Frequently, while i'm using WinXP, my computer freezes a few seconds, then the screen goes black and it reboots. After that I get this error "pri master HDD error ". What I found to cure that is make a hard reset (power on/power off, or else it doesn't work) then I go to the bios and use the "IDE auto detect" option to detect my HD, and it boots up normally. But the problem is that the error keeps coming back from time to time... How can I solve this problem for good ?

Thank you in advance

Go into BIOS, disable 'Quick power on self test' (or similar), and save the change.

If no luck, then re-enable the above BIOS setting, shut down the computer, and make sure that all of the HD's connections are secure.

If they're ok, then connect a different power lead to it.

If no luck, then try a different IDE cable.

If still no good, then replace the CMOS battery.

If nothing works, then the HD may be failing.

If the Hard Drive is possibly failing, try the Hard Drive diagnostics available on the manufacturers web sites.

Check your power supply and CMOS battery.