[Labyrinthus]

I was computing along in the usual fashion one day when my screen froze, shot a jagged twist across the entire screen image and then started to reboot. The 3 or 4 year old desktop Athlon PC that had minimal troubles since new now is stuck in continual reboot mode. I cannot boot into safe mode or any other mode. I can get to the screen to ask for 'safe mode' or 'last known good", etc. and I have tried most of them but they all proceed directly into reboot mode.

It had Norton antivirus running with signature update maybe one week old at the most.

Is there any way to get this PC healthy again?

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Hello Labyrinthus...

What is the make and model number of the machine (if it's OEM). Do you have the XP installation cd?

Have you tried booting to Safe Mode with Command Prompt?

wannabe1

Edited by wannabe1, 16 July 2006 - 04:39 PM.

[wannabe1]

Hello Labyrinthus...

What is the make and model number of the machine (if it's OEM). Do you have the XP installation cd?

Have you tried booting to Safe Mode with Command Prompt?

wannabe1

Edited by wannabe1, 16 July 2006 - 04:39 PM.

[Labyrinthus]

Yes, safe mode with command prompt goes almost directly to reboot, one of the other options would go to a light blue screen with some text few a few seconds and then start the reboot again.

I think my only hope is to boot off of floppy but what do I need to have on the floppy?

[Labyrinthus]

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

Is the error I get when I tell it not to reboot on failure

[wannabe1]

You can download the boot floppy set for XP HERE. Download the files for your installed operating system and save it to your desktop. Double click the downloaded file to start the application that will create the boot set...this will require six floppy diskettes.

Let me know when you have these ready and we'll see if we can use Recovery Console to get your machine running.

[wannabe1]

Do you have any USB devices connected...like a flash drive or an iPod?

[Labyrinthus]

FYI; tecnical ifo:*** STOP:0x000000ED(0x823D4900,0xC000000,0x00000000,0x000000)


ok...now...I am on my laptop which has no floppy drive. Can I burn this to CD and hope the old PC will look at the CD?

Worst case I can download to this desktop, burn to CD, load onto my 6 year old win98 PC (which can't talk the internet, copy to floppy, then boot my Athlon win XP desktop with the reboot problem.

[Labyrinthus]

no USB devices. mouse, keyboard, monitor...that's it.

[wannabe1]

Worst case I can download to this desktop, burn to CD, load onto my 6 year old win98 PC (which can't talk the internet, copy to floppy, then boot my Athlon win XP desktop with the reboot problem.

This is the best way to do this.

The procedure I have in mind will address the very error you are getting, but we'll need Recovery Console...which is on the boot set.

[Labyrinthus]

I also have "Application and Driver Recovery DVD" and "Operating System CD" ms win XP home SP2 for software reinstallation and repair only

the trick will be to make the pc read the things

[wannabe1]

Put the Operating System cd in the drive and shut down...not restart. Turn the machine back on and see if it will boot to the cd. We DO NOT want to start a recovery operation, so let me know of any choices you are offered if the machine boots.

[Labyrinthus]

It loaded!

press "r" for recovery console...right?

[wannabe1]

Yes!!!!

Then select the operating system to repair (by number).

[Labyrinthus]

It went to a C:\> prompt

?

[wannabe1]

Perfect! That's just what we wanted...

Type chkdsk /r and press "Enter".

You may be told the volume is busy and asked if you want to run the check on the next restart. If you receive this message, type Y and press "Enter". Remove the cd and reboot.

This check may take a while, but it should boot to Windows once it completes.

Let me know how it goes.