How do I troubleshoot boot freezes and UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME?

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Possible Duplicate:
How to fix UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME (0x000000ED) on my Windows XP DELL laptop?
How do I fix “Unmountable Boot Volume”?

I have my computer partitioned into 2 separate partitions. One for Vista and the other for Windows 7. This has never been a problem before. I have only used Windows 7 for a long time now and because I run various things on this desktop I have it running 24/7 and I give it a break every few days or so.

It was running fine when I turned it off for an hour or so then when I turned it back on I got a bunch of errors and nothing would respond on my desktop after logging on. I had to hard reboot it. After I restarted my computer would get stuck at the loading screen. I tried safe mode, it froze, I tried Repair Computer, it froze.

I tried the vista partition and I got blue screened with the following error. UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

Nothing works. Can someone please tell me what happened and possible solutions?

windows-7
windows-vista
partitioning
bsod
asked on Super User Oct 21, 2011 by Nick122 • edited Mar 20, 2017 by Community

3 Answers

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You can make or download system repair discs which will let you do basic repairs from a windows 7 system.

In this sort of situation, i'd start by booting up a linux livecd (i use some ubuntu varient, usually xubuntu) and

  1. force mount the partitions in question in linux, and attempt data recovery
  2. install gsmartctrl in the livecd and run smart tests. Compare values against this list
  3. attempt to do a repair of the install off a system repair disc - you could get a friend to make one. You might also considering getting a copy of the windows 7 installer from a friend and converting it into a universal install disc using the keys from your system

By this point you should

  • have your data copied out
  • know with a good level of certainty if your drive is ACTUALLY damaged
  • be able to fix a drive with logical but not physical corruption
answered on Super User Oct 22, 2011 by Journeyman Geek
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Do not assume that a HDD is bad, just because you see a blue screen.

Without making any assumptions, let's diagnose whether the possible causes exist:

  1. Check if the disk is still properly working, check SMART table and do an error scan. Back-up if not...

  2. Try to run chkdsk /r on the partition(s) and check if the I/O cables are connected properly.

  3. Do a memory test, ensure that there are no errors or else replace it.

  4. As a last resort, back-up your data then do a format and reinstall...

Try an installation medium and hit SHIFT+F10, an alternative could be Hiren's Boot CD with which you can do all of the above steps as they are all provided by Hiren's Boot CD...

answered on Super User Oct 21, 2011 by Tamara Wijsman • edited Mar 20, 2017 by Community
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If you boot from another disc, while having this drive in the system - it might be accessible, it might not. What I would recommend doing is getting a bootable linux system - check out debian live. You can install it on an USB pendrive and boot from it. Once inside, you would need a pair of tools like smartmontools (smartctl) and ntfs-3g. The first one will give you an overview of the drives SMART data, that is a good indicator of its health, while the second one will enable you to mount your NTFS partition. As suggested by Tom - you will need a chkdsk /F /R run over the drive/filesystem before mounting. All of this assumes some basic Linux literacy.

answered on Super User Oct 21, 2011 by XXL • edited Mar 20, 2017 by Community

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