unmountable boot volume

Yes, if you choose that test. Given the age and model of the drive, I'd bet it's dead or dying. Try using the Dell diagnostics on the drive.

mgreen.

Check out the following articles

http://www.techtips4u.com/kb/sw/SW00014.htm

As I said, the hard drive tested just fine by Dell Diagnostics and by the IBM/Hitachi drive diagnostics and I had already tried chkdsk /r from the recovery console before I posted here.

Things have gotten worse - now according to the BIOS (and anything else I try) I have neither a hard disk nor a CD drive.
Booting brings up two beeps and the message to "Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility". In setup both the CD and the HD are listed as "unknown devices" and I can't find any way to force the BIOS to look for the IDE drives again (they're both on auto).

This was the behavior that caused us to format in the first place, except usually the machine would boot properly to Windows and then lose all its IDE devices in the middle of something.

the last time I was able to get into the recovery console an tried a chkdsk /r again it politely informed me that there was no such drive (C) or there was no disk in it. Naturally, no other commands would run from the console either.

As far as the age of the drive having anything to do with it, I have a much older Dell PC (XPST 550) that is still running just fine.

Message Edited by mgreen on 03-10-2005 10:45 PM

Replace the CMOS battery and then clear the CMOS.

As may not be obvious, this is a changing situation.

At the time I ran both the Dell Diagnostics and the IBM/Hitachi Disk Fitness test I had both Optical drives and the Hard Drive being detected. Right now I have no IDE drives being detected by the PC.

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The IDE auto-configuration failed - right now I have nothing showing for IDE devices - even the slot that *should* say "not installed" now says "unknown device" Thank you for posting the technique to do the auto-configuration, BTW.

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This morning: Running the DFT from a floppy - the two optical drives are detected, but not the HD (this is different from yesterday & this is even though the BIOS says nothing is there). So at least that cable is fine.

Swapped and reseated the cables & now all IDE drives are detected (at least for the moment). Dell Diagnostics (again) says the HD is fine.

I think the IDE controller on the MB is failing.

Message Edited by mgreen on 03-11-2005 12:50 PM

The IDE controller is fine. The drive is failing. These drives have a horrendous reputation - they can and do fail at a moment's notice, without warning.

They are currently the subject of a class action.

http://www.sheller.com/Practice.asp?PracticeID=114

A failing drive can render the other IDE devices invisible to the system. Diagnostics programs cannot pick up all possible failure modes on any given drive, and the history of the IBM Deathstar is that they often fail completely without warning - I had two 75GXP drives, both of which failed without any warning at all. One of them, despite not being able to load anything, passed all the IBM Drive Fitness Tests with flying colors.

If you have had 3-4 years of service out of this model drive, you've done exceptionally well - something like 50% of them failed within the fist year to 18 months - and I can attest the replacements were no better - I replaced one of the failed drives, which lasted about another 6 months before it too, expired suddenly and without warning.

I guess I don't understand - why do the diagnostics say the drive is fine and why would the system also be "losing" the optical drives periodically if it wasn't the IDE controller? I'm not trying to be argumentative - I'd just like to understand the situation so I can deal with it.

Got it - thank you for the explanation.

I too, was somewhat amused when I read the name of the drive on its label.

I don't think anybody ever said that the optiocal drives were bad too - just that they periodically "disappeared" from the BIOS along with the HD.

Follow up:

You all were correct - the IBM Deathstar" drive was most definitely at fault (despite the diagnostics).  I replaced it yesterday and things are back up and running fine.