XP Unmountable boot volume

[Digitalfox]

Hi..

I'm sorry to put in topic title the " Urgent " but this is really a urgent call for help, since she has data not backed up that she was working at the crash moment..

My cousin computer running XP SP3 Pro just died with the 0x000000ED Unmountable Boot Volume BSOD at booting...

She has a SATA disk..

Meaning that when I insert XP SP3 Pro CD it recognizes the disk but says it's empty, I guess that I need to run the MBR fix on command line.. But the CD not recognizing any files in the disk and not finding windows files, jumps to the partition creating deleting menu..

I have been trying to make some USB pen load at bios boot to somehow fix the MBR, but with no luck since it detects the USB pen at bios and the bios is configured to start from any USB pen connected, but since the disk is in NTFS it's been hard to find a way to fix the mbr, cause most tools that run from a USB pen don't work with NTFS only fat32 or fat..

Any help is deeply appreciated..

I have run all the options that came to my head..

I'm sure I'm missing some amazing tool that somehow I'm forgetting, but oh well....

Thank you :)

Edited November 8, 2009 by Anaron
Edited title + description.

[Karl L.]

Do you have access to a Windows Vista\7 installation disc? It will be able to read a SATA drive no problem. If so, you can rewrite the bootsector for XP from the command line by using "bootsect /NT52 C:", assuming that the hard drive is mounted as drive C.

I'm not entirely sure that rewriting the bootsector will fix your problem. It sounds like it could be a bad hard drive. If you have access to a Fedora\Ubuntu live cd you could try using Palimpsest Disk Utility to verify the hard disk with SMART. Also consider doing a chkdsk from your Vista\7 live cd if you have not done that already.

Edited November 8, 2009 by xorangekiller

[+allan MVC]

If you get that message when you insert a cd you are not booting to the cd. You need to put the cd at the top of the boot order in bios. And you do not fix the MBR from within the bios, you do it from a command line. I know you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, but it's very clear that's not the case. Just ask the questions and we'll be happy to help ;)

[lt8480]

First take out the drive and connect to another pc then backup the files.

[Pam14160]

If you can download a copy of Ubuntu (or other Linux distro) do so then burn the ISO to disc. Next run the disc (do not install) as a demo. This will give you access to any drive that is not corrupted. If you are able to see the HDD that is the problem use Ubuntu to move the files to another HDD (external or internal).

Chances are the Hard drive is dead. Good luck.

[Digitalfox]

If you get that message when you insert a cd you are not booting to the cd. You need to put the cd at the top of the boot order in bios. And you do not fix the MBR from within the bios, you do it from a command line. I know you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, but it's very clear that's not the case. Just ask the questions and we'll be happy to help ;)

Actually I do know what I'm talking about :)

I just typed to too fast without rereading what I typed, meaning I made the mistake of not making much sense, sorry about that... :)

Ok second try..

So you guys know that XP by default without using nlite or any driverpack integration doesn't support Sata disks at install..

What we do is use the F6 at install and insert a disk with SATA drivers.. And also normally after a XP installed in a SATA disk XP CD will detect the disk and support command line to fix master boot record errors or copy missing boot files...

That was why I was referring to fact it's a SATA disk...

And the fact that XP CD doesn't allow me to use the command line from the CD, since it jumps to the menu of partitions after loading the basic drivers telling me that the size of the disk is the same of free space, meaning MBR is probably corrupted..

Also what I mean when I say that I'm trying to use a USB pen, is I'm trying to boot from USB with tools that allow me to fix any boot errors, like running the fix mbr and XP CD command line support, the problem is that few tools support NTFS mostly just FAT32 or FAT ( FAT16 )...

I am able to boot from the USB, since I already changed BIOS to start from USB instead of HDD or CD-ROM

Again sorry for the fast typing and few sense I made i my first post, but I had her at my back screaming she lost her files..

[lt8480]

... but I had her at my back screaming she lost her files..

Unless she is in your bed OR (not AND*) a family member - it is her problem that she lost her files.**

*if AND then perhaps it's gods fault she lost her files.

** oh and sorry for being crude just I hate whiny people.

[Karl L.]

How was XP originally installed on the computer? Either the manufacturer (or whoever installed it) had a disc with the SATA driver integrated, it was imaged with the driver, or the hard disk was put into AHCI compatibility mode. Check your BIOS; if your motherboard supports compatibility mode try using that.

For the record, I still think that you are best off checking if the hard drive is dead from a Linux live image, and possibly backing up the files that way too.

[Digitalfox]

Unless she is in your bed OR (not AND*) a family member - it is her problem that she lost her files.**

*if AND then perhaps it's gods fault she lost her files.

** oh and sorry for being crude just I hate whiny people.

Unfortunately I have to agree with you, people don't make backups and then stuff like this happens...

And yes like the 1000 time I told her to do weekly backups, but " Oh it's boring ".

And the person fixing it is almost the culprit in there eyes for not recovering everything...

But oh well it's family got to do the right thing and try my best to recover her Windows :)

How was XP originally installed on the computer? Either the manufacturer (or whoever installed it) had a disc with the SATA driver integrated, it was imaged with the driver, or the hard disk was put into AHCI compatibility mode. Check your BIOS; if your motherboard supports compatibility mode try using that.

For the record, I still think that you are best off checking if the hard drive is dead from a Linux live image, and possibly backing up the files that way too.

It was installed with SATA drivers integrated, while it wasn't me that installed XP, the guys at the store where she goes for repairs asked me some months ago to make them a CD with that, so I suppose it's the same disc used here..

Her disk is just some months old, having lost one already six months ago..

But I'm using the same ISO that I gave those guys..

But I'm going to follow your advice and try using a LINUX distro live CD, to see what I can find in her Windows partition..

And now that she isn't screaming anymore and I'm allowed to think more calmly I'm thinking on using SpinRite...

[+Warwagon MVC]

So the this one is an easy fix

all you have to do is preform a chkdsk /f c: on the drive.

I'd recommend creating a bartpe disk. Then go into the bios and change the sata drive type to IDE (Jus don't forget to change it back when you are done). Then boot the bartpe and preform the chkdsk. Or if possible take the drive out and connect it to another windows machine and preform the check disk from there. All though that will most likely fix the problem you ahve to wonder what caused the problem in the first place. Usually its a bad sector. So it might not be such a bad idea to do a sector scan on the drive with a program like spinrite just to make sure the drive is running like it should.

Not quite sure what all the talk in this thread is about the MBR needing to be fixed. An unmountable boot volume BSOD is almost always a corrupt NTFS partion. Nothing to do with the MBR.