Win XP unmountable boot volume

davleed · 07-29-2008, 01:16 AM

I have an HP Pavillion desktop running XP SP3. The PC did a sudden power off yesterday (when I switched on a Yamaha music keyboard plugged in to the same power strip and connected to the PC via USB - not sure why that happened), and since then I have been unable to start XP - it starts to load, I get a brief blue screen then the boot cycle restarts.

By turning off automatic restart on failure I've been able to see the blue screen message - it is UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME and at the bottom of the screen is STOP: 0x000000ED and some other hex.

XP was pre-installed so I don't have XP disks, but I did make a recovery DVD when the PC was new. I also have an Acronis Boot CD v8 and an Acronis image backup on a separate HDD (about 5 weeks old unfortunately - a lesson learned there).

Before I try restoring to an old backup I'd like to try running CHKDSK /repair as recommended in this forum and elsewhere, but I can't get to a DOS prompt. When I select the Windows recovery console from the startup screen - whether I'm booting from HDD or the recovery CD - I get a SoftThinks HP PC System Recovery screen.

It has four icons - selecting recovery options, hard disk preparation (this is highlighted in red), copying files, finalising recovery, but these are not selectable and after a few seconds a pop-up appears offering the choice of trying Windows XP built in repair features or continuing with recovery. If I choose restore I get a minimised window titled "restore" which can't be moved or resized. After about 5 mins of HDD activity I'm back to a "restore options" screen - if I select R, HP System Recovery launches again.

If I choose to proceed with recovery, the only option is a reformat and clean install.

I've also tried booting from the Acronis CD. Acronis TrueImage Personal launches, but I can't find an option to restore a single file - I thought of trying to restore BOOT.INI. When I try to create a secure zone on the C: drive it fails as a particular sector could not be read.

I'd appreciate any suggestions for getting to a dos prompt so I can try to repair the boot sector or whatever is corrupted. If this isn't possible would the next step be to remove the HDD and connect it to a friend's machine so that I can try to save the document folder and emails?

kibakiri · 07-29-2008, 02:07 AM

For a dos prompt, get an official windows xp disk, and (try) run it off there (It should be legal to use your friends win xp disk for tht i think)

davleed · 07-29-2008, 02:13 AM

Good idea - she does have an official XP disk so I'll try that.

**Deleted090308** · 07-29-2008, 02:17 AM

Welcome to TSF.

Yes, you need to borrow an XP installation CD (not recovery).

Then:
Start the computer with the Windows CD.
At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to select the repair option.
You will have to enter the Administrator password - if none, just press <Enter>.
In the recovery console - type chkdsk c: /r > press <Enter>.
When the disk check is done:
Type Exit > press <Enter>.
Take the Windows disc out and reboot.

davleed · 07-29-2008, 05:56 AM

Thanks guys - It took a couple of hours to run chkdsk, and "percent completion" reverted to 50% a couple of times - but I was then able to launch XP normally. A full backup is currently in progress.

Are there any follow up actions I should take?

The other puzzle is why turning on a Yamaha Tyros keyboard caused a sudden power down of the PC. I guess that's more a question for a hardware forum.

Thanks again,

David

**Deleted090308** · 07-29-2008, 08:02 AM

The "clash" leading to the shutdown may be recorded in a memory dump.

Attach a few mini dumps in zip format to your post.
The dump files are located in \Windows\Minidump.

How to post an attachment.

Also - it's a good idea to run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostic tools to make sure the hard drive is OK.
Have a look in device manager >> disk drives. The HDD(s) will be listed there. "ST" means Seagate, "WD" means Western Digital etc.
Click my team banner for links to HDD manufacturers' diagnostic tools.

davleed · 07-29-2008, 10:34 AM

Thanks for the suggestions eneles. I've checked the minidump folder and there's just one file, but it's datestamped a couple of weeks ago - there's no file for last night's shutdown.

I've downloaded the Seagate HDD diagnostic tool as you suggest.

ewm · 07-29-2008, 10:55 AM

In an earlier post, you mentioned slaving the drive on another machine to recover files. I'd suggest that you do that before starting any type of work on the drive, particularly if the files are important to you. Better safe than sorry when it comes to hard drives.

07-29-2008, 01:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
davleed Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 4 OS: Win XP SP3	Win XP unmountable boot volume I have an HP Pavillion desktop running XP SP3. The PC did a sudden power off yesterday (when I switched on a Yamaha music keyboard plugged in to the same power strip and connected to the PC via USB - not sure why that happened), and since then I have been unable to start XP - it starts to load, I get a brief blue screen then the boot cycle restarts. By turning off automatic restart on failure I've been able to see the blue screen message - it is UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME and at the bottom of the screen is STOP: 0x000000ED and some other hex. XP was pre-installed so I don't have XP disks, but I did make a recovery DVD when the PC was new. I also have an Acronis Boot CD v8 and an Acronis image backup on a separate HDD (about 5 weeks old unfortunately - a lesson learned there). Before I try restoring to an old backup I'd like to try running CHKDSK /repair as recommended in this forum and elsewhere, but I can't get to a DOS prompt. When I select the Windows recovery console from the startup screen - whether I'm booting from HDD or the recovery CD - I get a SoftThinks HP PC System Recovery screen. It has four icons - selecting recovery options, hard disk preparation (this is highlighted in red), copying files, finalising recovery, but these are not selectable and after a few seconds a pop-up appears offering the choice of trying Windows XP built in repair features or continuing with recovery. If I choose restore I get a minimised window titled "restore" which can't be moved or resized. After about 5 mins of HDD activity I'm back to a "restore options" screen - if I select R, HP System Recovery launches again. If I choose to proceed with recovery, the only option is a reformat and clean install. I've also tried booting from the Acronis CD. Acronis TrueImage Personal launches, but I can't find an option to restore a single file - I thought of trying to restore BOOT.INI. When I try to create a secure zone on the C: drive it fails as a particular sector could not be read. I'd appreciate any suggestions for getting to a dos prompt so I can try to repair the boot sector or whatever is corrupted. If this isn't possible would the next step be to remove the HDD and connect it to a friend's machine so that I can try to save the document folder and emails?

07-29-2008, 02:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
kibakiri Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 56 OS: U know the OS tht was used in the USS Enterprise?	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume For a dos prompt, get an official windows xp disk, and (try) run it off there (It should be legal to use your friends win xp disk for tht i think)

07-29-2008, 02:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
davleed Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 4 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume Good idea - she does have an official XP disk so I'll try that.

07-29-2008, 02:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume Welcome to TSF. Yes, you need to borrow an XP installation CD (not recovery). Then: Start the computer with the Windows CD. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to select the repair option. You will have to enter the Administrator password - if none, just press <Enter>. In the recovery console - type chkdsk c: /r > press <Enter>. When the disk check is done: Type Exit > press <Enter>. Take the Windows disc out and reboot.

07-29-2008, 05:56 AM	#5 (permalink)
davleed Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 4 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume Thanks guys - It took a couple of hours to run chkdsk, and "percent completion" reverted to 50% a couple of times - but I was then able to launch XP normally. A full backup is currently in progress. Are there any follow up actions I should take? The other puzzle is why turning on a Yamaha Tyros keyboard caused a sudden power down of the PC. I guess that's more a question for a hardware forum. Thanks again, David

07-29-2008, 08:02 AM	#6 (permalink)
Deleted090308 Not... Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,272 OS: Xp	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume The "clash" leading to the shutdown may be recorded in a memory dump. Attach a few mini dumps in zip format to your post. The dump files are located in \Windows\Minidump. How to post an attachment. Also - it's a good idea to run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostic tools to make sure the hard drive is OK. Have a look in device manager >> disk drives. The HDD(s) will be listed there. "ST" means Seagate, "WD" means Western Digital etc. Click my team banner for links to HDD manufacturers' diagnostic tools. Last edited by Deleted090308; 07-29-2008 at 08:05 AM.

07-29-2008, 10:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
davleed Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 4 OS: Win XP SP3	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume Thanks for the suggestions eneles. I've checked the minidump folder and there's just one file, but it's datestamped a couple of weeks ago - there's no file for last night's shutdown. I've downloaded the Seagate HDD diagnostic tool as you suggest.

07-29-2008, 10:55 AM	#8 (permalink)
ewm Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 17 OS: XP sp2	Re: Win XP unmountable boot volume In an earlier post, you mentioned slaving the drive on another machine to recover files. I'd suggest that you do that before starting any type of work on the drive, particularly if the files are important to you. Better safe than sorry when it comes to hard drives.