Inaccesible boot device error

[jskamm]

Please help! I was my updating my computer with a win2000
patch and when I rebooted received a screen
saying "inaccesible boot device, stop: 0x0000007B,
etc.....". System which is running win2000pro on a dell
machine was running perfect before the update. Now, when I
reboot, win2000 splash screen appears, progress bar goes
approx 3/4 of way, then screen freezes and the inaccesible
boot device screen appears. I'm trying to retreive the
data from the HD. I'm able to boot to the win2K recovery
console and use the commands listed. However when I invoke
the "dir" command get "an error occurred during directory
enumeration". Is this an OS problem, HD failure problem or
what. If anyone can help I surely would appreciate it.

 

[George Hester]

Can you be more specific on the update you installed and where you obtained it from? Was it part of the Windows Update service either at the site or using the Automatic Update tool? There is a history at the Windows Update site you can look at if you are unsure.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Please help! I was my updating my computer with a win2000
patch and when I rebooted received a screen
saying "inaccesible boot device, stop: 0x0000007B,
etc.....". System which is running win2000pro on a dell
machine was running perfect before the update. Now, when I
reboot, win2000 splash screen appears, progress bar goes
approx 3/4 of way, then screen freezes and the inaccesible
boot device screen appears. I'm trying to retreive the
data from the HD. I'm able to boot to the win2K recovery
console and use the commands listed. However when I invoke
the "dir" command get "an error occurred during directory
enumeration". Is this an OS problem, HD failure problem or
what. If anyone can help I surely would appreciate it.

To retrieve your data, install your hard disk in some other
Win2000 machine as a slave disk, then copy the data
across. You might then want to review your backup strategy.
Are you happy to risk all your data just because of one small
malfunction?

 

[jskamm]

The update was part of windows update service. I have
seven other computers running the same os and I completed
the same type of update on those machines and there
running fine. Plus, how can I check a history if everytime
I boot the system I get the inaccesible boot device error
message. But anyway, checking a history log is not my
problem right now. I'm trying to gain access to my HD. Any
thoughts on that.

-----Original Message-----
Can you be more specific on the update you installed and

where you obtained it from? Was it part of the Windows
Update service either at the site or using the Automatic
Update tool? There is a history at the Windows Update
site you can look at if you are unsure.

 

[jskamm]

Thanks. Is there somewhere I can get instructions on how
to install a slave drive? Also, if I install as a slave
will the new computer boot up? If it does boot up, how
will I be able to gain access to the slave drive. Won't I
be getting the same error message, "inaccesible boot
device"? I appreciate your help. FYI, I'm updating our
backup procedures immediately. Thanks again.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Here is what you do to install your hard disk as a slave
drive in some other PC:
1. Remove the problem disk from its PC.
2. Read the jumper table on the PC case.
3. Move the jumper from the Master position to
the Slave position.
4. Open up another Win2000 PC.
5. Connect a power cable to the problem disk.
6. Identify the ribbon cable that drives the master disk.
7. Plug the second connector on this ribbon cable into
your problem disk. Make sure that the marked side
of the ribbon cable is adjacent to the power cable.
If you get it wrong then nothing will work, but nothing
gets damaged either.
8. Reboot your PC and let your BIOS find the new disk.
9. Reboot the PC into Win2000.

After the second reboot, Win2000 will start. You will not
get the "Inaccessible boot device" error, since you're
starting a working copy of Win2000. You can now see your
problem disk, possible as drive D:.

After you have saved your data, you can try to recover your
defective Win2000 installation. Assuming that drive C: of
the problem disk is now visible as drive D:, try this:
- Launch Explorer or My Computer
- Navigate to d:\WinNT\System32\config
- Rename the file "System" to "System.bad"
- Rename the file "System.alt" to System

You can now remove the problem disk from your other
machine, restore the Master/Slave jumper, then try it on
the problem machine.

By the way: If you have 7 PCs then it would be a trivial
exercise to network them and to back files up across the
network. This would eliminate your current "single point of
failure" to some extent (except in the case of theft, fire or
damage by high voltage injection).

 

[George Hester]

What I was asking is the update that you installed. I suggested the history log if you were unsure of it. But I understand what you said about not being able to access that history if the machine will not boot. Hey I make mistakes too. But one mistake I rarely make is not knowing exactly what I install.

 

[jskamm]

Again, I want to thank you for all your assistance. I'll
try your instructions asap. And by the way, all my
computers are part of a workgroup and networked, but my
network administrator quit. So I'm flying by the seat of
pants. I'm learning as I go along here. Again, I really
appreciate your help.

Thanks,
John Kammin
Regit, Inc.
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

If your network administrator allowed important files
to reside on a single PC, without daily backup, then
it's probably a good thing he left.