XP Pro will not boot (yes, i know what forum this is :P)

[HighwayStar]

I'm posting this problem here because through much research and troubleshooting I believe the issue may be with my motherboard.

Here's what went down...

I start my PC the other day, after posting and getting the Windows XP logo/loading screen, I get this error: Unmountable_Boot_Volume. Upon some research, I find that this means something is wrong with the boot files. Tried booting using all the options available in the start-up list but to no avail.

I then used my XP CD to boot. However, it will not even get to the repair console so that I can run chkdsk. It stops mid-way through loading setup and says cmdide.sys file is corrupted. I tried several times but to no avail. Other times I received the error cdrom.sys file is corrupted.

After checking on the stop error code that I received while trying to boot Windows normally (0x7B... 2nd hex # is 0xC34 (http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/stop0x0000007b.htm)) I figured that my HDD was probably dead or dying. I harvested another HDD out of my other PC (which also uses XP pro), hooked it up as the master in hopes that I could at least possibly salvage some stuff off the presumed dead drive by hooking it up as the slave. And guess what? Same problem! XP will not boot on this PC even with a different HDD hooked up that I know works fine.

At this point, I figured I could rule out it being a HDD problem. So what else could it be? On the link above about the stop error, I tried everything I possibly could that was suggested there but still no go.

After reconnecting the original, initially presumed dead drive, I tried to boot using the CD once more.. and for some reason, I was able to get to the repair console! I ran chkdsk /r but after 25% it stops and says something like one or more clusters bad. Tried fixboot and it said it was successful! After exiting and restarting I'm right back where I started... :confused:

Since then, I've tried numerous times to get back to the repair console, unsuccessfully. I disconnected all the non-essentials (NIC card, sound card, CD-rom/floppy drives, etc) from my PC to try and isolate a possible hardware issue, but still will not boot.

Upon inspection of my MB (which I was starting to suspect because of all the previous troubleshooting roadblocks) I can see that one capacitor next to the CPU is bulging at the top. I read the sticky about this so now I'm really suspecting the MB. However, the position the capacitor is in (right next to CPU and surrounded by other capacitors) makes it nearly impossible to see if any electrolyte goo is leaking at the base of it.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/Zurielle1/capacitor006.jpg

From what I can see though, it appears to be clean at the bottom of the capacitor.

At any rate, ultimately I'm at a loss as to what the problem is here so I wasn't really sure in which forum to post this.. so I went with the one I thought it might be based on my limited knowledge and troubleshooting skills.

I'm really stumped... any help would be greatly appreciated!

[mjc]

Even if the capacitor is not leaking, the bulge is enough to change the interior volume...which will change the value of the capacitor, maybe even enough to let it run outside of tolerances. A bulging cap is a dead cap...

So you have at least one dead cap. Check the ones on the drive controller circuitry, they are the ones most likely to implicated in the types of errors you are having.

Make/model/age of the motherboard will help pin down whether or not it is worth trying to have it(them) replaced or if it is time to rebuild/replace the motherboard.

[Sylvander]

1. To check whether the hardware is capable of running an Operating System...
Make a Puppy Linux 4.1.2 live CD (http://www.puppylinux.org/downloads/official-releases/puppy-linux-412), and boot that.
If it loads just fine, then your hardware can't be too bad.
Even better is to make this Muppy Linux 009.4c live DVD (http://files.filefront.com/Muppy+Live+0084c+ENiso/;12868301;/fileinfo.html).
[I'm typing this from BoxPup]
(a) You could use any Puppy to browse the contents of your assumed problem HDD.
If that works without any problem, then your HDD's controller etc is functioning.
Puppy includes specialist drivers for SATA & SCSI, whereas I believe the XP CD [too old] doesn't normally include these.

(b) Puppy doesn't need a HDD at all; you can save configuration changes and package installations to ANY storage medium [Flash Drive?], and load using the optical disk.

(c) you can scan/fix the Windows partition file system using either GParted, or Pdrive in any Puppy/Puplet.

(d) And copy your data files [or whatever] to some handy storage medium [Flash drive, or external USB HDD?]
The "X File Explorer" [Xfe] is superb for the job, and included in Muppy, but not the basic Puppy.

(e) Puppy seems to have a knack of succeeding where other things fail. :)

2. When you restart your computer or upgrade to Windows XP, you receive the "STOP 0x000000ED UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" error message (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=297185).
(a) Make on any functioning PC...
This "Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP or Server 2003 boot floppy disk" (http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/).
This substitutes as a Windows system disk, replacing [this function of] the internal HDD system partition.
It by-passes the HDD initial boot arrangements, and attempts to load the Windows files from the "Windows" folder.
When presented with the menu of choices, begin with the 1st partition on the 1st internal HDD [try others if it seems that is not the partition holding the files].

(b) if that fails, it usually means there is a problem with the later part of the boot sequence; when the 3 boot files [normally on C:] attempt to load Windows [from C:\Windows].
Even if it does fail, it's a good diagnostic step.
Everyone [who runs one of these OS's] should keep this floppy handy [if they have a FDD], or else make the CD version.

[Paul Komski]

I disconnected all the non-essentials (NIC card, sound card, CD-rom/floppy drives, etc) from my PC to try and isolate a possible hardware issue, but still will not boot.This is almost a bare-bones-boot (http://paulski.com/zpages.php?id=1718) and (along with the image posted) is probably why mjc agrees about the mobo being the chief suspect. Bad RAM or poor power supply would be long-shots.

[nuz]

I'm sure you've already done this, but just to clarify:
Was the 1st presumably damaged HDD plugged in as slave when the PC refused to boot with the new drive?
If so, does it boot with just the new HDD? When the old HDD was set to slave, did you remember to set the jumper on the back to slave or CS? Was the old HDD plugged to the slave slot in the MIDDLE of the cable andthe new master on the end? Lastly, in the BIOS, the boot sequence should point to the master isk on the 1st channel which is HDD-0.

Having recently had to change my own HD under similar circumstances, I thought I'd just list all the mistakes I made.:p