An update . .
Good help from Acronis group but still unresolved.
Suggested I use Window Recovery console with fixmbr and fixboot, but . . . when using my Home Edition XP disk, prompts me for Administrator password. Never put an AP in that I can remember and tried several options without success (including not putting one in).
Then suggested my disk may be outdated and I should find an SP2 disk. Can't find one and recently my Windows updated to SP3. Also suggested I download from MS and install it directly onto my system, but not sure I want something in there that I'll probably not use again and 2. info suggests system will boot up on Recovery window since it's used by IT folks (not sure if that's even correct).
To make a long story even longer, my system's working great other than the annoying message on startup. From my years of aircraft maintenance experience I feel like I should abide by the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't @#$% with it."
Once again, thanks to all of you and introducing me to a great resource. I'll be hangin' out here for a long time to come. It's certainly educational and even better, well run.
Cheers,
Phil