Assuming you have run thorough scandisk and defrag, try the below steps.

   Your boot sector and/or swap file may be corrupt ... if it is indeed a
software issue.

Try this...   run an up-to-date virus scan (2-years-old or newer) to see if
you have a boot sector virus.    Start or shut down your computer into
MS-DOS mode ... do NOT run an MS-DOS box for this.... and delete your
c:\windows\win386.swp file....   Win95 will create a new one when you
reboot.

If your problem is in fact the drive itself, these previous steps will tell
you more than you first knew.   In other words, if the above steps do not
fix your problem, you may need to seek out a new drive.

Before you replace the drive, invest in a new 2 dollar I/O cable or check
your controller card.

--gary tennesen
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