Windows xp will not boot in any mode

Did you rview the XP No Boot Troubleshooting Steps in the sticky post at the top of the forums?

 

What is your system make and model?

What is your XP Version and Service Pack?

Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation:  McAfee, Symantec, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Panda, Trend Micro, CA, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.

Was the issue preceded by a power interruption, aborted restart, or improper shutdown?  (this includes plug pulling, power buttons, removing the battery, etc.)

Does the afflicted system have a working CD/DVD drive?

Do you have a genuine bootable XP installation CD (this is not the same as any Recovery CDs that came with your system)?

Fill in the blank:  

My system was working fine until: _________________________________________.

If there is a problem booting, XP is configured to automatically try to boot again and you can get stuck in a loop of just being unable to get past the boot options screen or none of the boot options you choose will work.

Sometimes when XP has a problem starting or crashes and tries to start again, it will give you a "short" menu of boot options and none of them will seem to be the right ones to get your system going again.  You've tried them all!

The options resemble the XP Advanced Boot Options menu, but the one option you need (Disable automatic restart on system failure) is not offered because XP has gone too far along in the boot process and offers you a limited number of boot options.

If that is the case, you must invoke the Advanced Boot Options menu yourself until you do see the option:

Disable automatic restart on system failure

When you do get to the correct XP Advanced Options Boot menu you want to see, it has options on it like these:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging

Enable VGA mode

Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)

Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)

Debugging Mode

Disable automatic restart on system failure 

Start Windows Normally

Reboot

Return to OS Choices Menu

What you need to choose from that menu is the option:

Disable automatic restart on system failure

Then if XP fails to boot normally, you will see an error screen with information and clues regarding the problem and then you can decide what to do next.

If you do not see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option, you need to reset your system and start tapping the F8 key on the keyboard until you do see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option. 

If you miss the F8 window of opportunity, you need to try again and start tapping the F8 key with more urgency (sooner and more frequently) until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure, then select it.

You need to keep trying the F8 menu until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure option, and select it.

 If your system is experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), we need to know what the screen says:

Here is a BSOD example showing information you need to provide:

http://techrepublic.com.com/i/tr/downloads/images/bsod_a.jpg

Send the information pointed to with the red arrows (3-4 lines total).  

Send the entire *** STOP message line since there are clues in the 4 parameters.

If it looks like there is some kind of file name listed under the STOP message, send that line too.

Skip the boring text unless it looks important to you.  We know what a BSOD looks like, we need to know what your BSOD looks like.

Respond to the queries and report back the results from the Disable automatic restart on system failure screen and you can decide what to do next.

 

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Do, or do not. There is no try.

I decided to save up points for a new puppy instead of a pony!

That might be a problem for you, my friend.

That error indicates that you need to run chkdsk /r from the XP Recovery Console.

The Gateway LT20 does not come with a CD/DVD drive, but you could use an external CD/DVD drive to boot on an XP Recovery Console CD that you can make (no XP media required).

It may be possible to boot the LT20 on a USB thumb drive, but I have never tried it...  sometimes that is not easy.  The easy thing to do is boot on an external USB CD/DVD drive - maybe you can buy, beg, borrow or steal one (don't steal it).  If you happen to have one, you just need to make the bootable XP Recovery Console CD and you can read how to do that in these threads listed below.

Here are a couple threads that sound like your issue that were resolved by running chkdsk /r from the Recovery Console CD that was hand made (no XP media required).

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-system/unmountable-boot-volume-stop-0x0000000ed/570c7f90-5869-e011-8dfc-68b599b31bf5

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-system/unmountable-boot-volume/5da1670b-6811-47bf-a9f6-bee287b7e0f2

The threads are kind of long to read, but they end up with a happy ending!

If I were you, I would start a new topic/thread since this one is old and nobody else may be getting your messages except me.

If you start a fresh, new thread and ask a new question, more people will see it.

Watch out for suggestions and ideas that just don't make any sense.

Somehow, you are going to have to run chkdsk /r from the XP Recovery Console.

I have a gateway netbook that I bought used and it has been working fine until today it went to a blue screen and it says

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

STOP : 0X000000ED (0X86F475D0, 0XC000185, 0X00000000, 0X00000000)

CAN YOU HELP ME

MY COMPUTER IS A GATEWAY LT20

WITH WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION

Same issue here. Dell Dimension2350. Just replaced power supply. Booted fine last night. Now I get this same loop. I've tried to start in all five modes to no avail. Help would be appreciated.