How to Fix Unmountable Boot Volume in Windows XP

The viability, or "mountability," of a boot volume in Windows XP depends on the presence of the master boot record on the hard drive. This is the file that contains all of the pertinent information about the drive. You can restore the master boot record to repair your unmountable boot volume through the Recovery Console of your XP computer, a procedure that takes around 10 minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP CD

Instructions

1. Insert the XP CD into the computer. Restart the computer.

2. Press any key when prompted to boot from CD.

3. Press "R" at the first screen to load the Recovery Console.

4. Type "fixmbr x:" and press "Enter," replacing "x" with the letter of the unmountable drive.

References

• Microsoft: Fixmbr