Have you tried this tool:

Dell Crash Analysis Tool, v.1.0.0.5 (EMT), A03
Release Date: 11/10/2004
Description: This tool scans the system for any drivers that are indicated by Microsoft Online Crash Analysis data as a possible reason for system crashes, blue screens, system lockups, etc.

To start it, click on start, highlight All Programs, highlight Dell Accessories, and click on Crash Analysis Tool

Not having a Dell myself I do not know what it does.

Try it & let us know.

This is what came up:

In response to those two AOL errors:

http://setiathome2.ssl.berkeley.edu/...splay&num=5864

http://www.file.net/process/wanatw4.sys.html

Just for another angle I would post a HijackThis log:

http://www.isecurity.org.uk/downloads/hijackthis.zip

In the HijackThis section:

http://www.d-a-l.com/help/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Keep checking for & posting errors. Hopefully we can trace this problem.

hi, i have posted a HJT log and i have had another
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL..... blue screen, i have a pic if you don't know what i meen but its not that clear, i have had 3 or 4 of those blue screens in 2 weeks!!!

I tried to boot into safe mode (to delete files) using msconfig and a black screen with nothing on it appeared and my computer wont load, any sugestions? Just to let you know i have commented on this in my HJT post here>>> http://www.d-a-l.com/help/showthread.php?t=22026&page=2

would reseting anything on the motherboard (like jumpers or something) clear anything so i can get back on my computer (i think it's trying to boot into safemode and for some reason it cant and i want it to boot into normal mode)

Is your hard drive being recognised by the BIOS?

What happens when you boot the XP CD?

Do you have the CD drive set to boot before the hard drive?

erm... the HD's are spinning and its recognising that win xp is installed because the xp load scrn comes up, i think i set it to boot to the CD drive before the hard drive.
When i boot the xp cd, nothing different happens but i may not have set it to CD drive first, i know the floppy is before the HD, ill check when i go home. I only have access to a computer with an internet connection once a week now so it's going to be a bit hard, if i try with cd again, and nothing happens, do you know anything else i could try?
Thanks, Mike

when i booted up for the second time, when i just turned the pc off (no other options) and turned it on again, the scan disk came up, this would be on the hard drive wouldnt it? so does this meen that the BIOS is recognising the HD or is that something different?
You are all probably sick of me now!!! lol with all of the problems i have...

Yes the drive is being recognised.
From your HijackThis thread you mentioned an error that is usually associated with a No Drive Found scenerio.
I shouldn't be reading cross threads

It sounds like your CD drive is not set to boot.

I would check that first. At this point I would suggest a Repair Install of XP.

http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

If for some reason the CD won't boot; create the 6 floppy XP setup:

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Windows XP 6 Disk Setup Set

XP Home/Pro Original/SP1/SP2

This will setup the initial boot conditions: after disk #6 you will be told to insert your CD. The 6 floppies just create the boot condition for the CD.