boot disk - sites?

13 years ago

My laptop crashed after installing silverlight (which was prompted to install while trying to watch a basketball game on site we regularly visit, the site had installed a new video system)

Now it will not boot up, I don't have a XP disk, which was installed on the unit when I bought it. I have read I can create a boot disk, but I don't know if any sites are safe that offer it. The other option is to buy a new XP and try to install it?

Unmountable boot volume - STOP 0X000000ED

I have XP on my PC. I tried to use one of the disks of back up I made, but I got the message that the version was not compatible with the XP on the laptop. I think that both are Home edition.

Any thoughts and recommedations are most appreciated. Thank you.

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Comments (15)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
when you try to boot in safe mode are you not able to use any of the options there,like last known good configuration? or any of the safe mode options? Tell us what happens when you try to use any of those safe mode options. Do you know how to try to boot in safe mode on that laptop? if not tell us the model. Try this info
Getting into Windows Safe Mode.
calirose
Original Author
13 years ago
If I use one of the commands (escape, F8,)they work. I can get to a screen that allows booting up by another means (floppy disk, CD, etc). However, I cannot boot it up in Safe Mode.
I tried restoring to a previous default. No good.
Set Up Utility had an HDD test, both the short test and long test passed.
I can reach a screen as if for C prompt; it is black screen with flashing cursor for about 3 seconds. Am unable to type there.

Does that information help?
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Try ravens advice. Here's how to do Safe Mode In case you need to. 1. Restart your computer. 2. When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows XP Advanced Options menu. 3. Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys. 4. Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode. 5. Try the defrag...
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Personally I wish everyone would either use a linux live cd or add Linux to their pc in a separate partition or use the wubi installer to put it into windows itself. At any rate it should be what everyone uses to do their day to day activities online, like surfing, going to forums, checking your web mail, anything like that should be done using linux and there would be much less infections happening. It is so easy to do and so easy to use for those simple chores there really is no reason not to do it. I never surf using windows anymore just too many websites that have been infected and are spreading nasty bugs. Surfing with linux no worries they can't affect you. There is on a daily basis normally nothing I have to switch over to my windows pc for. But should I need it for some of the programs that I use on windows then I do just that switch to that pc do my work there then go back to linux to hit the internet. Using linux to do that kind of simple stuff is a breeze. Plus if you already use firefox you wont' notice you are on linux since you will be using firefox there also. And you can save your bookmarks file from your windows firefox and import it to the linux firefox and have all your faves right there there. Running on live cd will be slower of course than installing it but it is great for starting out so you can see how to use it and not mess anything up. I put up that link to how to order the free cd just for that reason I wish everyone here would go ahead and order at least one to have on hand should your windows ever die on you at least with the live cd handy you can get in and save your files off. I am by no means a linux pro but I sure do know some so anytime anyone needs help please just ask and if I don't know the answer I will find someone who can help! They are very helpful people, and forums available. There is a somewhat new way to use linux on your windows pc using the wubi installer, this is included on the ubuntu and kubuntu live cd. With wubi you choose to install linux to your windows just as if it were any other type of program. Say like you are installing AVG it puts it in it's own folder then if you ever want to get rid of it you go to add remove programs and select it and hit remove. That is what wubi does, it installs linux in windows as a program in it's own folder and does not interfere with anything else on your windows system, if you decide you no longer want it go to add remove programs find it in the list and hit remove. You can select how large you want to let the linux folder be when you install it. here are a couple screenshots to show how simple it is. Screenshots WubiGuide This is yet another way to get linux using wubi Installing Ubuntu From A Windows System With Wubi so lots of ways to get it and use it with out messing with your windows area at all.
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ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
Do you happen to have AVG antivirus? they put out a bad update and many many people were affected, wondering if you could have had that happen. Most affected were windows 7 not sure what happens on xp. Here is an article on it
Horror AVG update
owbist
13 years ago
Do not go buying another XP CD, you do not need to do that at all. You should have, and probably still can, create a recovery CD but it seems like you already did that.

When you inserted the backup CD into the drive and rebooted what happened? You should have been offered the option to wipe and start squeaky clean or to do a repair install where nothing gets removed. did either of these choices get offered to you?
calirose
Original Author
13 years ago
I do have AVG, but the computer failed prior to 12/2. I believe I lost the laptop on 11/30. (My PC failed prior to thanksgiving, due to power supply which I ordered, and replaced just yesterday.)

The back up CD was for my PC. As I stated, the laptop stated that the version of XP I had on my HP PC was not compatible with the compaq laptop. I was not offered either of the options you mentioned owbist.
zep516
13 years ago
One option is to borrow a retail copy of any XP disk from a friend, recovery cd will not work, boot from it and enter the recovery console once in the recovery console at the command prompt enter chkdsk /r If that does not work you could try this command at the prompt type fixmbr

If you can't get a retail XP cd from a friend you can burn the recovery console to a disk and boot form it. See link for that.

How to create a bootable XP Recovery Console CD if there is no XP media available.

It's actually pretty easy to do, download the ISO to desktop, then using a burn tool burn it to disk. All explained in the link...

Here is a link that might be useful: bootable XP Recovery Console CD
genes
13 years ago
What brand and model....some laptops like Acer have a recovery partition which can be activated by key commands and put you right back to where it was out of the box...but of course everything loaded since then would have to be reinstalled
calirose
Original Author
13 years ago
zep516, I have downloaded the recovery file, I don't know if I need the ImgBurn suggested in the article. I have used the CD unit to back up files which is copy; How do I tell if my unit burns the CD as referred to?
zep516
13 years ago
Put the cd in a good computer, restart the computer and see if it boots from it.

It should boot to a black window with a c prompt. That's where you type in the commands----and hit enter on keyboard.

So at the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following then press Enter:
chkdsk /r

See what happens. If that command failed or does not work type this one in fixmbr

I always use a program called ISO recorder by alex freeman, it creates a right click option, so you right click the ISO file on the desktop, make sure you have the blank cd in and choose burn.

No guarantees here.....
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
you have to burn it as an ISO which is different from burning as a regular cd like you normally do, if you do not burn it as an ISO it will not work. Your burner may burn ISO check and see if you see the option to burn as an ISO on it.
calirose
Original Author
13 years ago
so far so good.
LT booted from recovery disk. Used chkdsk /r at c prompt. It's at a 58%, so I will check back with you soon.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
please do let us know how it works. I may have to do this to someones pc in the near future if they can not get a copy of xp.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
I was remembering another time we had that error here which ended with a good result, this was that thread
UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME Blue Screen
calirose
Original Author
13 years ago
First, thank you all. ravencajun, I especially thank you for your simple explanation of ISO. zep516 - exactly what I needed. I wasn't sure about 32 or 64; but went with 32 and if that hadn't worked would have gone back and gotten the 64.

I was able to boot up from the disk; got the c prompt and put in chkdsk /r. It found 2 errors and fixed them. Then I exited, and opened in safe mode. Itried to uninstall the Silverlight, but it has an error in it. I decided not to go to MS to correct it so that I could uninstall it, since the LT was working and I wouldn't be using that program. I went to start/turn off/restart taking out the CD and the LT started up and is working fine.

Now I am going to the post about AVG since that is on the LT and I don't want to go on line until I am sure I can without the bad AVG update.

Thank you all so much for your patience and explanations!
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
excellent work!! so glad you got it taken care of. I love success stories.

boot disk - sites?

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ravencajun Zone 8b TX

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