Please help b-4 it's 2 late

This sounds like a hard drive failure, it has trouble reading properly when cold and gets a little better after warmup, but still not enough to find all the files. I've also experienced the same type of failures from a failing drive controller chip(on the MOBO). Try replacing the drive and see what happens. If it can't see or access the drive properly, then the chip is at fault and not the drive.

Pull out the drive and fit it to a USB caddy and then connect it to another computer and look at the contents of the drive.

If you can see your files you should be able to copy them off to some other media and save them but you may have to take ownership of them.

http://tinyurl.com/3aw7

If they are encrypted you'll need to save the encryption keys as well if you used Windows Encryption you can find them using these directions

http://tinyurl.com/orpmf

If you used some other method of encrypting you'll need to follow the directions from the maker of that software.

Whatever get your data off quick and don't leave the drive running for any length of time as if it's going bad you stand less of a chance of recovering your data.

If you can not read the Drive in a USB Caddy and you have it on a Y2K or XP Box then most likely your HDD is dead if that's the case it's a job for your nearest Data Recovery House which isn't cheap. Just remember that if the drive has a NTFS Partition you [b]Can Not[/b] read it on a 98 Box but if you are running a FAT32 Partition any Windows Box will be capable of reading the rive.

Col

Thanks for the input, I'll check it out? No way 2 copy dos files and extract then paste and install elsewere?
What is the points and value deal about?

Thanks
popi8it & man they r good

Another possibility is that the electrolytic capacitors around your cpu have expired. Visually check for bulging tops, the can higher than adjacent ones, gunk around the base. Generally requires a new mobo, but with expertise in soldering and luck it could be fixed.