Unmountable boot volume?

freakish light

Ok, so I restarted my computer today and I come up with this blue screen -- apparently I have an "unmountable boot volume." I googled the phrase and I came up with this solution: restart with the XP install disc, run the recovery console, and do a chkdisk.

The problem, which worries me a lot, is that when it comes to select the XP installation... my installation isn't on there. At this point I think I have a corrupt hard drive and I might have to reformat. I've made this decision hastily before, and I don't want to do it again, so I pose you this question, PAers. Is there anything else I can do, or is reformatting my last shot to use my drive?

Also, when I start Linux (Linux works fine, btw) when it attempts to mount the Windows NTFS partition, it tells me that it's not a valid NTFS format. Which seems to add weight to the theory that my partition is hosed.

Nakatomi2010

90% of the time I see this error at work it is related to a failing hard drive which needs to be replaced...

Also, if the partition is corrupt it wont necessarily find it...

Do chkdsk /r and reboot, should be good to go...

freakish light

Ok, so where should I try and execute a chkdisk? I figure I have to start the recovery console... and then what? Is there a way to try and do the whole disk rather than trying to look for a specific Windows installation?

FaceballMcDougal

chkdsk is going to check the hard drive

chances are you have a corrupt sys file... CLASSPNP.SYS or DISK.SYS

you could mash F8 and boot using debug mode to see exactly which file is screwed up (it will be the last one before the bluescreen)

but recovery console should be able to fix it for you

freakish light

I think it will, but it's not working.

I start up the recovery console, and it asks me to point to my current Windows installation. There's only one option, E:\Minint or something like that. If I try to run the recovery console on it, there aren't any of my files there, I think it's some kind of hidden system partition. So I'm kind of stuck, as I see it. I can't recover it if my system can't find it, right? Unless there's something I'm missing.

Nakatomi2010

Nono, that'll work actually... Probably an HP computer..... The MiniNT is their recovery parition....

You'll want to do Chkdsk C: /r and let it go to town... If after doing that it still doesn't cooperate then also try fixboot and fixmbr.....


More importantly I would try to get into the Bios and run the HDD tester, if its an HP....

freakish light

Actually it's an Acer laptop. It might work, though. I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

freakish light

It's working normally again. Thanks for helping me through my notorious hardheadedness when it comes to problems like this and helping me not do anything drastic.

Nakatomi2010

How old is the laptop?

freakish light

I think it'll be two years old this summer... so right around 1.5 years. I use it pretty heavily, though.

Nakatomi2010

Drives typically fail within 2 to 3 years. Run the diagnostic to make sure the hard drive is fine... Also start keeping good backups, otherwise you will be disheartened when it fails within one year...