The above does not work if you have Windows XP and have installed a service pack over it - I tried it. I sent a note to Microsoft that I was not able to install recovery console with SP2 installed.

Next up, found there are bootable floppies available for those that do not have their cd. You can do a find on Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install or something like "Windows XP SP2 setup disks" while on Microsoft.com web page. You can click the link provided if it still works! Download the program, run it and build the six floppy disk set which I plan on using after attempting a simple "boot to XP on hard drive from a floppy" to determine if there is an issue with boot files.

The particular problem with this PC can be looked up on the internet... do a search on the problem there are plenty of resources (Unmountable boot volume). I have access to various resources other than the internet and here is a general list of "STOP" errors.

For the "Unmountable boot volume" stop, appears recovery console installation might best suite me. The vendor indicated the computer was okay which tells me there is something with either a virus or bad boot file on the hard drive.

The following suggestions are specific to Stop 0xED errors. 

*If using higher throughput ATA disks and controllers, those capable of 
data transfer rates above 33.3 megabytes per second, replace the standard 40-
pin cable with an 80-pin cable. Using an 80-pin cable is optional for transfer 
rates up to and including 33.3 megabytes per second, but is mandatory for 
higher transfer rates. The additional grounded pins are required to avoid data 
loss.

*Some firmware enables you to force higher transfer rates even when you 
are using the incorrect cable type. Your firmware might issue a warning but 
allow the startup process to proceed. Restore the default firmware setting for 
ATA cable detection.

*Problems that cause 0xED errors might also cause Stop 0x7B errors. For 
more information about 0x7B Stop messages, see �Stop 0x0000007B or 
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE� earlier in this appendix.



The following suggestions are specific to Stop 0x7B errors. 

Stop 0x0000007B or INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
The Stop 0x7B message indicates that Windows XP Professional has lost access 
to the system partition or boot volume during the startup process. Installing 
incorrect device drivers when installing or upgrading storage adapter hardware 
typically causes stop 0x7B errors. Stop 0x7B errors could also indicate 
possible virus infection. 

Interpreting the Message
This Stop message has four parameters:

The address of a Unicode string data structure representing the Advanced 
Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) Computing (ARC) specification name of 
the device at which you attempted startup.

Pointer to ARC name string in memory.

This value is 0x00000000 (zero).

This value is 0x00000000 (zero).

The first parameter typically contains two separate pieces of data. For 
example, if the parameter is 0x00800020, 0x0020 is the actual length of the 
Unicode string and 0x0080 is the maximum ARC name string length. The next 
parameter contains the address of the buffer. This address is in system space, 
so the high-order bit is set.

If the file system is unable to mount the boot device or simply does not 
recognize the data on the boot device as a file system structure, the 
following parameter definition applies:

The address of the device object that could not be mounted.

Error code value or 0x00000000 (zero).

This value is 0x00000000 (zero).

This value is 0x00000000 (zero).

The value of the first parameter determines whether the parameter is a pointer 
to an ARC name string (ARC names are a generic method of identifying devices 
within the ARC environment) or a device object, because a Unicode string never 
has an odd number of bytes, and a device object always has a Type code of 0003.

The second parameter is very important because it can indicate whether the 
0x7B Stop message was caused by file system issues or problems with storage 
hardware and drivers. Values of 0xC000034 or 0xC000000E typically indicate:

Disks or storage controllers that are failing, defective, or improperly 
configured.

Storage-related drivers or programs (tape management software, for example) 
that are not fully compatible with Windows XP Professional.

Resolving the Problem
The following suggestions are specific to Stop 0x7B errors. For additional 
troubleshooting suggestions that apply to all Stop errors, see "Stop Message 
Checklist" later in this appendix.

During I/O system initialization, the controller or driver for the startup 
device (typically the hard disk) might have failed to initialize the necessary 
hardware. File system initialization might have failed because of disk or 
controller failure, or because the file system did not recognize the data on 
the boot device. 

Repartitioning disks, adding new disks, or upgrading to a new disk controller 
might cause the information in the Boot.ini file, or Boot Manager, to become 
outdated. If this Stop message occurs after installing new disks to your 
system, edit the Boot.ini file or adjust the Boot Manager parameters to allow 
the system to start. If the error occurs after upgrading the disk controller, 
verify that the new hardware is functioning and correctly configured. For more 
information about the Boot.ini file, see "Troubleshooting Startup" in this 
book.

Verify that the system firmware and disk controller BIOS settings are correct 
and that the storage device was properly installed. If you are unsure, consult 
your computer's documentation about restoring default firmware settings or 
configuring your system to auto-detect settings. If the error occurs during 
Windows XP Professional setup, the problem might be due to unsupported disk 
controller hardware. In some cases, drivers for new hardware are not in the 
Windows XP Professional Driver.cab library, and you need to provide additional 
drivers to complete the Windows XP Professional setup successfully. If this is 
the case, follow the hardware manufacturer's instructions when installing 
drivers. Periodically check for driver and firmware updates.

Hard disk corruption can also cause this Stop message. For more information 
about checking hard disk integrity, see the instructions provided in "Stop 
0x00000024 or NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM" earlier in this appendix.


Problems that cause 0x7B errors might also cause Stop 0xED errors. For more 
information about 0xED Stop messages, see "Stop 0x0000007B or 
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE" later in this appendix.


For more information about Stop 0x7B messages, see the Microsoft Knowledge 
Base link on the Web Resources page at 
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources. Search using keywords 
winnt, 0x0000007B, 0x7B, and Txtsetup.oem.

Boot to XP on hard drive from a floppy

Create a Boot Floppy Disk with a Windows XP-Based Computer

1. Format a floppy disk by using the Windows XP format utility. For example, 
with the floppy disk in the floppy disk drive, type format a: at a command 
prompt, and then press ENTER. 

2. Copy the Ntldr and the Ntdetect.com files from the I386 folder on the 
Windows XP Setup CD-ROM, Windows XP Setup floppy disk, or from a computer that 
is running the same version of Windows XP as the computer that you want to 
access with the boot floppy. 

3. Create a Boot.ini file (or copy one from a computer that is running Windows 
XP), and then modify it to match the computer that you are trying to access. 
The following example works for a single-partition IDE drive with Windows XP 
installed in the \Windows folder, but the exact value in the [operating 
systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows XP computer that 
you are trying to access:    [boot loader]

   timeout=30
   Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows

   [operating systems]
   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows XP"

The above example works for a single-partition IDE drive with Windows XP installed in the \Windows folder
						
If your computer boots from a SCSI hard drive, you may need to replace the 
multi(0) entry with scsi(0). If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, 
copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer 
to the root of the Setup disk, and then rename it Ntbootdd.sys. Change the disk
(0) number to represent the SCSI-ID of the hard drive you want to boot to. If 
you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini file, you do not need to do this. 

4. Start your computer by using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows 
XP. 

Next, will load the XP SP2 floppies downloaded above to start recovery console **** IF YOU HAVE THE WINDOWS XP CD PLEASE USE IT INSTEAD!!! ****

Microsoft's process for startup and recovery - or go to MS and do a find on 'Troubleshooting Startup' The following is a summarized process for Startup and Recovery. Please visit Microsoft and find 'Troubleshooting startup' for additional details.

If you cannot start Windows XP, the operating system provides several options 
that you can use to identify the cause and resolve the problem.

If the startup problem occurs immediately after updating or installing a 
specific device driver or application

You can restore previous system settings by using the following features:
1.	Use the Last Known Good Configuration.
2.	If you are in normal or safe mode, undo a device driver update by 
rolling back a driver.
3.	In normal or safe mode, use System Restore to restore a previous 
system configuration.

The preceding options are not limited to troubleshooting startup problems, but 
also apply to any problem affecting the operating system.

If you are still unable to start your system in normal mode

You can restart your computer in safe mode and disable services and software 
that might be interfering with the startup process. Try disabling the 
following:

1.	Temporarily disable applications and processes.
2.	Temporarily disable services.
3.	Uninstall software.

If the problem prevents you from starting in safe mode

You can try the following:

1.	Use Recovery Console  to replace corrupted files or to perform other manual recovery operations.
2.	Examine and correct the following:
	Boot.ini settings on x86-based systems.
	NVRAM startup settings on Itanium-based systems.
3.	Perform a parallel Windows XP Professional installation and use Backup 
to restore operating system files from backup media.
4.	Use Automated System Recovery (ASR) in Windows XP Professional Backup 
to reformat the system partition and restore operating system files from 
backup media.

WHAT WAS DONE 5/22/05

Attempted floppy disk boot with ntdlr, boot.ini and ntdetect.com files, received hal.dll missing or corrupt error. Copied files from original windows install cd, and built my own boot.ini file.

Attempted loading bartpe so that I could inspect the bad file, possibly copy over a good version of the file. The xpexplorer utility failed to start quickly, also it failed to map to drive c. Used the virus scan utilities - stinger and virus scan mcafee to inspect boot/system - no virus found (good).

Loaded recovery console using the six floppy disks, ran chkdsk without any options, required a program called autochk from windows install cd, used a windows xp cd (my own) in order to run autochk. Received repairing message.

Re-booted fine

View computer "event log" under performance and maintenance, administrator tools. Viewed system log to see what has been happening with this pc. Found many disk/error - bad disk block dating back to Mid February. Will run disk utilities and keep an eye on the system event log. Computer had no virus scan, loaded a copy of virus scan to be removed after testing to determine if any virus anywhere on pc - there was none.

Connected to internet.

Ran symantec security check from the internet.

Ran spybot search and destroy - deleted a few files from puter.

Ran chkdsk - explore, right click properties, click tools, click fix and check disk -> requires boot to run, ran entire check... .evt event log file was corrupted, possibly was causing the disk errors. Other additional errors were cleaned up by chkdsk.

Ran disk defrag.

Ran pcpitstop performance utilities on pc.

Installed freeware avast anti virus for home software. You'll need to sign up for a registration key, it is free of charge for home users (non commercial).

Building slipstreamed version of Windows XP Home with SP2 so that both I and the owner of the problem pc may recover without sending me the pc again!

This page last updated March 21, 2005