blue screen UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error, try to fix with recovery console and xp pro cd, but admin password invalid

This is your best bet

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/22939823/Reset-Admin-Password.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+admin+password+reset+xp

What happens when you just hit Enter?  Blank password?  

Blank password does not work.  When I change the admin password in the bios,  that does not work either.

Try:- password

although i do think you need to use the xp password reset to resolve this issue. Why are you changing the password in the bios?

Thanks
Shaun

ok, that was the only password I was able to access since I could not log onto windows in any way. Trying - password now.  Was that ':-password' , '-password', or just 'password'

its a known MS bug.  The hotfix helps to solve this problem: Q308402 hotfix.  

another way is password reset boot disk:

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Another useful tool, you can not only fix the administrator password, but you can edit the registry
http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html Links for download of file cd080802.zip are on this page.
Read through the instructions. We use this on Vista too! and it works in AD.

Check my first post

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/22939823/Reset-Admin-Password.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+admin+password+reset+xp

There are bootable CD's that boot into there own os that allow you to reset the password.

ps i meant password" :-)

DOH. Sorry about the dual post Tiras25. You rock

Hey hey not a problem.  We're all type fast here:-))

I have no blank cd's on hand.  Is there another feasible way to make this happen?  

Can you get to the command prompt at all and run chkdsk ?

no access to command prompt either.

Might be able to make a bootable usb pen with it?

Windows Recovery Console will help as long as the issue is with a Windows system file. However, "Unmountable Boot Volume" is also indicative of hard disk failure.

How are you getting into Recovery Console? Are you using a Windows disk? If so, go on to the "Install" section and see if it detects a Windows installation. If it does, you can restart and try to reset the password. But if the issue is with the drive and not the system files, you will not be able to reset the password at all, and may need to replace the hard disk.

that could work.  how would I do that?

paq

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/22107540/Administrator-Password-for-Recovery-Console.html?anchorAnswerId=25506194#a25506194

2 links posted by myself and

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tactonic_grate:
Have a read of this:

http://mcpmag.com/columns/article.asp?EditorialsID=1081

I've seen this problem several times, and this article has always helped.

Carl

You need to fix the boot record. Start the recovery console (booting from the CD)
Run this  command -
chkdsk c: /r /p
fixmbr
exit (to reboot)

The asker can't get to the part in the recovery console due to the admin password being set but yes once you get around that you would do a chkdsk /r and fixboot and fixmbr and exit to reboot again and see if that helps, if not then I would get a bart pe disc or a linux live disc and recover any data you need and install a new hard drive

If you can get it booted with any CD based XP OS you can run chkdsk.

Another option is if you have a windows 2000 bootable cd you can use that and that does not prompt you for admin credentials to get into the recovery console and you can use the windows 2000 recovery console to do what you need

I would follow gecko's advice. Copy your data and start over.

I tried fixmbr, checkdsk and others from windows recovery console on the windows install cd, seems like my c drive only has 10 megabytes and the d partiion is empty and large. Seems like I may have to reinstall windows, which I am not opposed to but there are like 5 files I want that aren't saved uptodate elsewhere. Is it worth trying to recover the data? That may get expensive no?

If it's worth $80 to recover those files, connect your hard drive to another computer as a 2nd drive. Download the free trial  GetDataBack for NTFS here http://www.runtime.org/
If you can recover your files, give them the $80.

How do I connect the hard drive to another computer? It is a laptop hard drive.

This solution was perfect.  I screwed up however and forgot to ground myself when connecting the hard drive and I think I fried it.  I bought a new hard drive.