Cannot recognize file system on \??\

[JEM]

I have XP Pro running on a 4 boot system - 2 Win 2000, 2
XP Pro.
Running flawlessly for 8 months or so. Now, when I boot
in to the OS I use most often, I get a message 'can not
recognize file system on drive \??\' with a bunch of
cryptic number letter combinations following it. Check
Administrative tools, both application and system, no
error report, virus scan... nothing... boot into the
other 3 OSs, no message... No hardware changes or major
software installs / changes....

Any ideas?

Searched the news groups and the KB, nothing....

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

Could you, please post the error numbers that you are getting - thanks.

 

[JEM]

The screen flashes by so fast, I've booted about 10 times
and tried to copy the message to no avail...

Anyway, I've been playing around with it... Here's what I
figured out... seems like it's trying to read the file
system off a removable drive. (ZIP 750). Inserted a disk
in the drive and the system boots without the error
message!

Also, tried systen restore and it wouldn't restore to the
point it skips looking for the drive.

So, if this is the problem, what setting or file do iI
have to edit to have the system skip the drive in the
boot up process and get rid of the message?

-----Original Message-----
Hi

Could you, please post the error numbers that you are getting - thanks.

--

Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User


"JEM" <[email protected]> wrote in

message news:[email protected]...

 

[Malke]

The screen flashes by so fast, I've booted about 10 times
and tried to copy the message to no avail...

Anyway, I've been playing around with it... Here's what I
figured out... seems like it's trying to read the file
system off a removable drive. (ZIP 750). Inserted a disk
in the drive and the system boots without the error
message!

Also, tried systen restore and it wouldn't restore to the
point it skips looking for the drive.

So, if this is the problem, what setting or file do iI
have to edit to have the system skip the drive in the
boot up process and get rid of the message?



message news:[email protected]...

What boot manager are you using? It sounds like the boot manager has
become damaged.

Malke

 

[JEM]

The drive was partitioned with a disk utility. Boot
manager is the one in Windows - Each time you install an
OS it adds it to the list of OSs to boot into. The one
that appears in System Properties / Advanced / Start Up
and Recovery / Settings... Didn't think to look there at
the file, I'll check it out. Could it be a another file,
like boot.ini or something? Like I said, with a disk in
the drive, it boots without error. System runs fine...
NOTHING in the event log....

 

[Malke]

The drive was partitioned with a disk utility. Boot
manager is the one in Windows - Each time you install an
OS it adds it to the list of OSs to boot into. The one
that appears in System Properties / Advanced / Start Up
and Recovery / Settings... Didn't think to look there at
the file, I'll check it out. Could it be a another file,
like boot.ini or something? Like I said, with a disk in
the drive, it boots without error. System runs fine...
NOTHING in the event log....

It sure sounds like your boot.ini is incorrectly pointing to the wrong
drive. Post back with your boot.ini.

Malke

 

[Guest]

Nothing there... cheched out BIOS, too. Booted fine when
I got home... Ghost in the machine? Thanks for your
interest! Ill post again if it pops up....

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft
Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft
Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect