RE: Windows XP Unmountable Boot Volume

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: S Vijay [MSFT] (svijay_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 10/13/04 

Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:41:37 GMT

Hi ,

You can resolve the issue by following the instructions in the KB article
given below:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;297185

or

"STOP 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" Error Message When You Restart
Your Computer or Upgrade to Windows XP
Article ID : 297185
Last Review : October 30, 2003
Revision : 1.3
This article was previously published under Q297185
On this Page
 SYMPTOMS
 CAUSE
 RESOLUTION
 STATUS
 MORE INFORMATION

SYMPTOMS
When you first restart your computer during the upgrade to Windows XP or
when you start Windows XP, you may receive the following error message,
where aaaaaaaa, bbbbbbbb, cccccccc, and dddddddd are hexadecimal numbers
that may vary:
STOP 0x000000ED (0xaaaaaaaa,0xbbbbbbbb,0xcccccccc,0xdddddddd)
UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

NOTE: If you receive this error message when you restart the computer for
the first time during an upgrade to Windows XP, your original operating
system still works correctly. In some cases, a message appears on the BIOS
report screen that states that the wrong cable is in use, but you may not
see this message on computers that have a fast startup time.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if either of the following conditions is true: •
Your computer uses an Ultra Direct Memory Access (UDMA) hard disk
controller, and the following conditions are true: • You use a standard
40-wire connector cable to connect the UDMA drive to the controller instead
of the required 80-wire, 40-pin cable.
• The basic input/output system (BIOS) settings are configured to force the
faster UDMA modes.
 
• The file system is damaged and cannot be mounted.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, use the appropriate method.
UDMA Controller
If your computer uses a UDMA hard disk controller, use the following
procedures: • Replace the 40-wire cable with an 80-wire UDMA cable.
• In the BIOS settings for your computer, load the 'Fail-Safe' default
settings, and then reactivate the most frequently used options such as USB
Support.

Damaged File System
If the second parameter (0xbbbbbbbb) of the Stop error is 0xC0000032, then
the file system is damaged.

If this is the case, restart the computer to the Recovery Console, and then
use the chkdsk /r command to repair the volume. After you repair the
volume, check your hardware to isolate the cause of the file system damage.

To do this, use the following steps: 1. Start your computer with the
Windows startup disks, or with the Windows CD-ROM if your computer can
start from the CD-ROM drive.
2. When the Welcome to Setup screen appears, press R to select the repair
option.
3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the Windows
installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
4. Type the administrator password when you are prompted to do so.

NOTE: If no administrator password exists, press ENTER.
5. At the command prompt, on the drive where Windows is installed, type
chkdsk /r, and then press ENTER.
6. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER to restart your
computer.For additional information about how to use the Recovery Console
in Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
314058 Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console
If this procedure does not work, repeat it and use the fixboot command in
step 5 instead of the chkdsk /r command.
STATUS
This behavior is by design.
MORE INFORMATION
The purpose of this behavior is to prevent potential data loss due to the
use of an incorrect IDE cable for the faster UDMA modes or due to continued
access to a drive on which the file system is damaged.

Note that a variety of issues can cause file system damage, from faulty
hardware to software configuration problems or viruses. You can run Chkdsk
/r at a command prompt to resolve the file system damage, but you may lose
some data.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Vijay S

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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