Insert System Disk

Today I discovered how connected we all are to our computers. Not just to the internet but to the whole thing. I turned on my computer this morning only to find the following message: Disk Boot Failure- Insert System Disk and Press Enter. At that point I realized until I could solve this problem I would not be able to do anything. Nothing, nada, zip. Cant check email, news or play games. Cant even get into the pc to do anything off line either. I suddenly thought of how much I depend on this machine for so much. What did we all do without them. I was frustrated to say the least. The HP machine we bought a couple of years ago did not come with a Windows XP disk( our old Windows ME did) How weird is that. Ok, Mr. Gates tell me why. So I think I'll have to call my son to help me since he's here in town and can speak computer in English. Unlike my son in law the computer geek who thinks he knows everything about the entire universe but cant explain anything. As a last resort I crawl under the desk and turn off the power strip for a moment. Low and behold, when I turned on the power again up popped a live computer. Go figure!