Jump to content

Welcome to Geeks to Go - Register now for FREE

Need help with your computer or device? Want to learn new tech skills? You're in the right place!
Geeks to Go is a friendly community of tech experts who can solve any problem you have. Just create a free account and post your question. Our volunteers will reply quickly and guide you through the steps. Don't let tech troubles stop you. Join Geeks to Go now and get the support you need!

How it Works Create Account
Photo

Windows XP not starting up: UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME


  • Please log in to reply

#1
nowthatwasfun

nowthatwasfun

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 10 posts
You guys were so helpful last time, I figured you'd be able to help again. Here's hoping I'm posting this in the right forum.

This time, it's my PC. It's a refurbished Dell with XP (I don't have the XP disk). I've had it for nearly two years, and it was getting really slow. I came home from work yesterday to find that it was displaying a BSoD on start-up, and it said UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME. My mother told me that it had stopped working that morning.

She told me that she'd been turning it off with the power button instead of shutting it down and that when she turned it off the night before it stopped working, she heard a popping sound. We've restarted the computer several times, once in safe mode, and it's still displaying that blue screen every time it starts up, right after the Windows loading screen.

I read the BSoD STOP codes post, but I didn't really understand it, so I was hoping maybe someone could explain it to me, or let me know if it's even worth it to try to fix. I've been thinking of just getting a new computer.
  • 0

Advertisements


#2
mirjel

mirjel

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 246 posts
Hi nowthatwasfun,

The dells have an express hard drive diagnostic utility (f12 on the dell logo, select ide diagnostics). If it is a hardware issue, it usually fails on that test especially with that unmountable boot volume. If it passes boot to the windows xp cd, press R on the welcome to setup screen type in chkdsk /r that fixes most unmountable boot volumes.

hmmmm and if it fails on the ide test, call dell tech support and have it replaced.

Regards,
  • 0

#3
nowthatwasfun

nowthatwasfun

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 10 posts
I hit F12, but there's no "ide diagnostics" available. There's Normal, Diskette Drive, Hard-Disk Drive C:, and IDE CD-ROM Device.
  • 0

#4
mirjel

mirjel

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPipPip
  • 246 posts
Ok. Go to Command Prompt and type chkdsk /r and see what will happen.

Regards,
  • 0

#5
123Runner

123Runner

    Member 4k

  • Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 4,527 posts
You will need a XP cd of the same type (home or pro). Borrow it if you can.
And boot in to the recovery console.

Follow the following: http://www.daniweb.c...hread41835.html

http://msgoodies.blo...on-windows.html
  • 0

#6
nowthatwasfun

nowthatwasfun

    Member

  • Topic Starter
  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 10 posts
Thank you for the link! I'll see if one of my friends has their disk. Hopefully, this works. My mother's lost without her Solitaire. ^.^
  • 0






Similar Topics

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

As Featured On:

Microsoft Yahoo BBC MSN PC Magazine Washington Post HP