Unmountable boot volume error.

[Cephius]

Whatever, if I'm an idiot for suggesting that its a bad idea to keep your data on a disk that has failed chkdsk that many times, in the same spot, without any hardware/software changes then so be it. Risk your data all you want.

The OP got his drive bootable so there's really no point in arguing this anymore.

[Shuemue]

You're totally missing the point. To advise someone to spend money on new hardware before they've reasonably tested it with readily available utilities is retarded.

[Rags]

Protip: Telling someone to replace hardware, before testing it, makes you look a fucking idiot.

I had the same problems the OP said. But for me running the tools didn't help out the reasons fo rit. Later on I figured I would reformat the whole Hd. Everything was fine til the same exact issue happened. A certified A+++ computer tech had me go out and buy a new HD.

Really we can argue this or that. Most have said to try and fix the drive, before you reformat or purchase a new one. But the greater problem doesn't seem to be the ideas to fix a drive. But the lack of common knowledge to back up work,music,photos and so on. External drives start out at like 40 bucks or discs for like 20 bucks for 100.

We have common sense to save our work multiple times in fear of a computer shut downs. Yet we totally ignore the cheap ways to back up our work from HD issues/failures.

[Shuemue]

Simple fact is that unless you have money to burn, you test shit before replacing it. I'm not talking hours of work and expense, I'm talking ten minutes to run a diagnostic. It ain't rocket science.

[Isiolia]

Chkdsk is a diagnostic, last I checked. Maybe not running several tools to be 110% sure, but failing there is good enough for RMA to many companies.

[Shuemue]

Shit like Quicktech, Ultimate boot disc etc. were created for a reason.

[Isiolia]

Yeah, but Quicktech, Spinrite, etc aren't all free. There are other tools, sure, and like I said if it's feasible to run some then ya might as well.
Were it a Mac, then yeah, the included stuff won't fix a lot of problems. fsck/Disk Utility simply won't do what Diskwarrior will. Windows, personally, I haven't seen Chkdsk fail to complete. I wouldn't say it's the end-all tool by any means, just that it's not common for it to crap out.

[Shuemue]

I didn't pay for Quicktech. I wouldn't pay for Spinrite.

I guess I just wouldn't trust Microsoft software alone before replacing a HD.

[Isiolia]

Has chkdsk failed you at some point that would lead to that conclusion? I use it quite often, usually have computers brought in that warrant it several times a week, and can't recall it being unable to complete outside of hardware problems. Not that it couldn't be something else, but I haven't seen that happen personally.

[Shuemue]

I had a motherboard flop, it was refusing to boot windows and making the HD click and so on, chkdsk failed to complete repeatedly. Every indication was a dead HD, tested it in another machine, it was fine. Replaced the board, and a year or more later I'm still using that HD as a primary. So yeah, based on that experience I wouldn't just trust chkdsk.

[Isiolia]

In that case you were dealing with a hardware problem though. Just motherboard related rather than HDD related. So arguably a different HDD scanner wouldn't necessarily have shown the drive to be fine either, right?

The thing there is you have another machine to swap to. I'd typically have the same resource there. Put the drive on my Wiebetech, copy the user data off if possible, and then be more free to poke at it. But not everyone has that at their disposal.

Considering your issue you had, and some I've had with other hardware, perhaps the better suggestion would be to do other diagnostics like Memtest and/or scan the drive in a known working computer. Isolate the problem.

[Shuemue]

Quicktech for example is a bootable CD, not reliant on the HD at all. It's capable of testing HD, board, ram etc, so it's absolutely the correct thing to try before purchasing replacement hardware.

[Isiolia]

Yeah, but it's again not (legally) free, at least that I've seen, and so not something everyone would have.

[Shuemue]

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Free~

[Isiolia]

Yeah, I know, it's already been mentioned, and it's not like I don't have a few copies floating around myself =P

Like I've said, narrowing things down as much as you can is best. But, like others have said too, data is not something to take many chances with.

Though, arguably, if you have a second computer to get a copy of UBCD and burn it, you can pull the drive and scan it on that to check too. Or back it up, which to me is the more important thing, and what I think most others were getting at. If you have reason not to trust a drive, do not let that be your only copy of the data on it.

[Shuemue]

Yeah, I know, it's already been mentioned, and it's not like I don't have a few copies floating around myself =P

Like I've said, narrowing things down as much as you can is best. But, like others have said too, data is not something to take many chances with.

Though, arguably, if you have a second computer to get a copy of UBCD and burn it, you can pull the drive and scan it on that to check too. Or back it up, which to me is the more important thing, and what I think most others were getting at. If you have reason not to trust a drive, do not let that be your only copy of the data on it.

I agree with that 100%, my only point has been that buying new hardware before running those tests is ludicrous.

Let's use the case of the OP as an example. He was told to buy a new HD. He didn't. He got through chkdsk and is now back in windows where he can back his data up. Chances are he'll need a new drive soon, but without any of the OMG YOURE FUCKED scaremongering.

[Rags]

Yeah, I know, it's already been mentioned, and it's not like I don't have a few copies floating around myself =P

Like I've said, narrowing things down as much as you can is best. But, like others have said too, data is not something to take many chances with.

Though, arguably, if you have a second computer to get a copy of UBCD and burn it, you can pull the drive and scan it on that to check too. Or back it up, which to me is the more important thing, and what I think most others were getting at. If you have reason not to trust a drive, do not let that be your only copy of the data on it.

I agree with that 100%, my only point has been that buying new hardware before running those tests is ludicrous.

Let's use the case of the OP as an example. He was told to buy a new HD. He didn't. He got through chkdsk and is now back in windows where he can back his data up. Chances are he'll need a new drive soon, but without any of the OMG YOURE FUCKED scaremongering.

I only told them that it might be time to get a new Hd because of a similar thing happening to me. My computer started with the chkdsk failing a ton of times at 35%. I ran a to boot cd and from what I was told nothing was to serious. An that it was best to reformat the drive. So what ever was a new program was backed up. I reformatted and then a few months later I had the exact same issue.

Who knows though. Maybe the OP will never have another issue with their Hd and maybe tomorrow it will just go. Thats the way the computers cookie always crumbles. I get more irked because someone whines about all the data they will lose if they have to reformat or buy a new HD.