Stop error Win XP Pro SP1 can't boot up

[Shelli]

I receive a message on a blue screen

Problem has been detected press F8
stop 0x000000ed(0x80f31af8,0xc000032,0x00000000,0x00000000)

F8 doesn't do anything - has my hard drive gone?

Most recent item downloaded was some family photographs, so do not know what has caused this.

Can anyone help or point me in the right direction.

 

[mpnut]

I am guessing that there is something wrong in your BIOS. You need to press F8 before it gets to the blue screen. I usually start pressing F8 as soon as I turn on the power, and keep pressing it about once every second to be sure I don't miss it.