unmountable boot volume..could use some help

[Guest]

ok..so I have this error of unmountable boot volume
0x000000ED(0x84352030,0xc60000006,0x00000000,0x00000000) and I've searched
around this forum on how to fix it..I have not had any luck..I *do not* have
any Windows xp discs for this desktop..I tried using the disc from my laptop
but it said it was not configured for it so it would not read it...i cannot
get into safe mode..rebooting just brings me back to the same error screen..
I can getinto advanced options thru f8, but nothing seems to work...Can
anyone out there walk me thru steps to correct this?..I'll use system restore
as a last resort but i have information, files i really need to save so can I
connect my laptop to my desktop and access, my documents, my pictures, etc.?
Thank you.

 

[Bob Harris]

If you do not have the XP CD, then do you have a "system restore" CD, one provided by the PC maker (e.g., Dell, Gateway, etc).

If yes, then check the documentation on how to use it. It **may** support some sort of repair, short of wiping the hard drive and reinstalling XP from scratch. You might also do well to check the support website for the PC brand.

But, if none of that applies, you could download the so-called "setup disks" for XP. These are a multi-floppy set of images, that write themselves to floppies. Then you boot the PC from them (in order) and they load the XP recovery console into memory. From there you will have a few options to fix things, including master boot record, boot.ini and a few other things. If your PC has no floppy drive, check the BIOS setup otpions to see whether it can boot from an external USB floppy drive; they are pretty cheap.

Link to setup disks:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

Be sure to get the correct version and flavor of XP.

Links on how to use the recovery console:

http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxprcons.htm
http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy33.htm (near bottom)

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_rec.htm

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058

Note that the recovery console can all be run from an XP CD, but it may check for the PC's administrator password. If it asks for one, try just hitting return, unless you happen to know the password, then use that.

Another alternative is to use a windows 2000 CD. It also has a recovery console, but may be less fussy about passwords.

link about 2000 recovery console: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229716

An alternative to the boot floppy set is the get an XP CD of the correct version and service pack and try running the recovery console from that. BUT, do **not** attempt a "repair" installaiton of XP from any CD that did not come with the PC, or you may run into activation problems. "repair" is definitely **not** the same as "recovery console".

Another alternative is to make a Bart's PE CD on another PC and hope that it works on yours. The Bart's CD will boot the PC into a "lite" version of XP, that is much friendlier than the recovery console.

link to Bart's: http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

yeh, well the disks from
the laptop are likely
the manufacturer
restoration disks.

you will need a windows
setup cd to fix the problem.

anyone's windows setup
cd can help as it is a relatively
simple fix for this major
problem that happens on
occasion.

here are the instructions:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555302

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