UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME - Please Help

[dinky73]

Hi

 

Today my computer switched on to show a blue screen saying Unmountable_Boot_Volume.

 

Technical Information *** STOP 0x000000ED (0x83359B08, 0xC0000006, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)

 

I have tried restarting in Safe Mode but it just takes me back to the blue screen.

 

Problem is I don't have the XP install disk anymore (no idea where it is). My PC is an old Time PC that is 10 years old, we got an XP disk about 5 years ago to update the operating system but it seems to have gone missing.

 

From what i can tell from searching you need the install disk to do any repairing. What are my options if I don't have it? I went on to the Microsoft site and they did have some kind of download for xp boot file or something. Is that of use?

 

I have a newish Dell pc downstairs which I am using now and the old Time was going to be replaced soon but there are a few files on there I would like back not to mention all my old emails and email adresses that haven't been backed up. I bought an external hard drive the other week and totally backed up the Dell pc but hadn't got round to the old Time one yet - typical!

 

Any help appreciated. I am a beginner so will need instructions but am willing to try anything to get it up and running.

 

Thanks

[maynardvdm]

Hi

 

That is normally (not always) a sign of a failing hard drive. One option (if you are gonna replace the pc anyway) is to connect the hard drive of the old computer to the new one and copy the data over.

 

Let us know if you need any help with that.

[samuria]

Take a look at When you restart your computer or upgrade to Windows XP, you receive the "STOP 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" error message as it may help as it says check the cables and any dma settings for the disk if there is any in the bios turn them off. You can boot from your Dell disk and run the disk checks but not a repair as it will be the wrong version

[dinky73]

Hi

 

That is normally (not always) a sign of a failing hard drive. One option (if you are gonna replace the pc anyway) is to connect the hard drive of the old computer to the new one and copy the data over.

 

Let us know if you need any help with that.

 

Hi

 

Last night a friend who workd in IT was trying to help me over the phone with a program called Knoppix. The plan was for it to work and then hopefully see my files and move them on to an external hard drive. We got the Knoppix software to load and it seemed to be working going through all checks but then we got a blank screen with a white x in the middle for a bit and then it said it was starting shutdown. It then popped out the cd and said close the cd drawer and hit return and then the whole thing just shut down - not what he was expecting to happen.

 

He also has a copy of xp home edition that he is posting me to see if loading that again helps (most of the repairs that can be done need the original xp install cd which I haven't got). It might not work but maybe it's worth a try.

 

Is it easy to link the 2 hard drives and get the data over? I wouldn be interested in trying anything. I just want to get my files off then bin the old pc.

 

What am I checking for in the BIOS settings? If you tell me what I have to do to get into them then I will do the necessary checks.

 

Many thanks for replying.

dinks

[dinky73]

Hi

 

By some stroke of luck I tried again with the Knoppix cd and this time it worked. I know have the Knoppix desktop and tray icons but have no idea what to do with them! I phoned my IT friend who directed me to where my files would be but it wouldn't let me in (some error message that I can't remember now). The only thing on the Knoppix desktop is a house icon with desktop underneath. When you click on that it takes you into the folder which says no sub folder.

 

I can click on the New Volume drive which is my USB drive and I can see all my stored files on there but there was another icon called somthing like 36.3 GB Volume and it wouldn't let me in - is that my hard drive from the old pc?

 

Not sure what to do now. My IT friend wasn't sure and he was at work so couldn't help futher. I've left it on my pc as I daren't shut it down incase it won't load again. Any advice? I've come so far so i hope I can retrieve something.

 

Thanks

[maynardvdm]

Hi

 

I am not very clued up about Linux, so i don't really know what you have to do.

 

The other way requires you to take the hard drive out of the old pc and connect to the new pc.

 

You can use something like this to connect the old hard drive to the new pc:

 

Dynamode 3.5" IDE Interface Disk Enclosure: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

[dinky73]

If it's any help to people who know Knoppix the error message was this

 

Unable to Mount device

Error org.freedesktop.Hal.Device.Volume.UnknownFailure

 

I right clicked and selected Mount Volume but the same error message came up.

 

Thanks

[samuria]

The hard drive is corrupt so Linux carnt mount it. It probably wont be seen if you connect it to another pc.

You need a xp boot disk. Boot from the disk and goto command prompt then type

fixboot c:

 

then

fixmbr \Device\HardDisk0

 

 

then

chkdsk c: / p

 

You may have to reboot back into the dos window off the cd between commands. When you have run them all try booting as normal if that fail boot from the lunux cd and see if that works

[dinky73]

Is an xp boot disk just the same as an xp install cd? I don't have mine but a friend should have posted me theirs yesterday so hopefully I will get it today.

 

Once I boot from the disk is it obvious how to "go to command prompt" and hoe do I "reboot back into the dos window off the cd". Sorry but as you cna see I am a novice and if I am going to do it I want to make sure I know what I am doing :-)

 

Thanks

[samuria]

Yes the install disk is the boot disk. Boot from it and select repair and recover consul. Then enter all the commands one after another and report back

[dinky73]

Hi

 

My friend sen me the cd but it was for xp pro instead of home edition. He said try it anyway and it does boot and then goes starts loading various drivers etc etc. It then stops and says Starting Windows and nothing happens, it just sits there. I went out for the afternoon and came back and it was still sitting in the same place. I've running Knoppix again and it still gives me an error when you try to get into my hard disk (it can't mount the file system).

 

Someone else suggested downloading an xp boot disk which I tried yesterday and that loaded and then gave me a black screen with A:

 

I tried typing the commands above but it said unknown command. when I typed chkdsk is said try typing scandisk so I did. It performed scan disk and basically said parts of the drive were damaged. I clicked fix it and it said it couldn't move the areas or something like that/ When you come out of scandisk you are just on the balck screen again with A: and a flashing cursor.

 

So in summary nothing has worked!

 

Would it help to get an xp home edition install disk? Maybe the Xp Pro one wasn't right.

 

Thanks

[Plastic Nev]

Hi,

I am afraid it now looks that the hard drive itself has failed. Scandisk reporting damage that can't be fixed tells me that. You will need to buy a new drive I am afraid.

[dinky73]

Hi

 

Thanks. We weren't going to keep the computer after all this, I just wanted to try and get in and retrieve some files. Looks like that's not possible. Many thanks for your help.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again, a couple of things for you to think about, if you get that hard drive container that Maynard linked to, you might be able to get the files you want by connecting it to the newer PC, however if the drive is beyond that, obviously you won't, but a specialist data retrieving company may be able to. However that will cost quite a lot.

 

If that is not an option, remember that the bad guys go searching for old computers to harvest personal info from their hard drives so even if you can't get at it, they might.

I recommend destroying the drive completely before scrapping the computer. A big hammer or a lot of holes drilled through it will do that.

Nev.