is my computer just dying?

It'd change that battery first! If you didn't change anything in your BIOS software, that probably didn't cause your problems.

well this last time i reformatted, i decided i was going to add an extra partition so i could fianally install redhat 7.2...but when i was trying to add the partition it was telling me i only had a 4 gig hd when i have a 12....i dont know why it wouldnt find the whole thing i have never had a problem in the 4 other times i have reformatted on this harddrive..but that is a strange coincidence..

Best thing to do when it does that is clear your CMOS. make sure everything is disconnected no power going to it at all, Unplug power cord totally or you mess up your mobo. Then clear your CMOS. different on different motherboards some have jumpers some it's just by taking the battery out for 5 seconds RTFM. Then that should clear the CMOS and everything should be alright. Let me know if this works.

i finally got it to work. i just turned it off for a while and when i turned it back on, it detected both of my harddrives and after a few reboots, came back into system commander. so i uninstalled system commander.

I agree with gamernewbie, While the CMOS battery is certainly aged, and tossing a couple of bucks that way may help.. It is best to "Reset" the BIOS, some MoBos require a Ctl-F on power up, others have a Jumper on the Board. But follow the advice given.. If the sysmptoms continue..perhaps consider that the PSU is getting noisey (that is electricaly).. this will cause Start probs .. Also have had (on AOpen Mo/Bo's) faulty AGP video Cards writing invalid data to the BIOS.. ..Checked all of this... then and only then consider the option of a BIOS Flash..
OK trust this extra info helps..

Cheers

gamernewbie... i reset the cmos like you suggested and it didnt help anything..i had to hit reset a good dozen times after doing that, then when it came on it gave me a "checksum" error..its all good though ..i really apreciate everyones help in trying to help me fix this very annoying problem..i am thinking my board might be the culprit since i was noticing about half of the capacitors on it are all crusted up on the tops like they were leaking or something.. i dont really know .. i am to the point where i am going to just throw my whole system into a large vat of acid...
:killcompu
but thanks again to guus,gamernewbie, und3rtak3r and everyone else who tryed to help me it was very apreciated and i gave you all some greenies

destined 2 fail -
Just out of curiosity . . . what type of motherboard do you have in your setup and what operating system are you running? Do you have all current upgrades for your OS and have you checked your Power Management settings?

Another thought . . . have you tried cleaning your motherboard? You want to make a list of your settings and take the battery out before starting. I'm not sure what the 'experts' say, but I use rubbing alcohol and a soft brush (be careful of static electricity and make sure there aren't any brush bristles left behind). Let the board 'air dry' and put everything back in. I've had great results with this method and haven't fried any boards yet.

y not try checking the Bios battery, your clock may still be intact and its could still be the Bios also try resetting ya CMOS, also check the system its self it could be that there is a loose wire or a Open wire or cable which is not reset to the normal pin or slot.
i hope this helps

CMOS Battery.... a friend had a similiar prob recently.