it was when it was new - for that Recovery Cd to work, the Recovery partition must be present on the hard drive you are installing to - a new hard drive is empty and doesn't have that.
If you contact emachines ( www.emachines.com ) you MAY be able to have a complete Recovery CD set for your exact system sent to you for a reasonable cost, but I see no indication on that site that you can do that.
If don't have a Recovery CD set you made yourself, and if you can't get one from emachines, you can't restore all the software to the way it was was the computer was new. If you have the type of Recovery CD that has most or all of Windows on it, you can re-load Windows, that's all, and you may or may not need to find drivers Windows doesn't find.
If the Recovery CD does not have Windows on it, or enough of Windows on it, if don't have a Recovery CD set you made yourself, and if you can't get one from emachines, you will have to but a regular OEM XP CD, and dig up the drivers you need that Windows doesn't find automatically yourself.

You haven't said whether you got this system new or used. If you got it used, or in any case, someone may have chosen to buy a regular OEM XP CD and wipe out all the original emachines software and the Recovery partition.
***********************************************************************

You have not supplied enough information for me to determine why the Seatools bootable CD did not work.
"Take a look at this:
Seatools for Dos User Guide
http://www.seagate.com/support/seat...

e.g. you may have made the utility on a bad CD - try making it again.
Verify the blank CD before you record to it, and verify the copy after it is recorded."

Better still, on another computer, download the Seatools CD image and make the CD on that computer!

I have used different cds and they both do the same thing. The CDs were even diffrent brands. The cd I got with my computer is a recovery CD. My computer does have a recovery partition. I have verified the Seatools CD and it is fine. I have an idea of how to test the ram. I have the OEM Ram that I got with my computer. I can pop that in and see. It is 256 so it will be painfully slow. I got my computer new at Office Depot last christmas.

i switched the RAM and rebooted the system a few times and I did not have any problems. I put the 1GB stick back in and booted up the machine and it did not freeze. I also took a dry qutip and cleaned the connectors. I also reseated everything again.

There is probably nothing wrong with your ram. You said it passed memtest86, and wiping the the contacts with a qtip has probably cleaned the contacts well enough and has eliminated the possiblity that electrically dirty contacts are causing your problems.

Assuming the PS is okay (it might not be, the only thing left is your original hard drive is defective,. Since you have not been able to test the hard drive with the Seatools utility, you could try using chkdsk, but it often doesn't find some hard drive problems.
Start - Run - type: cmd (press Enter)
type: chkdsk /f c: (press Enter)
Windows will tell you it will run chkdsk the next time you start the computer.
Close the black window by typing: exit (press Enter).
Restart the computer - let chksdk check the original hard drive (don't press any keys - let it start).
If chkdsk finds ANY bad sectors, your original hard drive is definately failing. The hard drive is supposed to automatically discover bad sectors, move any data on the bad sectors to good sectors, then hide the bad sectors - visible bad sectors indicates there are too many bad sectors for them to all be hidden.
......

The best test is to install Windows on the new hard drive.

You need to disconnect the original drive and install Windows on the new drive.

If emachines chose to hide the recovery partition, you will not be able to see it in Windows on the original hard drive. If that's the case, the total size of C: in Windows will be a lot more than a little smaller than the size of the drive in the bios Setup.

If the size of the drive in the bios Setup is very close to the size of C: in Windows, then you do not have a recovery partition.

I can see the recovery partition in "My Computer." I want to wait a couple days and see if it continues to happen. I already ran chkdsk a couple times, but I will do it once more. I do not want to install XP on the new HD unless I really need to.
On my 98 machine there is a diagnostic called step by step confirmation. It was where it would ask you if you wanted to load each device.

"If emachines chose to hide the recovery partition, you will not be able to see it in Windows on the original hard drive. If that's the case, the total size of C: in Windows will be a lot more than a little smaller than the size of the drive in the bios Setup."

Another way - a manufacturer's 100 gb hard drive size is equal to about a 93 gb binary size, the size seen in Windows and in most bioses, plus Windows uses some space for partitioning and formatting the drive, making the drive about 90 gb in Windows. If your C: drive is considerably smaller than that you have a hidden recovery partition; if it's about that size you don't have a recovery partition.

Read Response 47.

Warning! Chkdsk found problems with the file system

Here are the relults:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Kevin>chkdsk
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is Windows.

WARNING! F parameter not specified.
Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
File verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
Index verification completed.
CHKDSK is recovering lost files.
CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 3)...
Security descriptor verification completed.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the
master file table (MFT) bitmap.
CHKDSK discovered free space marked as allocated in the volume bitmap.
Windows found problems with the file system.
Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

93530429 KB total disk space.
22808400 KB in 128616 files.
39304 KB in 6953 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
234425 KB in use by the system.
65536 KB occupied by the log file.
70448300 KB available on disk.

4096 bytes in each allocation unit.
23382607 total allocation units on disk.
17612075 allocation units available on disk.

C:\Documents and Settings\Kevin>

"I can see the recovery partition in "My Computer." "

In that case, you probably can't use the recovery disk to install all the original software onto the new drive if you don't have a complete recovery cd set - at best you may be able to just install Windows itself, if you have a recovery CD that has enough of the Windows contents on it.

"On my 98 machine there is a diagnostic called step by step confirmation. It was where it would ask you if you wanted to load each device."

XP does not have that, or anything similar to that.

You should not be having any problems since you reformatted C if you have added little or no additional software that wasn't in the original install.
If you did install additional software you could try un-installing it to see if your problems go away. Microsoft updates are very unlikely to cause the problems you are having.
Otherwise, I can't see your problems being caused by anything else other than a faulty hard drive.
....

What else could you try?

emachines computers are known to be more likely to have power supply problems, whether you can detect there is something wrong or not - temporarily try a known good power supply from a working computer - the wire colors and where they are in the main connector from the PS must be the same.

On ANOTHER computer, download the Seatools floppy version download and make the Seatools bootable floppy.
Temporarily connect a floppy drive and it's data cable to the connector on your mboard, make sure the drive is enabled and is first in the boot order in your bios Setup, boot with the bootable Seatools floppy and test your original hard drive.

i dont have a spare floppy drive. I also dont have a power supply to test with. I so far have not had any problems with bootup except for what chkdsk said there was. I ran chkdsk/f. Nope, it didn't fix it. System Mechanic Found a problem and I need to reboot the computer to fix it. I will post back.

chkdsk could not fix it. system mechanic could not fix it either. chkdsk found more problems today. Does this mean my HD is dying?

HELP!!!!!!

Latest Results:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Kevin>chkdsk
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is Windows.

WARNING! F parameter not specified.
Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
File verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
Deleting index entry r[1].js in index $I30 of file 137146.
Deleting index entry R_1_~1.JS in index $I30 of file 137146.
Deleting index entry searchlogo_pwrdby_19_trans[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137
146.
Deleting index entry SEARCH~2.GIF in index $I30 of file 137146.
Deleting index entry 2004925680[1].jpg in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry 200492~1.JPG in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry psp_120x240;sz=120x240;ptile=2;ord=42324894[1].htm in index
$I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry PSP_12~1.HTM in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry search_sky;kw=master+file+table+bitmap;sz=160x600;tile=2;or
d=61250419[1].htm in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry SEARCH~1.HTM in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry shopping_logo[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry SHOPPI~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137148.
Deleting index entry 120x240_banner_1-31-07[1].jpg in index $I30 of file 137150.

Deleting index entry 120X24~1.JPG in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry B000EFPD6C.01-A1CRGCHVE1KM1G._SCTHUMBZZZ_[1].jpg in index $
I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry B000EF~1.JPG in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry local_icon[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry LOCAL_~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry sdc_buy[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry SDC_BU~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137150.
Deleting index entry 18700523_50[1].jpg in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry 187005~1.JPG in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry al[1].htm in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry AL_1_~1.HTM in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry amazon_logo[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry AMAZON~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry chunks[1].jsp in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry CHUNKS~1.JSP in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry divide[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry DIVIDE~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry ebay_market_108x45[1].htm in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry EBAY_M~1.HTM in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry icon_email[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry ICON_E~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry omniture[1].js in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry OMNITU~1.JS in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry search[1].htm in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry SEARCH~1.HTM in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry spacer[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry SPACER~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry top_hardware_off[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry TOP_HA~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry top_network_off[1].gif in index $I30 of file 137152.
Deleting index entry TOP_NE~1.GIF in index $I30 of file 137152.
Index verification completed.

Errors found. CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode.

I ran chkdsk on my dad's computer and it also found problems. He also has an emachines with XP Home. His model is the T3256. He upgraded the ram to 1gb. Is this just a coincidence or not?

I told you to run chkdsk /f C:
not just chkdsk.

Windows on your original drive is trashed. I can't say for certain whether your hard drive is physically trashed too until you test the drive with diagnostic utilities, but since you have just re-loaded Windows, I strongly suspect that's the case.
To make sure, if your Dad's computer has a floppy drive, you should disconnect the original drive and connect it to your Dad's computer as a slave on the first IDE, or as master on the second IDE, and test the drive with the bootable floppy version of Seatools.

If neither of you has a floppy drive, try the Seatools CD on your Dad's computer with your original drive!

It is not unusual to run chkdsk and for it to find errors - that's okay as long as chkdsk /f is able to fix the errors, and if there aren't a large number of errors.

Your Dad upgrading the ram has probably got nothing to do with his chkdsk errors. You could test the ram on his computer to make sure, but if the memory he upgraded with was incompatible with his computer, he would be having problems ever since he upgraded. If you do get memory errors on his computer when you run the two tests, try cleaning the contacts on the ram and try the test again.

Your Dad's computer, being an emachine, could ALSO have a faulty or failing power supply.

On my computer chkdsk/f could not fix the problems. I ran chkdsk/f numerous times. My dad's computer does not have a floppy drive. My dad will not let me open up his computer. I don't think I will have a problem installing windows on the new drive because the recovery disk I got with my computer is a DVD and the partition on the recovery drive is about 3gb in size. So I don't think I need that recovery drive to install windows on the new drive. I will try chkdsk/f on my computer a few times this afternoon.

"On my computer chkdsk/f could not fix the problems. I ran chkdsk/f numerous times..."

That probably indicates the original drive is physically failing. Don't waste any more time on it for the time being.

"I don't think I will have a problem installing windows on the new drive because the recovery disk I got with my computer is a DVD and the partition on the recovery drive is about 3gb in size. So I don't think I need that recovery drive to install windows on the new drive."

Go ahead and try it then. If it is equivalent to a full recovery CD set it should work fine. If that's the case it will make the recovery partition on the new drive automatically as well as install the data on C: .

Disconnect the original hard drive and connect the new one either jumpered as CS like it now is and connect it to the end connector on the data cable (that is necessary for it to be seen as master with cable select), or you can jumper it has master and connect it to either connector on that data cable.

thank you. i have not had any boot problems for the past couple days. instead of compleatly reinstalling windows, can i just clone my current drive onto the new one?

boot up problems happened again. I forgot to tell you this earlier, but when this freeze happens the HD compleatly stops.

After chkdsk/f:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Kevin>chkdsk
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is Windows.

WARNING! F parameter not specified.
Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
File verification completed.
CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
Deleting index entry MMC.EXE-0A5AF4A1.pf in index $I30 of file 590.
Deleting index entry MMCEXE~2.PF in index $I30 of file 590.
Index verification completed.

Errors found. CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode.

"instead of compleatly reinstalling windows, can i just clone my current drive onto the new one?"

NO. There is something wrong with your original drive. You were getting way too many errors in Windows for a recent re-install, especially in index $I30 of file 137148. That part of Windows is now damaged and/or incomplete, probably because that part of the hard drive is no good.
If you clone Windows you will be copying those errors.
If you disconnect the original drive and install Windows on the new one, I suspect you will not be having any of these problems.

Thanks Tubesandwires. I am not going to do that though at this time.