Read error when my pc boots up

[_JP_]

My pc is an old one with intel pentium e2180 And hitachi 160gb hdd. It worked perfectly but now it just don't boot up. It instead says “Read Error”. Thats all. Can anybody help me with this quick? My pc has been turned off unexpectedly recently 5 to 6 times. Does that damage the harddisk?

[Jedimaster99]

most hard drives start to be pretty unreliable after about 10 years. I'd imagine your hard drive died.  you could replace the hard drive, but if you can afford to get a new system, I'd recommend that. other things will start breaking soon, and there's much faster stuff on the market for not too much money.