Problem with ReLoading Windows.(3 questions)

[zaqualung]

OK. Recurring problem. Comp worked well for a week and then crashed (totally) again. Blue screen. Data dump, etc.

Reformatted Hard drive (not a quick format) twice. Used Gateway utility CD to reload windows. Am now getting this error during windows set-up.
Error: setuperr.log
NetSetup: The computer name of this computer is set to the NetBios name that this computer had before the upgrade. The comp name is the first label of the full DNS name of this computer. Depending on the implementation and configuration of the DNS servers used in your infrastructure, this DNS name may not be added to the DNS database because the computer name contains the underscore character. To ensure that the DNS name on the computer can be registered in DNS, please verify that the DNS server allows host DNS names to contain the underscore character, or change the Comp name of this computer through the Network Identification tab of System Properties. Note: the default configuration of a Windows XP DNS server allows host names to contain underscore character.
********
My questions would be.
1). What upgrade. I reformatted my hard drive and went to load a clean copy of windows on top of that empty formatted drive.
2). What (and where is it located) is the System Properties referred to in the above message? Is this in the Bios or Dos prompts? If not, where is it, and what name should i change or change to so that i can just load Windows XP?
3). Also a question regarding the Bios of the comp. I had been having other problems, (lots) and one guy on here suggested that i might have recently flashed the BIOS. I did during the first rebuild, remove the maxell bios battery for a few minutes, at the (unsuggested) suggestion!! of a Gateway or Microsoft engineer. Ithink this was in order to clear an administrator password. anyway, it worked. Was this "flashing"? Also, for good measure, I just removed it again today and reformatted my hard drive prior to that. But one of the earlier messages today was saying that i might need to turn off shadowing and caching in the BIOS. Looked all through the BIOS and don't see any tabs or options where i can see or access these things in there. Would like to turn them off as i don't see why i need to cache anything in the BIOS???
One of the messages said wthat there might be a CMOS error or something like this??
Is a CMOS virus in the BIOS, and launching into each new XP version that i load, so that eventually my comp dies again each time? Is this possible? If so, how to combat this? Based on the rest of the above?
Would love to find these answers. Thanks.

[squirrel]

First of all, when was the last time you updated your virus definitions?

Second of all, are you absolutely sure you don't have a hardware problem?

Third, what does the message on the blue screen say-- EXACTLY as it appears?

[zaqualung]

the thing is, i had a virus in my machine back in the states. then moved to europe. norton could see the virus but not disable it. I then got swis cablecom software F-Secure, which renamed all files that were virus infected. Since then i have reformatted the C drive. and reloaded everything. F-Secure anti virus is up to date as wel. so, i'm trying to figure out what the blazes caused this machine to crash again.

what kind of hardware problem do you have in mind???

because,  i think that the hard drive might be screwed, basically, in a nutshell.  but i don't wish to purchase another hard drive and then have this happen again. i want to know what the possibility of a CMOS problem is. and go from there? i.e., remove the blooody thing!
can't recall the exact message on that blue fail screen, it flashes only for a quarter of a second!! and that was before the last rebuild. now my problem is that i can't get XP to load properly. why? what do you think is happening here??

[squirrel]

There are instructions on this site if you look around a little on how to stop the blue screen from disappear. Just in case you can't find them, here they are again:

Right Click on "My Computer" go to Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Startup & recovery--uncheck the autoreboot box.

[Raptor]

Make certain you are not booting of a Network device.