Windows XP won't load, keeps rebooting, no repair option

[cmf21]

About one of my sisters computer won't load her windows xp and keeps rebooting. Now a week later my other sisters computer is doing the same thing. Both instances seem to have started after storms in different parts of phoenix over a week or so.

Today I visit one sister and looked at her computer. It loads windows for a second or two and then the screen goes blank. I reboot with the install disk but the the repair option isn't there. it'll only let me format and install on new partition. It's acting like nothing is on the disk but it's there.


What are my options?

 

[C1]

When something like that happens, I swap the HDD out for the image backup that I keep on a separate backup drive. This allows checkout of the basic computer hardware. If that passes muster, then I would use a recover program to capture any data off the damaged(?) drive, then "wipe" (ie, lterally use Wipe or Zap) the drive, then verify the affected drive with HDD test software. If okay, then restore from image and add/update the HDD from latest file captures. Otherwise, if subject drive appears damaged, destroy and replace it. Who needs the headache?

If the computer hardware is damaged, then test procedure can be more involved depending on what hardware you have available for substitution. In general, the test procedure is to cut the system back to minimum possible, and keep adding from there till the defective component/hardware is identified.