I need BIG help :0( -NTLDR is missing, XP install files????

Here is my notes to myself on what is going on. I would love it if someone has any suggestions as to how I might be able to proceed....

I am so frustrated and burnt out at this point, I have been at this problem for several days! I am trying to help my friend with her computer. I looked on the internet and I can't seem to find the correct resourses for help. Oh, how I hope that you will be able to help!

Here is my story:
My friends' computer (PC #2) slowed to a complete stop for her, her "computer guy" wanted to reformat it and reinstall an OS for the 2nd time in one year. I did not understand why this needed to be done as she has a current version of Norton's AV with updates. I asked if I could look at it and see what I could do to help with out the re-format.

I booted up the machine, an HP Pavilion xi938 with a 60Gb Seagate HD, bios = Phoenix tech. LTD 3.08 and 384mb of mem. The orignal software installed was Windows XP but the "computer guy" reinstalled Windows 98 as that is the only disks that she could find to use as it did not appear that she had the original disks for the original XP.
Well, the CPU was running at 100% when I was trying to figure out what was up. I owned a new copy of XP Pro, with license, and agreed to use it if needed. I FDISKed the hard drive and found 2 partitions. I erroneously deleted both and made one partition for a clean install of my OS. I say erroneous because I later, much later, read the info that came with the PC and found out that the original "disks" were on the small partition of her drive and that HP does not send out disks any longer, in favor of the preloaded partition.... well, the other guy did not know this either.
I loaded XP Pro after FDISK and format per the automated CD.

CPU useage soared and stayed at 100%. A crash seemed inevitable.
I repeated the FDISK and installation more 3 times thinking that the "installation fairy" may correct whatever problems that I was having. No help. I redid the MBRthrough the recovery console. I cleaned all that I knew.
On the 7th day it occured to me that I should check out the drive in "MY" computer.... wow, what WAS I thinking????
I kept receiving a LSA error so I referred to the internet and corrected the error.
I was uncomfortable with a feeling of a virus and so I followed suggestions found on the internet and I tried the Trend Micro virus scan and it found a virus on my friends PC..... oh yes, in order to do the scan I slaved her HD to mine. I ran the virus scan 3 times with reboots in between and all came out clean. On the 3rd reboot I unplugged my HD and mastered hers- it would not boot to the drive! I now have the same problem with my HD! It states that there is no boot disk upon boot up. I F8 at startup and get no results except for the screen with choices. I tried them all.
Sunday-
I feel that I must still have a virus effecting the XP boot but I am unable to get into safe mode or any other F8 choices. To complicate things further, I forgot to write protect my boot floppy disk. I did download, on this PC (my 2nd PC, an old Pentinum 133mhz), the floppy startup disks for XP and so I should be able to get into the C: drive with boot up on them? That will be my next step.
A backup of my system is not avaliable and I am certain that all of the files are still on both drives, if I could just get around this roadblock.
Very Late Sunday-
Do viruses invade the CMOS? If so, how do we get rid of them?
My CMOS settings seem to be changing. I went in to set my floppy drive as the first boot drive and the CDROM sequence was eliminated. The second boot I discovered that the floppy drive was not even activated.
I am able to boot to the floppy now and so am using what I have, which is the 6 setup disks from Microsoft.
On my friends HD, HD #2, I tried reinstalling XP without a complete reinstall 2 times without any positive results.
Alright, booting to the setup disks has allowed me to access the recovery console and the C:\windows directory.
Later-
I tried to download F-Prot, I did download it and put it on a CD. I boot with CDROM drivers and it found F-Prot but when I ran it I was told that the definitions were too old and that I must update it! No way to figure all of that out.
There must be SOME Easier WAY to do this!
Tuesday-
I have loaded and reloaded the setup files from the 6 set CD's that I obtained on line for XP PRo. I have booted from Win98 startup to FDISk the drive and re-partition it. F-disk the MBR. Many times.
I have additionally booted from the XP Pro. setup CD and have repartitioned and re-formatted until I am purple.
Where I am at now is that the drive appears to be partitioned and formatted correctly but now I am told that the NTLDR is missing and that a large number of the setup files are unable to be copied.
I again looked to the internet and found suggestions to recreate the NTLDR by copying the files from the XP Pro CD while in Recovery mode and then typing in "Fixboot" and rebooting.
Zilch. No change. >
I have tried my original XP Pro CD from PC #1 and get the same errors!
I still feel that a virus is here ???????? I must not be able to clear it with FDISK and reformating and repartitioning. I am at a loss????
I am hopeless at this point.
2 computers down.
I REALLY would appreciate it if anyone were able to help or give me suggestions of where to obtain help.... please!
Thank you for time.
Mercifully yours,
TW

Wed., I an unsure of how many days I have been at this same problem or how many hours I have spent trying to fix it.... alone.....
I visited this Microsoft site and was able to make sense in my head some of the processes going on... http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...d_tro_oxhc.asp

I feel that I am FINALLY on the road to recovery!
This IS a virus,it attacks the MBR, BEWARE of the harm that it can do to YOUR SYSTEM!
I don't know the name of the virus but BEWARE!
I sure hope that my woes, torment, and anger will be able to help someone else out!
Take care,
TWalter