BleepingComputer.com: Computer won't start up, likely due to HD problems.

Hi. I have a computer that won't boot up; when I tried to start it up one day, I got an UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME stop error; I figured this would be easy enough to fix with a CHKDSK. So I popped in my XP disk to boot from it, but while loading windows, it gave me another stop error before I could reach the prompt for the recovery console. When I tried to start up in safe mode it prompted me with something along the lines of "press enter to continue loading SPTD.sys". After that, it waited for a while, and gave me a stop error again. I looked around on the internet for a while for people's experiences with SPTD.sys, and eventually came to the conclusion that I should delete the file (Heck, it solved some people's problems apparently). Apparently it has something to do with DAEMON Tools, which I had just installed on the computer the session before this started happening, so I figured it might be part of the cause. I found a haphazard way of deleting SPTD.sys, and now I just get different errors instead. When starting windows normally it just hangs, presumably until I restart, and when trying to access the recovery console with an XP disk it gives me another stop error:

"A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this is the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check for viruses on your computer. Remove any newly installed hard drives or hard drive controllers. Check your hard drive to make sure it is properly configured and terminated. Run CHKDSK /F to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your computer.

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF78D2524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)"

I like how it tells me to run CHKDSK when that's exactly what I'm trying to do when it screws up.

That STOP error might be the same that it was giving me before getting to the recovery console prompt before deleting SPTD.sys as well. It probably is. In any case, I've had a weird STOP error both before and after that in the exact same place.

If it comes to that, I can probably restore the SPTD.sys file. But right now I'm not sure what the problem is. I've never had an XP disk BSOD on me before getting to the recovery console prompt before.

So, anyone have any ideas on what might be going on here?

Well...running the Recovery Console...should have nothing to do with system errors. The Recovery Console is not part of XP, it's a separate repair mechanism.

I don't know anything about Daemon tools, but if it interferes with system functions...it's probably damaged or the driver is borked.

I guess I don't see how you can get STOP errors...on a system that won't boot...that relate to driver errors.

Have you run a hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic on your drive?

From http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.htm:

0x0000007B: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
Windows lost access to the system partition or boot volume during the startup process. Typical causes: Installing incorrect device drivers when installing or upgrading storage adapter hardware, or a virus.

First thing I would do...check the boot options in the BIOS. If trying to boot from bootable CD and the optical drive works...this is a nonissue and a resulting error message for a 7B STOP error would have me looking for data recovery software and a replacement hard drive. But I would run the hard drive diagnostic first.

Louis

hamluis, on Jan 5 2010, 08:16 AM, said:

I'm using an XP disk to access the recovery console and right before it gets to the prompt from which the console can be selected (right after loading hardware profiles) it gives me the stop error. I thought the UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME stop error might be fixable through a chkdsk, which was why I was trying to get to the recovery console.

hamluis, on Jan 5 2010, 08:16 AM, said:

Yikes. Error code 0000: Read verification failed. Is there any chance at all that I'll be able to salvage this drive?

Alright, update: My hard drive is definitely not unsalvageable, as windows just managed to start up. I decided to just leave it on the windows startup screen where I thought it was hanging and after about twenty minutes windows actually started up. However, it is really WEIRD; it gave me a bunch of errors about being out of system resources and instead of a real taskbar I'm given something that resembles a taskbar that takes up almost half of the screen with a start button that encompasses that entire taskbar. It's still usable, however, and I'm currently running a chkdsk to fix what I can, and will be following it up with a malwarebytes scan. I'll update on this later.

I think I would have moved valued data files.

You have a diagnostic which says that a major test failed...access to the drive may disappear at any time.

I consider hard drive manufacturer diagnostics...more reliable re drive status...than seeming experiences of my own ability to access at the moment.

Louis