keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 (edited) turned on the laptop and got a message on a blue screen that shows unmountable_boot_volume I have tried starting in safe mode and also last known configuration but have had zero luck...someone please tell me I will be able to recover my files edit: running XP home on a Dell Vostro 1500 Edited August 19, 2010 by keggerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 turned on the laptop and got a message on a blue screen that shows unmountable_boot_volume I have tried starting in safe mode and also last known configuration but have had zero luck...someone please tell me I will be able to recover my files edit: running XP home on a Dell Vostro 1500 See if this helps: 1.Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted. 2.When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console. 3.If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you must access from the Recovery Console. 4.When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER. 5.At the command prompt, type chkdsk /r , and then press ENTER. 6.At the command prompt, type exit , and then press ENTER to restart your computer. This takes a bit longer, but the system should boot back into Windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 See if this helps: 1.Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted. 2.When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console. 3.If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you must access from the Recovery Console. 4.When you are prompted, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER. 5.At the command prompt, type chkdsk /r , and then press ENTER. 6.At the command prompt, type exit , and then press ENTER to restart your computer. This takes a bit longer, but the system should boot back into Windows. the laptop had XP Home on it and I don't know if I can find the recovery disc (loaded when bought) but I do have XP Pro...can I use that instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 the laptop had XP Home on it and I don't know if I can find the recovery disc (loaded when bought) but I do have XP Pro...can I use that instead? Yes. All windows is doing is repairing the file system - you aren't copying any files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrumjuice Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 (edited) ... Edited August 19, 2010 by redrumjuice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 (edited) ... feel free to chime in Edited August 19, 2010 by keggerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 i found what I think is a recovery disc (labled Vostro and done when I had Panda)...have it in now and it is saying Loading Safe CD........._ but now it is just blinking at the underscore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 i found what I think is a recovery disc (labled Vostro and done when I had Panda)...have it in now and it is saying Loading Safe CD........._but now it is just blinking at the underscore The "Vostro Panda Rescue Disc" didn't work...i have put in the XP pro and it at least has me currently at Windows Setup...says it is loading files etc so I have my fingers crossed....I sure hope I don't lose my data files Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 i now have 1: E:\WINDOWS Which Windows installation would you like to log onto (To cancel, press ENTER)? _ I have no clue what to do now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 i typed 1 then when it asked for Admin PW I hit enter and it took me to an E\WINDOWS now what to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 What Tos gave you is good advice. PM H8. When I had a similar problem he sent me to a link that had good info. Mind you I had to re-install all the service packs and updates, it took hours, but it all worked well. Good luck, my friend! Wish I could help. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 (edited) i typed 1 then when it asked for Admin PW I hit enter and it took me to an E\WINDOWS now what to do? Sorry, keggerz. I had to leave for a mock draft. You need to do #5 and #6 on the list yet. at the prompt type chkdsk C: /r and press ENTER if You get this message: Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by anotherprocess. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) just type Y and press ENTER again. then type exit and press enter and windows will reboot. Upon reboot you'll see some diagnostic screens as it's checking the file system. It might take a while so go have a beer or five. When it's done it will reboot (hopefully) back into windows. Note: I'm assuming C: is your primary boot drive. Edited August 19, 2010 by tosberg34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Tos is giving good advice, but H8 I see you. Help a bro out! You are the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 Sorry, keggerz. I had to leave for a mock draft. You need to do #5 and #6 on the list yet. at the prompt type chkdsk C: /r and press ENTER if You get this message: just type Y and press ENTER again. then type exit and press enter and windows will reboot. Upon reboot you'll see some diagnostic screens as it's checking the file system. It might take a while so go have a beer or five. When it's done it will reboot (hopefully) back into windows. Note: I'm assuming C: is your primary boot drive. i figured out how to change from E:\Windows to C:\ ....I then typed: C:\CHKDSK /r it is currently doing its thing...i forgot to type in Windows so not sure if that will be an issue or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 i figured out how to change from E:\Windows to C:\ ....I then typed: C:\CHKDSK /r it is currently doing its thing...i forgot to type in Windows so not sure if that will be an issue or not If it's doing its thing then your good to go. Good luck and I hope this fixes your problem! Let me know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 still doing its thing....but slooooow.....just took 4 minutes to go from 57% to 58% completed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrumjuice Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 The more you mess with the install you had, the more likely you are too lose data. All vostro's are SATA harddrives and easy to remove, do you have a <4 yr old PC around? You could slave the laptop HD and pull the data off, worry about getting it running later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 still doing its thing....but slooooow.....just took 4 minutes to go from 57% to 58% completed finished @ around 2:30am and worked The more you mess with the install you had, the more likely you are too lose data. All vostro's are SATA harddrives and easy to remove, do you have a <4 yr old PC around? You could slave the laptop HD and pull the data off, worry about getting it running later. luckily it looks like i didnt lose any data....at least not the important stuff that i double checked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 Funny that I just checked my email and there is an email from Dell titled: 2-day sale on Dell laptops, desktops, more. and I am not even sure that is all that funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 finished @ around 2:30am and worked luckily it looks like i didnt lose any data....at least not the important stuff that i double checked Glad to hear it turned out okay. chkdsk usually takes a while so I'm not surprised it took so long. Also, chkdsk itself would not have caused you to lose any data as it was just fixing disk errors. You would have lost data only if the disk itself was dead (a hardware error) or the file system was completely corrupted. Even then, there are ways to extract your data. However, may I suggest getting a backup solution in place? Most people don't think of this until it's too late. Luckily, you were able to recover. There are many backup solutions out there for home users. Some are free and some aren't. I've used Acronis in the past to backup my files AND image my disk but I'm also using Windows 7 built-in backup and imaging functionality for some of my newer computers. You'll need to get an external disk to write to with the size depending on how many computers you need to back up. I prefer external drives to internal ones because in the event of a catastrophe to your house, you can just grab the external drive and run as opposed to having to grab the whole PC. Let me know if I can be of any further help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 nice work, tos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Funny that I just checked my email and there is an email from Dell titled: 2-day sale on Dell laptops, desktops, more. and I am not even sure that is all that funny Glad you got it running right and esp didn't lose any important data. P.S. Stay away from Dell laptops. Nothing but trouble, trouble I tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 nice work, tos Thanks, iats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrumjuice Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Good job tos... Keg was lucky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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