Windows XP

[bjorland]

Warning: a bit long.

Recently my machine and Windows XP started to give me lots of trouble. One evening, about two weeks ago, I installed Ahead InCd ver4 onto Windows XP, didn't reboot, but swithced the machione off. The next day I started my machine, gave me a blue screen telling me unmountable boot volume, and fdisk unable to see my logical partition.

At the end I got my logical partition back, and took WindowsXP and replaced it with Windows Me & Windows 2000. On both I had the Via Hyperion 4.46 drivers running, and on both OS my burner refused to burn any cd's. Also, both OS showed compact disc for my cd-rom, dvd & CD-RW drives (thats wrong, isn't it). Anyway, uninstalled the Via drivers on Windows 2000, and I started getting the same blue screen as I got in WinXP. After formatting both partition's, I installed WinME on par1 and WinXP on par2. Each time WinMe installs with no problem, but WinXP continouesly said to me that either my C: or D: is corrupt.

I have a Maxtor 80GB HDD, so I used the Powermax program to low format the drive. After about 8 hour of this, I repartitioned my HDD into C & D, installed Win98SE this time, no problem. Installed WinXP, same problem saying this time that C: is corrupt ("Setup has determined that drive C: is corrupted and cannot be repaired. Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3"). WTF. The I reformated everything with format on the Win98SE CD. Installed Winxp with a dos boot stiffy, and it started installing, but after the dos installation, WinXP just sits on 39minutes, and after about 50 minutes the following error comes up:

"The signature for Windows XP Professional is invalid. The error code is 80096001.

Fatal error:

Setup failed to install the product catalogs. This is a fatal error. The setup log files should contain more information."

Reboot, and I get the blue screen again saying Unmountable boot volume. Played around with some BIOS settings, and eventually WinXP installed. Installed Nero and InCD ver 3x, and then next time when I booted into XP, it gave me the unmountable error again. This went on the whole weekend. I am so sick and tired of my machine, I feel like correcting the error with a cricket bat.

HELP!!!! Please.

[Tinker]

I see from you signature that you have 2 CD drives. Have you tried to do the installation from each drive? Could be that one of your drives is going bad. I had one to act strangely and it turned out to be the CD-RW. I bought a new one for $15 with rebates and all is well..

[rik]

unmountable boot volume

every time I've seen this issue it was leading up to a hard drive going bad...

You might want to go here Maxtor.com and download the diags to check your drive.

[bjorland]

My 80GB Maxtor HDD is brand new, not even 2 months old. Funny things is that I have the latest BIOS update for my Gigabyte MB, I have Powermax and Maxblaster 3 from Maxtor, and none of them shows any errors. I cleared my HDD with Maxblaster telling it to write zeros to the HDD, then formatted with Maxblaster telling it that I am going to use Windows XP as my operating system. When I want to try and install Windows 98SE, it gives my errors after Scandisk checked the HDD, each time different like error vga.drv, or mouse.sys, and goes back to dos prompt and that is it. Before all of this, Windows98SE or WinME installed without a problem, but then WindowsXP gave me problems.

I then reformatted my drive telling Maxblaster I am going to use Windows 95 OSR2/Windows98, started the Windows98SE installation, again errors after scandisk and back to dos prompt. All my ideas have run up and I don't know anymore what to do or to try.

[bjorland]

Okay, after days of trying everything, I finally got my machine running again. After formatting the HDD a million times, repartitioning, fixing the mbr, playing with bios settings, I still had no luck. In the end I configured my BIOS to fail-safe, and guess what, Windows XP and Win98SE installed like a dream. Now I can't figure out what in the BIOS exactly would have caused all my hassle. I am to scared to try and change the BIOS settings, and Windows starts working again.

Conclusion. The HDD is not on its way out, thank goodness.

[rik]

Good...glad you figured it out...

[Sunil]

I think that you problems all started with the nero incd program, you should truly try and figure out what chages it had made to your system so as to prevent further conflicts

Sunil

[Visentinel]

WOAH !!!!!!!!!

And i thought the problems i had once where bad OMG

It must of been something you had in ur bios that suddenly stopped running stable, Possibly RAM timings, a Particular Option, who knows.

But if it works fine and your afraid of any more problems just leave your bios alone

But as we all know curiosity will eventually get the better of you and you will try anyways.

Be careful, Good Luck.

[bjorland]

The Gremlin is back.

Well sort off. Windows 98SE and Windows XP seems to be working fine now for the last two days, just had to hack the registry to stop the blue screen from appearing in Windows 98SE caused by my SBlive Value (EMU10k1).

The gremlin I am talking about is my CD-RW. WindowsXP sees my CD-RW as a normal CD-Rom.

In the BIOS when selecting Auto detect IDE HDD, the BIOS pics up my hardware as follows:

Primary Master: 82GB HDD (correct)

Primary Slave: CD-Rom (correct, my Creative Infra48x)

Secondary Master: CD-Rom (incorrect Creative 4224 CD-RW)

Secondary Slave: DVD-Rom (Correct MSI 16X DVD-Rom, but the next time I go into Setup, it shows CD-Rom)

In WinXP under my Computer my CD-RW shows CD-Rom, under properties I can disable the burning facility. Under Device Manager WinXP does show my CD-RW as a 4224 CD-RW. NTI FileCD formatted a CD-RW last night, Nero seas my drive, but InCD does not.

Now what???

[Sunil]

The Gremlin is back. 

Well sort off. Windows 98SE and Windows XP seems to be working fine now for the last two days, just had to hack the registry to stop the blue screen from appearing in Windows 98SE caused by my SBlive Value (EMU10k1). 

The gremlin I am talking about is my CD-RW. WindowsXP sees my CD-RW as a normal CD-Rom.

In the BIOS when selecting Auto detect IDE HDD, the BIOS pics up my hardware as follows:

Primary Master: 82GB HDD (correct)

Primary Slave: CD-Rom (correct, my Creative Infra48x)

Secondary Master: CD-Rom (incorrect Creative 4224 CD-RW)

Secondary Slave: DVD-Rom (Correct MSI 16X DVD-Rom, but the next time I go into Setup, it shows CD-Rom)

In WinXP under my Computer my CD-RW shows CD-Rom, under properties I can disable the burning facility. Under Device Manager WinXP does show my CD-RW as a 4224 CD-RW. NTI FileCD formatted a CD-RW last night, Nero seas my drive, but InCD does not.

Now what??? 

Dude are you seeing a trend, every time you install incd your computer starts to behave abnormally, you should check this out, it does not address your problem specifically but it might help you

CDRInfo.COM Forum - Driver Conflict between InCD & Win XP?

Sunil...

[bjorland]

Dude are you seeing a trend, every time you install incd your computer starts to behave abnormally, you should check this out, it does not address your problem specifically but it might help you

Yes, but WindowsXP displayed my CD-RW as a CD Drive under My Computer, even before I installed Nero & InCD. Is WIndows XP supposed to show CD-Drive for CD-Rom, CD-RW for your Writer and DVD-Rom for your DVD. A guy at work has XP on his machine with just a NEC CD-Rom/CD-Writer and it shows CD-RW drive under My Computer.

Weird thing also, last night I thought I will install BIOS version 6vxc7-FA, downgrading from 6vxc7-4x.FC, to see if it will see my CD-RW differently in the BIOS. In the end it didn't, and with BIOS settings set to Fail-Safe, Windows XP gave me again the blue screen saying Unmountable_Boot_Volume. I went back and replaced my BIOS again with 6vxc7-4x.FC and with Fail Safe settings, and Windows XP booted fine again.

Also, if InCD was the problem, then why is my burner is also not writing in Windows 98 SE?

[Aaron]

Yes, but WindowsXP displayed my CD-RW as a CD Drive under My Computer, even before I installed Nero & InCD. Is WIndows XP supposed to show CD-Drive for CD-Rom, CD-RW for your Writer and DVD-Rom for your DVD. A guy at work has XP on his machine with just a NEC CD-Rom/CD-Writer and it shows CD-RW drive under My Computer.

Sometimes yes, most of the time no. Its a funny issue I've found in XP, but hasn't affected the operation of my CD-RW/DVD Drives.

[rik]

My Sony CDRW shows as just a cdrom in My Computer also...but it works.

[bjorland]

IS there is big possibility that I can have a boot sector Virus hiding somewhere. As all of you know by know I am running Windows 98 Se & Windows Xp (Dual Boot). I tried Nero on Windows 98 SE also and it does exactly the same as in XP, when trying to burn or simulate a CD, it just ejects the blank CDR and says its either full or not a blank CD. I have tried three different versions of my MB BIOS, disconnected my drives, reconnected them, each time no luck. CD-Rw can't be broken, cause before I wiped everything four days ago, I burned on Windows ME, when I had it on temporarely.

I ran a virus scan under Windows XP with Norton AV 2003 and the latest updates, and it detected nothing. Nero sees my CD-RW, and NTI CD-Maker Plat 6 also used to see it, but no it says unrecognised drive.

How do you create boot disk (emergency disks with Norton AV 2003) or is there something else I can use?

[Colonel_Manou]

I can just suggest you after all these manipulations that you should go to the Windows update website to download the last patch concerning compatibillity with more cd burners for the Windows XP integrated burning program. Your drive is probably not recognized by your default Windows XP installation, i suggest you to apply sp1 patch and all patches that correct compatibility issues, including windows xp compatibility program. Good luck to you and tell me if it works. I think it should help you.