Re: XP Pro won't boot, safemode won't help, recovery console doesn't h
- From: "Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:15:56 -0400
"Paul Yeoman" <Paul Yeoman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:EDD041CB-7CDE-4035-96C2-0A9C3AF283BD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi all, I have a desperate problem with my XP Professional system not
booting.
Background info: Win XP Pro installed on a 300GB SATA drive, file system
is
NTFS. When trying to boot it gets to the standard Windows logo and after
~20
secs it flashes up a BSOD (for well under a second so I can't read it) and
restarts.
I've tried all the various options accessed via the F8 key plus all the
safe
mode options. In safe mode it gets to loading mup.sys and then restarts
(I
am informed that this doesn't mean that mup.sys is the problem).
I tried to do a repair install but that option wasn't there (only a
complete
new install, which AFAIK would wipe the drive). I can access the recovery
console using the CD, but I can't do much with it. For example, the Dir
command is unable to enumerate the files, ChkDsk won't run, and FixBoot
tries
but fails, saying that the boot sector is corrupt. The Map command lists
the
disk, but shows its drive letter as '?'.
BTW, it takes well over half an hour to even access the recovery console,
as
the system takes ages at the "examining disk" stage. Maybe this is
because
it's an SATA disk?
The BIOS definitely recognises the disk though. No hardware changes have
taken place and no hardwar errors are reported (via SMART monitoring,
etc).
The only software change was some Windows auto-update which I installed
(July
14th 07), though I can't say for sure that it's relevant to this.
Now I also have another, 60GB standard IDE disk in my machine which I use
as
backup. This has XP Pro installed on NTFS. If I change the boot order in
the BIOS I can boot into this installation and it can see my main disk in
'My
Computer'. However it won't allow me to access the disk - it says
something
to do with 'I/O Error'. I have installed the driver (viasraid.sys) which
should allow me to access the SATA disk.
Anyway, despite having a backup drive, I haven't used it regularly thus
there is no backup of the last few months - data I *need* to get at. I
would
imagine that the data is still intact, seeing as the disk can be accessed
and
the OS does start to load.
To summarise: Main install of WinXP Pro on SATA disk won't boot, safemode
etc no help, recovery console no help, disk can be seen but not accessed
via
other WinXP Pro on same machine. What can I do?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Paul
"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23dBnqe4xHHA.3724@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is probably the best post on this type of subject I have
read for a long, long time. Unfortunately the quality of your
post does not make it any easier to resolve your problem.
I suspect the key lies in the "I/O Error" you mention. If this
was my machine then I would boot it with a Bart PE boot
CD, then try to access the problem disk. Since it takes a
fair amount of effort to create such a CD, you might want
to copy one from a friend.
If this does not work then you may have to ask a data
recovery company to assist.
I suppose you're aware of the urgent need for you to review
your backup philosophy. A 2.5" USB disk would be a
low-cost but highly effective backup medium that you could
use each week for an automated backup run.
"Paul Yeoman" <PaulYeoman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:895DD232-A463-42A3-ABCC-4ADD18708FAF@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for the fast response, Pegasus.
I've had a quick look into the Bart PE software and I'll try it out when I
get home tonight.
And yes, my backup policy does need revising ;-) I've had a look into
online storage and I'll see about the USB disk idea too. So far I've only
been making backups as and when I think to do it.
One thought occurred to me just now - might the master/slave state of my
SATA drive affect whether it can be read from the other drive? Seeing as
it's my main drive I suppose I'd have the jumpers set to 'master'. Also
it's
managed by a RAID chip (I think) so it's not on the same IDE connector as
the
other drive.
I'm hoping that the files are accessible because to get as far as it does
it
must at least recognise the presence of the OS, and it gets through
loading a
good number of drivers before giving up.
Cheers,
Paul
"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23PoCGK5xHHA.4736@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
If you had IDE disks then you could play with jumpers to change
the master/slave configuration. You could also boot the machine
with a Win98 boot disk, run ntfsdos.exe and access your data
files in this way. However, since your disk is a SATA disk, these
options are not available to you.
Your reasoning about the recognition of the file system is sound,
hence a Bart PE boot might save you. Unfortunately it takes
time to make one.
Paul:
Let me add a few thoughts to Pegasus's suggestions in the event you're
unable to immediately resolve your present problem following his
recommendation...
1. While this will not resolve your problem at this point, do download the
HDD diagnostic utility from the website of the manufacturer of your SATA HDD
and check it out. The fact that the disk is recognized in the BIOS and no
SMART negative reports have been forthcoming are *not* absolute indications
that the drive is non-defective. It's quite possible that a defective drive
is at the root of your problem. At least try to ascertain this one way or
another at the outset.
2. We're assuming, of course, as you infer, that prior to this problem
occurring the system booted without incident and functioned without any
problems at least insofar as your SATA boot drive was concerned. (It's not
clear whether you had previously experienced any problems re your secondary
PATA HDD although I take it that since it apparently boots without incident,
there's no problem with that drive.) But that the problem arose
"out-of-the-blue" so to speak - notwithstanding the incidental installing of
some recent MS critical updates. That's right, isn't it? The system worked
just fine until one day this problem just arose?
3. Was (is) the XP installation CD you were using to undertake a Repair
install of the OS the same CD (or a slipstreamed one) that was used to
install the OS in the first place? Is this an OEM machine? I assume this is
a desktop machine, right? When you do boot to the XP installation CD that
you're using with *only* your SATA HDD connected, there's no indication that
the system cannot detect an installed HDD is there?
4. You've indicated that you were able to access the Recovery console even
though it took an inordinately long time to do so and then you invoked the
dir & chkdsk commands but that neither would run. What precisely happened?
Any error messages or just nothing?
5. Assuming your SATA HDD is non-defective, have you checked it out to
ensure that its data cable (as well as its power connector) is securely
fastened both to the disk and the motherboard's SATA connector in the case
of its data cable? Have you tried connecting the drive to another one of the
motherboard's SATA connectors?
6. What happens when you boot to your PATA HDD with the SATA HDD connected?
Have you accessed Disk Management to see if the SATA HDD is listed there? If
it is, any drive letter assigned or can you assign one if not assigned? Is
the SATA HDD listed in Device Manager in the "Disk drives" section?
Anna
.
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