HP Notebook PCs - "Unmountable_Boot_Volume" Blue Screen Error Occurs During Startup or Boot (Windows XP)

HP notebooks that use Microsoft Windows XP without XP Service Pack 2 installed may display the following error on start up:

STOP 0x000000ED (0xaaaaaaaa,0xbbbbbbbb,0xcccccccc,0xdddddddd) UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

This error is related to the way Windows XP interacts with the hard drive during an unexpected shutdown. Sometimes, if the contents of the cache are not written to the drive properly, an error appears when the notebook restarts.

To resolve the "Unmountable_Boot_Volume" Blue Screen error, you should:

1. Clear the initial error message and run the check disc (CHKDSK) command
2. Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 to prevent the error.
3. Reinstall XP operating system, if necessary.

For more information from Microsoft on resolving the error, see Stop 0x000000ED Error Message When Volume on IDE Drive with Caching Enabled Is Mounted (in English), and the Microsoft Help and Support article, Unmountable Boot Volume (in English).

The first corrective action you should take is to get past the error message and run a CHKDSK /R so that the computer can boot into Windows. Depending on when the error occurred during the start up process, it may be possible to get past the error message by doing one or more of the following actions. Disconnect all peripherals and unplug all USB devices.

• Restart the computer, and if an option is displayed to either Boot into Windows XP or Start the Recovery Console, select the Recovery Console, boot into Safe Mode, then open a command window and run CHKDSK /R.
• Restart the computer, press f8 key to boot into Safe Mode, then open a command window and run CHKDSK /R.
• If you have a later XP notebook model with HP Recovery Manager on the D: hard drive partition, restart the computer, press f11 key to start the HP Recovery Manager, select Advanced options. If prompted, open a command window and run CHKDSK /R.
• If you have an HP Operating System disc that was provided with early XP notebook models, or a retail version of the Windows XP disc, use Option 1 to restart the computer, select the Recovery Console, and then run CHKDSK /R.
• If you have an HP Recovery disc that was provided with later XP notebook models, and you cannot access the HP Recovery Manager on the hard drive, it will be necessary to reinstall the XP Operating System and then install XP Service Pack 2.

note:

The HP Recovery disc does not have a Recovery Console, but can be used to recover the original XP image on the hard drive. If you have misplaced or lost your disc please view HP PCs - Looking for Recovery Discs? (in English) to order a new disc.

Once the computer can boot into Windows XP, you can prevent the error from occurring again by running the Windows Update utility and installing Windows XP Service Pack 2, or higher.

If the computer cannot start in Safe Mode (f8), and it cannot start the Recovery Manager (f11), it may be possible to start the Windows Recovery Console and then run the CHKDSK /R command to clear the initial Unmountable_Boot_Volume error. The following steps explain how to access a command window using the Recovery Console. Once you open the command window in Windows XP, the instructions for using the check disc (CHKDSK /R) command are the same.

1. Insert the HP Operating System disc, or a retail version of the OS disc, into the CD or DVD drive, and press the Power button to start the computer.
2. When prompted, press any key to boot from the CD or DVD.
3. A blue screen will appear and several files will load. This loading process may take a minute or more to complete.
4. When the setup menu displays on the blue screen, press R to select the Repair a Windows XP installation option.
   Selecting this option opens a command window.
   If the computer had booted into windows, you could click Start, select Run, enter CMD and press the enter key to open a command window.
   Figure : Command prompt window

   
5. At the C:\ prompt, enter CHKDSK /R, and press the enter key. This repair process may take 30 - 60 minutes depending on the size of the hard drive and repairs needed.
6. After the CHKDSK command displays the results of its actions, enter exit at the C: prompt and press the enter key.
7. Windows will restart. Eject the CD or DVD and allow Windows to start up normally.

These actions correct the initial error message.

This option is needed only if the computer cannot boot to Windows, or you cannot access a command line window. You will need to install the XP operating system, plus the drivers and applications, and all updates.

• If you have the HP XP Operating System installation disc, do Re-install the XP operating system.
• If you have the HP Recovery disc, do Recover the XP operating system, and then unbundle the hardware drivers and software application to their original condition.

  warning:

All personal data and software installed on the notebook will be lost during the installation or the recovery process. HP Recovery Manager prompts you to make a backup copy of documents and folders before reinstalling the operating system. The retail version of the XP installation disc does not display a prompt to backup important files.

For additional options, see Overview of Recovering or Reinstalling the Operating System (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP) (in English)