The operating system got whacked. You can recover by booting from the installation CD and choosing "R" for recover, then following instructions - if, that is, the real cause isn't a dying hard disk.
I'd download first thing the UBCD utility, boot from it, and run a hard disk diagnostic with SMART reporting. If it says that the HD is healthy, go for recover. If it says it is NOT healthy, remaining in UBCD, try accessing the disk and backup all data you care for, as quickly as you can, on an external USB device of suitable size, THEN attempt recovery.
Answers & Comments
The operating system got whacked. You can recover by booting from the installation CD and choosing "R" for recover, then following instructions - if, that is, the real cause isn't a dying hard disk.
I'd download first thing the UBCD utility, boot from it, and run a hard disk diagnostic with SMART reporting. If it says that the HD is healthy, go for recover. If it says it is NOT healthy, remaining in UBCD, try accessing the disk and backup all data you care for, as quickly as you can, on an external USB device of suitable size, THEN attempt recovery.