gateway p4 866 windows me hang

I have a gateway p4 866 mhz approx 2 yrs old.....a couple of months back I got a S.M.A.R.T. error & then the pc started to hang....I also suspect my son may have inadvertently downloaded a virus....I have NAV but it stopped updating .....if I reboot 20-25 times I MIGHT successfully reboot.....I have goback s/w & the pc hangs on the white goback screen....maybe during those 25 reboots the goback message " hit spacebar to repair problems " appears...if I hit it I might be able to revert...but soon enough I hang again...25 reboots.....a vicious cycle.....
do I have a virus or a hardware prob?..can you tell?....should I try to reload ME?...what if I format the disk & re-install ?...what if I format the disk & upgrade to XP?....help?!?!?...Thanx

 

rjammer19...
Welcome to TSG !

If you have gotten a SMART error, then it's best for you to start backing up any data from your hard drive. It's a good indication that your drive is ready to give up the ghost. You can read more about this function here.............

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=120


Debe

 

Thank you for the update...no hope for the machine eh?

 

Take a look at the hard drive manufacturer's website. Most drives have 3 year guarantees......you might get lucky.

 

since the drive was doomed I chanced a reload of ME....so far so good

 

THANX !

 

Make sure after you reinstall ME you get a Norten Antivirus copy on that computer. With it, you will never get a virus again.

 

Done.....thanx again