XP Won't Boot

[timwescott]

Hello

I'm trying to fix a Dell Dimension 5150 with a 160Gb SATA hard disk that has the following problem.

It originally failed to boot with an "unmountable_boot_volume" error. I connected the drive via a USB adapter to a working PC, but the disk could not be read.

So, I pu the disk back in the original machine, booted to the recover console and ran FIXBOOT, which did not work and then FIXMBR, which also did not work. Prior to running the commands I didn't load the specific hard disk drivers, which may have compounded the problem!!! (That could have been a big mistake!!)

Now within the recovery console the hard disk shows as only 10Mb instead of 160Gb. I've read further articles but nothing seems to fix the problems.

Now the machine starts with the error "invalid boot sector" and does not even allow F8, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ArizonaGeek]

Sounds like a dead hard drive. There are a couple of things you can try though. Well, I guess that depends on if you need any data on the disk. If you are trying to get any data you can try putting the drive in a freezer bag and stick in a freezer for at least a few hours and see if the drive can be read.

If you don't need any of the data on the drive try Dariks Boot and Nuke to wipe the drive clean.

Beyond that there is little you can do. Honestly it sounds like a dead drive, check Dell for the warranty or if you need to buy a new hard drive you can get a 160 gig drive for less than $50 shipped from Price Watch or a much bigger drive for less than $100.

Good luck!

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!

 

[Guthro]

If it only reads as 10meg, maybe its a partition problem.
I'm not sure what version of O/S you have but the fact you can see 10meg means the drive isn't totally lost as if it was, you wouldn't see any size data at all.
Find the make of the drive and then visit their website. There are often useful utilities available.
Find the serial number too, the drive might still have some warranty cover.

My Feeblegirl.com Forum boards for mmorpgs, sport, fun, politics...

http://www.jediknightsforum.com

 

[firewolfrl]

It's reading the either the recovery console C:\ off the CD as the temp drive that is loaded into memory or it sees the restore partition on the drive...the second option is highly unlikely though.
the drive is dead and your only option is to send it to a lab or use the magnets as fridge magnets and platters as coffee cup coasters

you can try the SATA drivers but I think its may not work for you


good luck