So I was attempting to fix my laptop hard drive, so I connected it to my computer using an external enclosure. My laptop was having problems finishing a Windows XP installation, so I decided to try to install XP using my other computer. I booted my Windows Vista based computer to the Windows XP installation cd. I selected the laptop hard drive to install Windows XP on to. Once it finished formatting the partition, I received an error stating that the hard drive was unable to complete the partition process. I just assumed that the hard drive was dead. Therefore, I unplugged the laptop hard drive from my PC, and attempted to boot to Vista, the only OS on my PC. This is when I got the "Error loading operating system" error. I tried researching this problem, and I found this article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919529/en-us
I was following the steps using the command prompt on the Windows Vista installation cd, in the repair section. Once I tried to enter "C:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All" which is the first step in the directions, it said that "C:\boot\Bootsect.exe was not recognized as an internal or external command"
I really think this is the path I need to follow, as I believe that Windows XP may have messed with the Windows Vista Boot Manager. If anyone has any ideas, please post. Thanks.