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i think it has to do with the recovery partition, call dell and ask them for help, is it under warranty?

Yep, that's when Dell's "F11 recovery" MBR dies. Unless you want to scavenge another Dell you'll need their utility to rewrite it (without hurting anything else). I'd use their online support chat with your service tag to improve chances of receiving the least destructive answer.

ouch. Cyrnel, what do you mean their utility to rewrite it?
-do you mean the boot disk that you get when you purchase the computer? -Would I have to like send the computer to dell or something?
-Could it be resolved by navigating setup with dell people guiding me on the phone?

regardless of the route i take, would i be able to save the data on the comp?

i'll get back to you when I get more info. Thanks for the help guys.

illdeviant, how's the computer going?

Your girlfriend's data is almost certainly okay. Until you talk to a format-happy support agent.

Dell should be able to help you re-write the MBR, or tell you more about the problem. It could be a problem somewhere else in their boot loader software and exist beyond the MBR. Since I haven't seen this in a very long time and don't have anything to test I'm suggesting you use their online chat to learn more. They should be able to nail down the exact issue and a quick fix.

If you have any reservations about the support agent's concern for your data, call again. Be persistent with your concerns about losing files.

In the worst case, before zapping the drive you can slave it drive to another functioning system long enough to copy files. It's unlikely there's any problem with the filesystems or their contents.

I will be visiting her today.

http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportf...ssage.id=35024
http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportf...ssage.id=23247

I she says there is no option for safemode. If that's the case, then I certainly can't revert it to an earlier save point. I will verify this sometime today. Unfortunately, I won't have access to a computer until maybe thanksgiving. I will also check to see if she has an XP bootdisc that came w/the computer. I believe they can fix corrupt boot files. Can that be verified?

Also, she has the uber care package so worse comes to worse she can have someone physically look at it whether it be at her apartment or some service center.

Cyrnel, regarding pulling of the data onto another harddrive, my uncle actually works in IT and has all the equipment for the procedure. So if it even gets to that point, it's just a matter of her being in boston and my uncle in NY (as am I). Which in the whole scheme of things isn't much of an issue at all^^ Thanks for the help!!