Windows XP pro install problem

[Ducky]

Well I try to install windows XP pro and I get the BSOD Unmountable Boot volume error. I tried everything in the MS knowledge base answer. Used a different cable(80pin.. orginal one was as well but tried new anyway). I went to default bios settings, flashed to the newest bios, did the chkdsk/p and /f. Did the fixboot .. nothing works. I am using an MSI kt3 ultra motherboard and athalon 2200. I am using good corsair xms2700 ram. The drive is a Wester Digital special edition 8mb cache 80bg drive. I have been at it for 3 days now and nothing works. I ghost back to my win98se install and its fine. Use norton to check the drive and it passes without a hitch. Please help if you can.

[rangeral]

I don't know if you did this yet but go into bios and change the drive order to cdrom first instead of A or C drive.

[johny]

get the latest partition magic it's 7.0..then you can configure you're hd

[AllGamer]

Originally posted by Ducky
I ghost back to my win98se install and its fine. Use norton to check the drive and it passes without a hitch. Please help if you can.

so basically when running the Ghosted image of the Win98se on the same drive it's AOK, but when you run the WinXP Pro, of the image in the same partition, you are getting that error.

well it seems like WinXP Pro had a litte glitch when it is trying to compare the partition data recorded in its Hal, vs the actual partititons

you can fix that easily by just re-installing WinXP pro on top of itself so it can repair everything.

that's right, don't use the Console method of Repair.

just do a upgrade install (aka re-install)

problem solved :p

[Ducky]

err no guess I didnt explain it right.

I did a CLEAN install of XP Pro.. when it does its first..very first reboot after formating the boot drive with ntfs and coping the files .. it pops up a BSOD with Unmountable Boot Volume.

I have tried the different options from the MS database ..IE: swap out the IDE cable and turn down bios settings .. i also tried doing chkdsk /p and/f and fixboot under the XP recovery boot.


I still keep getting the same BSOD. I ghost back to using win98 and all is fine.. I check the drive with Nortons and it says there are no errors on the drive.

I have tried doing an "upgrade" install but it poops out some unable to access partition deal and stops the install.

[AllGamer]

OK, now i get your point

yes i did had a similar trouble with my HDD also.

it's not as much as an HDD problem

just a stupid thing with the way how Windows looks at the partitions

to fix that

you'll have to completely remove all the partitions, and make it into 1 big chunk then reformat

now windows will sees it properly.

and for as good as Norton or Partition Magic 7 is (i did use both), it didn't help.

But IRONICALLY :x after i did that
and repartitioned everything to what i wanted like 7 partitions.

Windows had no problem reading from it again, even with a brand new install.

so after that i immediately ghosted those images, so in case windoze craps out again, i wont have to go throught the trouble of having to do the full remove and reformat.

just get ghost and reload the ghosted image :t

[Ducky]

hmmm kinda thought that is what I did .. I had one unformatted partition. I let the XP install format it to ntfs. After which it copied the install files ..restarted and promptly went to BSOD Unmountable Boot Volume.

Are you saying that the partition I made with Fdisk should be deleted under the XP install and a new one made, then formatted?

[AllGamer]

to make the long story short
the easiest way might simply be to Low Lever format that HDD

then make 1 single partition and format

or make as many partition as you like then format.

now that will take care of the BSOD right after install, due not being able to see the Partition properly.

[Ducky]

yeah .. did that .. still got BSOD. I dont really understand cause it isnt a noname drive ... its the Special Edition Western Digital with the 8mb cache. I have a Seagate Baracuda 30gb drive here that I am gonna try inplace of the other. Sucks cause the current one is faster and 80gb but only thing I know left to try. The WD still checks out fine under 98se.

[Ducky]

it was the **** drive!! sucks cause the drive is a GREAT drive =(

[AllGamer]

That's very strange.

maybe the WD was defective some how

which i;ve seen happen before with other brands

where the HDD is good for storage, but not good for Boot.

try getting an Exchange for it
:t

[Ducky]

no it checks out fine and works great in win98 ...

[Chris1259]

Had some similar problems win xp pro try this you are gonna need 6 floppy disks have the system boot from the "a" drive and install xp from there. Worked for me

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290
Let me know

[AllGamer]

but what good will that do if you can't use it to boot WinXP ?

[Chris1259]

Thats exactly what it does do..it enables you to boot winxp from the a drive and install and partinion it from there

[Icculus]

I had a weird problem like this once. I set up the partitions in FDISK and let XP setup format the main partiton to NTFS (quick). Then it would reboot after the first part and give me the same error.

Problem was that I forgot to set the first partition as bootable (active) in FDISK. After I did that things were peachy.

[hyborn]

I can only sympathise with your pain, I had the same errors, except mine were down to dysfunctional RAM.

Seems all sorted now however.

(I sold the machine, not my problem :x )

[Ducky]

Errr well I installed it np on the crappy drive. Ghosted the install to my Raid array. Poped the good drive back in and ghost the image on to it. works dandy .. bleh go figure! Least as is well for the moment

[AllGamer]

well at least you got that going finally, i'll still rather get a new driver instead, just in case ;)

[Ducky]

Eh, i really think that it had to do with the way the drive was partitioned. Did it in someway that ticked XP off. That is really all that is different.


BTW, thanks tons to all of you for takin the time help out. Much appreciated.