What is Unsurmountable boot volume?

What Is Unmountable Boot Volume?

• Answer:

  Errors that occur as Windows is loading are often some of the most frustrating to troubleshoot, as it is common for users to be unfamiliar with troubleshooting computer issues outside of the Windows environment. The Windows "Unmountable Boot Volume" error is one such error. If Windows displays an error about an unmountable boot volume, the problem results in the operating system being unable to start. An unmountable boot volume error can occur because of a problem with the boot record on the hard drive, or because of a configuration issue with the hard drive itself. Identification When Windows encounters an unmountable boot volume, the operating system displays an error message. The message is generally plain white text over a blue background with the phrase "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" displayed at the top. Computer technicians call this type of error message a "Blue Screen of Death." The screen may advise you to attempt to start the computer in Safe Mode, but that is generally unhelpful for an unmountable boot volume. Causes Hardware and software issues can both cause an unmountable boot volume error. If the issue occurs because of a hardware problem, it tends to happen because of improper hard drive configuration or because the wrong type of cable connects the hard drive to the main computer circuit board (the "motherboard"). It can also occur because the hard drive is failing. File corruption on the hard drive can also cause an unmountable boot volume. Windows uses a file called "BOOT.INI" when starting the operating system. Damage to this file prevents Windows from loading. Software Troubleshooting Troubleshoot an unmountable boot volume using software methods before making any changes to the hardware, unless you see the error following a hardware replacement or upgrade. Boot the computer using your Windows installation disc or another boot disc. Use the "chkdsk /r" command at the command prompt to scan the file system on the hard drive for problems and fix them automatically. If this does not resolve the issue, use the "fixboot" command to write a new boot record to the hard drive. Hardware Troubleshooting IDE (also known as parallel ATA) hard drives support two primary types of transfer modes: programmed input/output (PIO) and direct memory access (DMA). The DMA transfer mode is the modern standard, and the fastest DMA transfer modes require a special type of ribbon cable with 80 internal wires rather than the 40 used by older cables. If you begin to see the unmountable boot volume error after upgrading the hard drive in your computer, you may have used the older type of cable to connect the hard drive. You can physically inspect a hard drive ribbon cable to see how many wires it contains. Warning When you see the unmountable boot volume error, you might be tempted to reinstall Windows. Although this might resolve the issue, repairing the boot record and file system of the hard drive generally resolves the issue much more quickly. Additionally, if a hardware problem causes the unmountable boot volume error, reinstalling Windows will not resolve the issue. If a cable issue causes this error message, it may be impossible to reinstall Windows at all before correcting the cause of the problem.