Reinstalling XP

I've been having some problems with my computer lately, and I think the only thing to do at this point is reinstall Windows.  My computer came with it factory-installed, so I tried installing it from the i386 folder.  But when the computer starts up in windows-install-mode (or when I boot from a windows CD), it doesn't recognize the hard drives (so it either can't find the files to install with and crashes immediately, or if running from a CD it says that it can't find a HD to install to).  So, I assume that my computer is using some wierd hard drive controller or something (which is strange because it's just some Dell), and I need to get the drivers somehow.

Should I just burn the drivers windows uses now for my hard drive to a CD?  What would be the best way to find them (should I try to get updated ones from the official website, etc.)?  Also, this is the first time I've installed an OS on a computer with SATA HDs, does that somehow make a difference?

Thanks in advance.

Tried using the built-in system recovery function?

And go grab a fresh set of drivers off the net if the answer is no - you'll need to put them on the root of either a floppy disk (if you have a drive), or format a USB key appropriately (HP of all companies provides a utility to do this).

Yeah, no system recovery method has worked.  The computer works fine for the most part, but I can't access any of the administrative tools, the device manager, the basic search function, and a number of other critical things.  Repairing windows files and running system recovery hasn't helped.