Resolved Computer Froze - Black/Blue Screen

My wife's computer just stopped while trying to open a program from desktop icon. I shut it down manually and then turned it back on.

During boot up, it goes past the Dell splash screen, acts like it is beginning to boot and then I get the black screen that starts with the statement "We apologize ... Windows did not start...." and then gives the options to start in Safe Mode, Last Known Good Configuration, etc. When I select any of those options, the computer locks up again and if I leave it for a while, I slowly get a list of about 30 or so files on the screen:

If I leave the list of files on for several minutes, I then get the blue screen that says "Unmountable_BOOT_VOLUME" and then "If this is the first time....restart.... ". At the bottome of this screen is this information:

Technical Information:
***STOP: 0x000000ED (0x8A8CA030,0xC000009C,0x00000000,0x00000000)

I have the Restore Disk that came with the Dell 4600 but am reluctant to experiment with it as I don't really know what I am doing in this area. I did make an image of this computer about 3 weeks or so ago with a 1TB Maxtor external hard drive. What are my options?

 

Pete,

My CD is a Reinstallation CD XP Home Service Pack 1a. I was able to get into the Recovery Console and the chkdsk /r command and start the procedure. It got up to 25% and stopped with the following message:

I ran it a second time and got the same result.

I then used your link to the Western Digital site and was able to locate and downoad a file - Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows. It is a zip file and I saved on a floppy drive but I don't know how to proceed. I searched on the WD website but couldn't find any help. I guess my question is how do I access the zip file to run a diagnostic. My thoughts are to put the floppy disk in the drive and then reset the boot sequence to go to the floppy first. Do I need to unzip the file before I put it in the bad computer?

 

Pete,

I neglected to tell you the HD model # is WD1600JD, 160GB Special Edition Serial ATA. When I plug the model # in at the WD website, I don't get the file you found as an option - I get the following options:

Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for DOS (Floppy)
Data Lifegurad Diagnostics for DOS (CD)
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows

So - question is which one should I use and it appears they are all to big to open to a floppy to put into the bad computer. So I guess I would download and then open and burn to a CD to use in the bad computer. As I told you in the other thread, I now have my CD/DVD burner back.

 

Pete,

I got the floppy configured with the diagnostics and it booted into the bad computer. There were 2 scan options - Quick and Extended. I tried the Quick first - was supposed to take about 5 minutes. The green hard drive activity light stayed on constantly. I let it run for 15 minutes and then aborted. I then rebooted and selected the Extended option. Same thing as before. It has been running about 30 minutes and I am going to let it run a while longer.

I am assuming I need to be looking at a new hard drive. Anything I need to watch out for as far as compatibility? I am planning to get something similar to what is in the unit now - SATA 160GB. I appreciate the help you have given me. I'm learning a lot of things I hope I never have to use again.

 

End of the saga, Pete. I bought a Western Digital 320GB SATA last evening and put it in this morning. Didn't opt for anything much larger as we will probably replace my wife's computer in the next six months to a year.

I printed the restore instructions for my Maxtor external hard drive and started the process. Altogether it took about 3 hours. I restored the image first and then the back up files. The computer is operating fine and all files are there up to mid December - the last image and backup I made.

That external hard drive was the best $100 I ever spent. I plan to get another in the next couple of days so each computer will have a dedicated external drive and I can schedule automatic imaging and backups easier.

So - thanks for all your help. And my wife passes along her thanks as well. Once again WindowsBBS has been a lifesaver for me.

 

Done. Thanks for the reminder.