Inaccessible_boot_device

[Rich]

Hi,
I have a client who is running an IBM A21m (win2k). The
machine is at least a year old. Suddenly today, he is
getting a blue screen with error *** STOP:0X00000078
"inaccessable_boot_device". I don't believe he has
changed anything (he is not that technical). I cannot
boot the machine in safe or normal modes. Any
suggestions would really be appreciated.
Thanks
Rich

 

[Chris_9999]

these seem to crop up all the time. the most common causes are stuffed hdu &
stuffed partition table. got to microsoft.com and search for
inaccessable_boot_device
try booting to win98 disk/cd etc and have a look with fdisk etc

 

[Rich]

Hi Chris,

Good call - the hard drive had all sorts of problems. Ran
scandisk and it seemed to fix the problem. There were
file allocation and directory structure errors.

Unfortunately, when I got done, there were a number of
invalid files. Windows does not startup. With XP I can
do a repair, can I do the same thing with 2000?

Thanks for all of your help.

Rich

 

[William P.N. Smith]

scandisk and it seemed to fix the problem. There were
file allocation and directory structure errors.

You might want to run the manufacturer's full DOS-based diags on the
disk to ensure it's really OK, and not getting flakey. Any unusual
noises coming from the drive when it spins or seeks?

Unfortunately, when I got done, there were a number of
invalid files. Windows does not startup. With XP I can
do a repair, can I do the same thing with 2000?

Boot from the original installation media and chose the repair option.