My daughter has a HP desktop and she had the same error. From the description he provides it's the same problem she had. She doesn't run WB at all. It was the HD. We just had a new one put in the box with a fresh install of XP Home. Left the bad HD in the box and you could get anything you wanted off it. After she got everything she needed off it we just pulled the plug on it. Cost us a couple of bills but at least the data was saved.

He states that he was unable to enter safe mode or any of the other options. 

Oops. Seems I asked a question several people already had...

Are you sure it wasn't UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME?

When working in PC repair, I ran into this problem a lot on XP. The fix that I used almost exclusively to resolve the problem was simple, though you do need a WindowsXP setup disk:

1. Ensure the system is set to boot of CD before your 1st Hard drive (HDD-0)
2. Boot off the setup disk
3. Wait for all the drivers (that you won't use) to load
4. Press R to enter Recovery Console
5. Type fixboot
6. Type fixmbr

Obviously you're going to be writing a new boot sector and boot record to the drive, so it's possible things may fail. In my experience of using this, the worst that had happened was I heard back that after some time, the problem resurfaced.

As others have recommended, I do suggest that you make every effort to back up your data off that drive asap.

Best of luck!

-Mike
[Stardock Support]

yea i had a problem with window blinds no that problem its was the themes they was playing music in the back ground anyway when i have problems or when i get the blue screen (etc) try this trust me it allways works for me

1.
restart the computer

2.
press f2 or del to go in setup mode

3.
press f9 to reset setup defaults setting

4.
press f10 save & exit it will reboot

5.if it works the first thing you should do uninstall it or system restore if needed

6.if it dont work beat the crap out of your computer till your blue in the face

Are you suggesting resetting the BIOS defaults? This may have an adverse affect depending on whether any particular custom settings were implemented on their system.

-Mike
[Stardock Support]

I wanted to let you know that I've received my restore disk and my 2002 XP disc. As I'm in a foreign country and cannot communicate well I'm not able to find a pro to back up my computer. Some have told me to stick the restore disc in and you are telling me to start with the XP disc. I don't know what to start with.
I'm sitting here with my dead and unplugged laptop and the discs. Where do I begin?

I like reply #79

Use your XP disk, not the system restore one.

{zubaz is not responsible for your PC working less than before} 

so do i put it in my computer and then start it up?

and what exactly does he mean by "Ensure the system is set to boot of CD before your 1st Hard drive (HDD-0) "?

Power up the PC, put the cd in the slot, reboot.  You want the PC to boot the CD instead of the Hard drive.
Some PCs will start the CD automatically.  Some will ask you to hit a key to boot from CD or "Choose a boot order".  Some will require you to open the BIOS (that's the operating system of the motherboard) and set the boot order there.

Trial and error time.

oh crap. its time isn't it.  
I'm gonna have lunch first. And a strong drink.

A simple way to tell it's not trying to boot off the CD first is when you have the CD in the drive and it boots your OS instead of reading the CD. Changing the boot order will simply allow you to boot off the CD. 

-Mike
[Stardock Support]

My humble opinion is the HDD is toast. Nothing to do with installation causing this either. If a HDD is going to go, it's simply going to happen at the most in-opertune time. If he can only get into the BIOS setup, this pretty much tells me the HDD is gone. If he can get into the BIOS setup, there should be some sort of HDD information there supporting whether or not the disk is good.

Another simple test would be to run the restore CD believe it or not, just to see if it even recognizes the HDD. THEN....abort out when you get the final confirmation asking to delete and install the OS. Every Restore CD I ever encountered always had fail safe questions asking you absolutely verify the action. The restore CD would balk at even trying to install if the HDD was bad.

Just my 2c again, since he states he can not even get to a safe mode to run the rstrui command to run a system restore point prior to installing WB.

Mark

He can probably use Ubuntu and run it from the cd to check the HDD.
People should always back-up. Always.

Have you read previous posts.  This guy is a noob . . we are already giving advice that make *ME* very nervous.

who you calling a noob? wtf is a noob? sounds gay.
Zubaz I'm going with your advice. It's your ass.

Hope you are not including me in the rants. Have you tried my suggestions. I'm pretty sure a restore CD will simply balk when it gets to a bad HDD. This is one quick and simple test. If you had some sort of access to other CD's that would allow a boot to see NTFS drives, assuming you have NTFS as a file system, would be nice too, just to see if the drive C: contents can be read. (Bart's PE....look this up on Google if you are not familiar). This would take the Operating System out of the equation and just let us know if the HDD is readable from any utility outside of the OS, via booting from a CD. I assume you don't have any floppy drive on this machine.

Mark

i just popped in the restore cd. It read it, loaded and then before I could look at anything it said "All files, including user data will be removed and the system will be restored. Do you want to continue?" I didnt like the sound of that so I popped it out and restarted. Back to square one. Should I try the XP disc?

In BIOS, how can i check if the HD is ok?

Should I load default configuration?

Correction....I just opened what I thought would contain the XP cd that my landlord sent me....its just a setup packet with a chunk of cardboard inside...sigh.

who you calling a noob?

End of quote

You.

wtf is a noob?

End of quote

the word newbie is used mostly in Internet gaming culture. Its definition is to be new to something, mainly video games or an internet service

sounds gay.

End of quote

And that's bad, how exaclty?

Zubaz I'm going with your advice. It's your ass.

End of quote

No, it's not.

In BIOS, how can i check if the HD is ok?

End of quote

You can't. YOu can only see if it's detected.

Should I try the XP disc?

End of quote

Yes. If you feel like it. Or don't. Then find a professional to fix it for you.

The more you type the more I think you should find someone .. . anyone . . who knows more than you.

OK, sounds now more like the OS is hosed and the HDD is OK, based on the restore CD wanting to continue. I have to run out real soon, so if you can quickly tell me, since it's hard to re-read this whole thread quickly, do you have backups of your data files, or are you going to be bad off, to simply start over.

Depending on what type of XP CD you have, will be what your ability here to achieve now. Mike from SD supportm asked to try the fixboot and fix MBR commands from booting from a CD with the recovery console. Here is the post. Hit enter after each command. Does that work?

Ensure the system is set to boot of CD before your 1st Hard drive (HDD-0)
Boot off the setup disk
Wait for all the drivers (that you won't use) to load
Press R to enter Recovery Console
Type: fixboot (Then hit enter)
Type: fixmbr (Then hit enter)

If this works, then what happens when you try a normal boot. I have to warn you that not being able to boot to safe mode is typically indicative of a totally shot operating system, and I hope you have back ups of your data.

This would be a good time to use Google to look up Barts PE to create a working CD that has the ability to explor your Hard drive. It would be lie booting to a "lite" operating system to then have the ability to possibly save important data files.

At this point I'd take the PC to a shop and pay them to remove the drive, back up any data they can, run the restore and replace your data.

Zubaz, I asked for assistance. Not everyone is skilled with computers. You'd think that if you're hanging out in forums like this one, you're motivation would be to help and be patient with someone who needs it. If you want to rub in my face that you know more about electronics than I do to give yourself a baby hard-on, do it at someone elses expense.

Thanks, but the XP disc isn't here. Its really good to hear that you think the hard drive is still breathing. I'll have to see if its possible to get someone to look at the thing.