If there is no boot-priority option in the BIOS (you should look again, though) there might be a seperate boot selection menu (I've seen F2 and F12 used for that purpose). As to your error: There are several possible explanations and solutions: Faulty connection: The plugs may be become undone. Try and replug all cables leading to the harddisk on all ends. The cable may be damages. Try using another molex connector for power and replace the IDE cables. "Faulty" harddisk: If the disk makes a *clack* sound in short intervals or does not spin up during powerup, and there actually is power on the molex plug, replacing the HDD is the way to go. If the disk does spin up "normally": Try booting from a Live-CD (Knoppix, Kanotix, etc.) and probe the HDD (maybe use smartctl to read the SMART data). If the HDD is accessible here, chances are that the MBR or partition table are broken (Paragon BootManager tends to do this). Use the Live-CD's HDD tools to fix partition table damage. Use the Windows Recovery Console to fix the MBR. Faulty mobo: If the HDD does not spin up, or spins up, but is not recognized by any OS, there probably is a hardware error on the mainboard. Replace the mainboard or try using a different IDE channel (Reinstallation of the OS may become necessary).
Cheers, Sebastian -- "If it was two men, the non-driver would have challenged the driver to simply crash through the gates. The macho image thing, you know." - Marc Clifton