Blue screen error: "Unmountable Boot Volume" (1 Viewer)

[todbnla]

My daughter's Dell laptop started doing this recently and it seems to be due to her unplugging it (no battery) without powering down. The problem is, to repair the problem you need the original win Xp cd which we had but due to katrina, it got washed out in 6 ft of flood water. I guess my only option is to call up pakistan and speak to a dell rep named "Bob" and order another win xp cd? I goggled this error message and it seems to be a common problem...? Any tips, its an Inspiron 8200 about 4 years old.



PLMK

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

That error message does indeed most likely mean that your harddrive has either damaged content on it (ie Win XP) or that the harddrive itself is broken. Without something fresh to boot from (a recovery CD or a normal Windows XP CD, for instance) you're not going to get that thing to start.

 

[SethH]

If you've never reformatted the HD there is a Dell Diagnostic partition on it that has a HD test. You'll probably still have to call "Bob," but he may be able to walk you through the dianostics to see if the HD is dead. If so, you'll need the XP cd and a new HD.

 

[todbnla]

UPDATE

START rant!!

Ok, I now know why so many people are bitching about Dell! I called them yesterday at 12:30 cst and spoke to the first person, explained the entire situation and was quickly transferred to person number two. Out of the five CSR's I spoke to, 2 were from the US and the rest from "outsourceville" I spoke to a Kevin, yeah right, a Chris, uh-huh, and a lady that spelled her name; "sugarlnd" , really, no joke! The last person was from the US and he was going to sell me a Win XP restore cd or the full xp cd. He could not figure out what I needed so I was put on hold and after 8 minutes on hold and the total time spent wasting time was over 45 minutes only to get a case number and to repeat my name, address and phone number 5 times!

END rant!!

So back to square one, I still need a disc just to diagnose the problem and see if I need to replace my HD.

WTF!

Any suggestions easier than calling them again?

As it appears to me:
If I can find a disc to use, I may be able to repair the files and reboot the machine, problem solved. OR: I need a new HD and I will need a full install of XP again, correct?

PLMK-Thanks!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Go to the Dell website from another PC. Input your machine's service code. Based on that it will show the warranty status, original configuration, parts, drivers, etc. You may be able to download the diagnostics files or order a replacement recovery CD - you'll probably pay shipping. I've gotten to the point where I'd much rather deal with the manufacturer's website, in most cases, then their employees. (Although the live on-line chat that some offer is not a half-bad compromise. At least you and the tech don't have to deal with mutually incomprehensible accents. And it helps maintain the illusion that the guy on the other side of the conversation really is named "Doug". )

Regards,

Joe

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

You might want to try this: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Not a recommendation per se, just an option that might be of some help. Of course, you need access to another machine with a CD-burner on it to create the boot cd.

 

[Rommel_L]

Todd,

Sounds like the hd is dying/dead. You're going to need to get a new hd and just borrow somebody's winxp disc if you can. Use the number in the sticker or your laptop.

 

[Bob_L]

This is one time when I think I'd try to call Microsoft. If you still have your Windows authenticity code, I'd hope they'd be willing to ship you a replacement disc, considering the extreme conditions which caused its loss.

 

[todbnla]

Good News:
I borrowed a relatives Win Xp cd and booted up to the diagnostics mode. After 45 minutes, I was able to boot normal and everything was fine, my hard drive is still working so thanks for the tips guys.