Travelstar with bad MBR

[vlyne]

I've been trying vainly to resurrect what initially appeared to be a disk with a bad MBR (Travelstar 20Gb IDE N79 4200rpm; out of an X23) . Symptoms were that it would appear to start XP (loading screen on) but then hesitate and crash out with an UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error screen, after which it reboots and repeats the process. I've tried the usual tricks: fdisk /mbr; Ranish-Muthu's Partition Manager (great software) reports error in writing to MBR and that the Boot Sector contains errors; usb mount on another XP computer reports corrupt \$Mft; Partition Magic reports error in writing MBR and as a last resort, the Setup Disk gets to the stage of reformating then crashes out to reboot; LLSetup reports error in sector 0 when trying to low level format. I'm about to resign to the fact that the disk is suffering a hardware write failure somewhere along the chain, or is there some other explanation or better still solution!? There seems to be no way to write to it, or access the MBR.
Cheers

[RealBlackStuff]

Do a Google with 'boot sector editor', there are several options available, incl. the layout of that boot sector.

[pjm99au]

Have you tried the Lenovo masterboot repair kit?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-62978

[vlyne]

Thanks for the suggestions but I'm still stuck with a read-only drive. I can access the MBR information and make changes etc but when it comes time to commit those changes to disk by writing to it, all of the systems crash out. I tried the mbrfix suggested by pjm99au but it is checks to see if SafeGuard is installed before proceeding - I don't have it on my disk so it bails out. Even if it did proceed, it wouldn't be able to write to the disk. I'm reasonably sure now that it's a hardware problem of not being able to write to the disk. The only nagging doubt is that some virus has got it mitts on the MBR but a low level format should have fixed that?
Cheers

[RRHODY]

Wonder if a low-level format using Hitachi Drive Fitness Test might re-do the MBR?

[GomJabbar]

Wonder if a low-level format using Hitachi Drive Fitness Test might re-do the MBR?

That would be the thing to try.
You can also use it to run diagnostics.

Hitachi Drive Fitness Test

[vlyne]

The Hitachi Drive Fitness Test is a great utility! But...it only confirmed my fears of a hardware failure It spat the dummy with a failure code of 0x75 - Defective Device. Component Failure. Well at least I know for sure. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Cheers

[iyusaf]

I had this problem today and fixed it quickly once I got focused.

Windows XP Pro reports:
UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME
STOP 0x...ED

Here's the full story:

I first called IBM hardware support who said it was a software problem. I called Microsoft (willing to pay for a support incident) who sent me back to IBM because XP came pre-installed on my T61P 8891CTO. IBM wants to charge me $100. I say OK and give them my credit card number since I need to get back to business.

I tell the IBM guys what I have tried so far and they say they have no ideas beyond what I have already tried. They suggest I restore from a backup image. I tell them I am not paying $100 for their advice.

Back to the drawing board. I boot a Windows XP CD to the recovery console and notice I can't access the C: drive. Listing contents of the C: drive returns an error

"An error occurred during directory enumeration."


After an aha moment, I did the following:

1. chkdsk /P
2. fixboot

Restarted and all is well. Moral of the story is if you have an XP problem, don't underestimate the utility of the Windows XP Recovery Console. Hope this helps someone in the same jam. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!

PS -- I also ran the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test. It reported no errors.