Many BSOD's and BIOS error message please help!

I have a lot of work to do and the computer crashing at startup isn't helping. Recently I've been having BSOD's about drivers not loading etc but recently I got this one which worried me:

The BIOS in this system is not fully ACPI compliant. Please contact your system vendor or visit http://www.hardware-update.com for an updated BIOS. If you are unable to obtain an updated BIOS or the latest BIOS supplied by your vendor is not ACPI compliant, you can turn off ACPI mode during text mode setup. To do this, simply press the F7 key when you are prompted to install storage drivers, The system will not notify you that the F7 key was pressed - it will silently disable ACPI and allow you to continue your installation.

I found someone who had a similar problem on this forum but they were advised not to upgrade it. As that post was from 2004 would this still be the case?

I'm really worried that it's failing.

I don't actually have a windows XP cd to reinstall because my IT man never gave me one. However I do have an authentic COA so is there anywhere I can get on for free (or under a tenner) in the UK.

Thanks so much

Did they explain why you shouldn't upgrade the BIOS? I don't see any reason why you shouldn't.
I don't know what to tell you about the XP CD problem. What is COA?

certificate of authentication (the sticker you get on the side of your machine) which certifies it is a legal windows

And 'because it might alleviate the problem'

Anyway that site doesn't actually tell me where to go or how to do it

Around here, the tech shops that carry their own OEM copies of XP used to burn copies if you were cool and needed one without charging you. Really it's not illegal since they're not giving you a COA. You might try asking a shop nearby if they can do the same thing for you. They might want to see your COA first (take a picture of it and you together and bring it along), but they shouldn't give you too much trouble really.

As far as your BIOS, you should probably try the update. Unless you've found information on some sort of compatibility problem, it's probably pretty safe.

How old is the machine in question?

About 8 months old is my computer.

And oh right Truce. Would I need to take my machine in or would they just make the copy so it could be used on any computer? If the latter then I'll probably pop down to pc world soon.

Thanks

I would take the computer there if it's under warranty and never buy another PC without a copy of the OS and a product key. Also, tell them you want the CD now.