Unable to startup computer sometimes

Hi,

I am unable to startup my computer.

Sometimes, I get a disk read error just when i boot up the computer.
Occasionally, the computer does not even react at all and the monitor detects nothing.

When I am lucky, it goes to the screen that says I did not shut down properly and gave me options to start windows in safe mode or normally - (my keyboard does not even function at this point so i can't make any selections).
And it will take a long time to load windows.
After it is done loading, the system goes into a 3 stage checking process which takes about 3-10 minutes.

Is it a hard disk error?
Is there anyway that I can identify what is the exact problem?

Thanks.

windows xp home edition version 2002
service pack 3
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E4500@ 2.20GHz
2.2ghz, 2gb ram

 

It sounds like it might be a HDD failing but the "Occasionally, the computer does not even react at all and the monitor detects nothing." suggests something else may also be failing.

If you have a Windows Boot CD, boot it and enter the Recovery Console. After login as administrator, enter "chkdsk /r" to do a complete check and repair on the HDD. If that shows errors or is unable to complete, you may want to run a diagnostic utility from the HDD manufacturer to check the integrity of the drive. Seagate would be Seatools, Western Digital would be the Data Lifeguard, etc. I would recommend using their DOS utility which would download as an .iso and will create a bootable CD for it to run from.

If you're unsure of the manufacturer of the HDD, post what it says in the Device Manager about the HDD and someone here would be able to help you identify it and direct you to the correct utility. If all else fails, the Seagate Seatools utility will work on almost any drive but may not be able to check for certain features on some of them.