ext4

Hello all, hope you can help... especially since this is my dad's main business machine.

So, after my Mom restarted it when WordPerfect was acting wacked, my it showed a boot menu after the BIOS. Any selection goes to Windows XP loading briefly, and then hit up a BSOD.

It says UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME and the error code is as follows:
STOP: 0x000000ED (0x89EB19E0, 0xC000000c, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).

Been looking around with Google, found some Microsoft stuff and some forum threads, but not sure what it could be.

Also, I checked in the BIOS log, and there was a keyboard error listed today. Not sure how relevant it is, but we've had problems with that keyboard before.

Stuck an old version of Puppy Linux on my flash drive and got it to boot. Gparted wouldn't finish scanning, though. cfdisk said the boot flag was still on the NTFS partition. So... I'm not sure exactly what's wrong. Thinking about grabbing the XP disc and trying chkdisk.

And finally, some specs are:
Celeron 2.4 Ghz
1.25 GB RAM
2 Maxtor 80 GB HDD's
Intel integrated video

simpswr

and welcome to the Forum

If you have any data on the drive that you cherish, I would take it out and temorarily attach it in place of a CD/DVD drive in a working pc to salvage the data.

Then check it for errors

ext4

OK... not a bad idea. I might just see if I can boot from the Windows CD and do it... but fortunately I do have a 160 GB external HDD, so I can backup the data.

simpswr

Running chkdsk on a failing drive may result with total data loss

ext4

Yikexors. I'll be sure to back it up.

bonyolddoc

Running the first repair option from an XP CD (chkdsk /r) can result in a data loss? Hmmmm, I learn something new everyday. I can't say I've ever had it happen but it's better to be safe than sorry my old Pappy always said. What the hell causes the unmountable_boot_volume anyway? I've fixed it a milion and a half times but I never did figure out what caused it.

simpswr

The most common is data corruption in the boot sector which chkdsk can repair. It can also be damage in other areas as well

ext4

So... I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get that data backed up. The NTFS partition on the drive is obviously damaged. I made sure it wasn't just Puppy Linux's NTFS driver by plugging in my NTFS formatted external HDD and browsing through it fairly snappily.

The NTFS partition on my dad's hard drive? I couldn't even get a Rox (Puppy Linux file manager) window to come up for it a while ago. The thing has a problem.

And... the other computers in this house that would be capable are my old 500 mhz desktop (no OS at the moment), and three laptops. Unfortunately, my external HDD is 2.5", but the desktop HDD is 3.5".

Any recommendations?

simpswr

Have you done this?

ext4

Well, that's the problem. I don't really have a working PC that I can stick it in. I could stick Puppy Linux on my old desktop again and put the drive in there, but I don't see what difference that would make since Puppy doesn't really like the damaged partition when running it on my dad's computer from my flash drive.

simpswr

How aout the computer you are posting on now?

simpswr

How about the computer you are posting on now?

ext4

Double post!
Sorry I haven't gotten to check this for a while. Unfortunately for this, my computer is a laptop (Dell Inspirion 1501).

simpswr

Why unfortunately??

ext4

Because the HDD is 3.5" and the laptop uses a 2.5 inch drive, like most. And I don't have a 3.5" enclosure.

simpswr

I C . . .

ext4

Well, my plan right now is to back up the data of the identical hard drive in the computer using Puppy Linux from my flash drive (not a backup drive though, just happened to be the same model as the one that Dell stuck in there), install Windows XP on that drive and see if I can access the damaged NTFS partition or try to repair it with some free tools from that WinXP installation. I Had tried use BartPE from USB, but it loads and then just reboots. Arg.

Will post the results of the plan once executed.

This would have been soooo much easier if the stuff was backed up on that original drive.

ext4

simpswr

Sounds like a plan . .

bonyolddoc

Yes, it sure sounds like it's been made to be a real complicated task. I don't know what the odds are that there could be a total or even partial data loss but until it was mentioned in this thread that it was possible, it never even occurred to me. I have routinely run the chkdisk /r utility from a cd to correct unmountable boot volume over five years and to the best of my recollection have never experienced data loss. After running the chkdsk I run the second repair and it has always worked out fine. Maybe I have been extremely lucky (God protects fools, children and Englishmen), I don't know but it just seems to me that a relatively simple and straight forward task that should take no more than an hour has been made very complicated.
Having said that (and I am sure to catch Hell for it), I will say that I am going to be aware of the data loss factor in the future. Is it going to stop me from doing chkdsk /r? No, I don't think so. I'll keep doing it as long as it keeps working for me. I do have options for getting the data back if the worst should happen though.
It's your data and your call though.

ext4

@bonyolddoc
Thanks for the info and experience sharing. Good to know it's gone well for you. What do you usually run chkdisk from, though? Your XP CD? Excuse my ignorance, but I haven't booted from an XP disc since my clean install last summer.