Trouble reinstalling Windows XP Pro

Crashmo

In an attempt to reformat my laptop, I received the following message after booting from XP Pro disc:

Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.

Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program.

Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3.

After trying a few tutorials addressing the above issue, all unsuccessful, I am now getting the following message when I try to boot up without the disc:

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.

When I try this, I am returned to the first error message. My wife has since found the Recovery dvds, which would've been handy before I screwed up the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM file. Tried it anyway but no cigar.

System details:
HP Pavilion dv5000
Intel Core Duo T2400
GeForce Go 7400

Bionic Monkey

Sounds like BIOS isn't recognizing any of your HDD's. Have you been digging around inside the case while working on it? If so, double-check all the connections, and make sure all the cables are properly seated. If not, then you may have a faulty drive, and may need to get a new HDD.

Viscountalpha

Leaning towards a faulty drive. I remember helping a friend out sometime with his computer way, WAY back when. I kept looking for driver issues and other crazy things and decided to re-install. Reinstall failed, failed horribly. We ended up going to a computer store and buying another hard disk. Fixed the issue.

Laptop drives seem to be quite resilient but HP has a way of screwing up their product line badly. Pre-made hardware seems to really drag quality wise.

ronya

What did you do in the tutorials you mentioned?