chkdsk interrupted, now pc won't boot

Question

I lost power while running chkdsk and now my pc won't boot when I power up. I've tried all the options of starting up in Safe Mode, Last Known Good Point, etc etc but it keeps cycling back to the black screen of choices to boot up with after power loss or a bad shutdown. I've also tried to boot from my Operating System CD, but my pc isn't recognizing the disk and directs me to the Boot Setup (where I've chosen boot from CD-ROM) and I still can't get the system to boot from the HD or the CD. (I did find a single sentence disclaimer on the Microsoft Knowledge Base that says if chkdsk is interrupted, then disk integrity can't be gteed...ugh.) Can I at the least recover data or even repair my OS? Suggestions?

Robert Cathles · Answer

I have had this problem myself before. I contacted Dell Support and they set me some instructions, of which I have manged to brief to you below. They were successful in solving my problem.   Insert XP Reinstallation CD on boot. Accept to boot from CD-ROM. Wait a minute or two to allow the CD to run the files. Choose 'R' to recover the installation. Type in chkdsk /r when at the MS DOS command prompt.   More information on  this page. Scroll down to the section about 'Recovery Console'.

Speardog · Answer

Thanks, but the system won't read a CD even after changing boot sequences etc (Dell Dimension8200, WinXP SP2). Do you think if I bought an external cage with a USB adapter, I could remove my HD, use my laptop to access the data (without too much hassle), and then copy files to my laptop? If there was a way to boot from the CD that would be first choice though. I'm not worried about the hardware, I just want to get my data the cheapest/easiest way possible. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

chinggay77 · Answer

i would suggest that you do a parallel installation.  But the problem is that you were not able to boot from the cd.  I need to know if this is a portable or a desktop system.  Also you can try running the 90/90 diags to check the integrity of your hdd (press ctrl-alt-d on the dell logo).  You said said that you already changed the boot sequence. Maybe you can try other bootable disk just to check the functionality of your cdrom drive.

Robert Cathles · Answer

You can most certainly try doing other things to copy your files... but you should be able to start the Setup with floppy disks instead. I have read what it does, and it says it can only do a new installation, but you can try to see if the load takes you to the setup menu where you can enter the disk. If you are a bit weary of doing this process, then don't, or if you do and come across a problem, turning off the computer should be safe.

Visit the appropriate download for your system. Download the program and run it. You will require 6 floppy disks to use this utilty. Click the link below to select your download from the list (see the 'Download the Setup disk program file' section).

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310994

Speardog · Answer

Robert, thanks very much for your help, the problem's solved. My Operating System CD wasn't recognized, so I tried it in my DVD drive and it ran (go figure)! It looked like it hung up when I tried a repair so I just powered down last night. When I powered up this morning it ran a complete chkdsk (w/o the CD) and booted up correctly (amazing what a good night sleep will get you!). End result it works but not entirley sure why. Thanks again for your help, it was much appreciated.

Windows General

chkdsk interrupted, now pc won't boot

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