URGENT!!! Need help ASAP, please respond!

Help me out here, please

I was just using my computer normally when—BAM—Blue Screen of Death. It’s throwing an "UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME" error. I tried to run a fix, but the whole thing just freezes right on the screen. Total brick.

It’s running Windows 10. I plugged in a bootable USB thinking it would trigger an Auto Repair, but nope. It won't even recognize the Windows installation from the USB. Nothing.

So now I've booted into an Ubuntu live CD, which is how I'm even typing this. I'm not taking this CD out until someone actually replies, so please, if anyone knows what they're doing, help a person out ASAP.

What the hell happened? Did my hard drive just kick the bucket, or is it something else?

Here's the error: http://postimg.org/image/mvyjwrbo1/

This happened right in the middle of a massive project, and I have critical data on there. This is a nightmare...

Where the hell did this 210 GB extended partition come from?? I definitely didn't create this. Just look at the number of NTFS partitions... give me a break. ugh

Stormytinker40?

I honestly don't get why it won't even try to launch win !?!?!?

So, I've got the USB plugged in, but all I'm getting is the Blue Screen of Death. Nothing else happens.

Did my hard drive just kick the bucket?

Hey everyone, can someone jump in here? I’m definitely not some hardware guru or software expert, and honestly, I’ve got nobody else to turn to.

I ran a disk test in the BIOS, but it won't even finish. It just hits a failure at 3% and quits on me. Now, how am I supposed to know for sure if the drive itself is dead? That whole USB situation is really starting to freak me out. Why won't it load from my bootable USB? Am I looking at a fried motherboard?

If the BIOS can't even scan the hard drive, you’re probably looking at the end of the line—especially since Linux is running fine from the CD... So, we're either dealing with a dying hard drive or some major issues within Windows. My advice? Pull the drive out and, if you have another computer handy, plug it in there. You could run something like CrystalDiskInfo to check its actual health. If the status comes back red, well... start saving up for a new drive.

I don't have a spare PC lying around, so I'm still stuck with this one. 😢 Did you actually check the screenshot from the first post? It shows 304 bad sectors, even though it claims the drive is fine. Honestly, my first instinct is to just run a full Ubuntu installation right now to see if it'll even let me install it, but I'm terrified of nuking whatever data might actually be salvageable here.

stormytinker40 said:I don't have a spare PC lying around, so I'm still stuck with this one. 😢 Did you actually check the screenshot from the first post? It shows 304 bad sectors, even though it claims the drive is fine. Honestly, my first instinct is to just run a full Ubuntu installation right now to see if it'll even let me install it, but I'm terrified of nuking whatever data might actually be salvageable here.

Try downloading this http://www.dposoft.net/hdd.html—specifically the full version (I can send it via PM)—and attempt a repair with it. If those are just software-level bad sectors, it might actually fix them.

I’m completely stuck. It won't even attempt to load Windows. I see the Windows logo for a second, then the blue screen pops up with all that Greek-looking gibberish, tells me it’s going to automatically restart and repair Windows, and then—boom—it restarts straight into a black screen. Nothing. Just dead air.

It won't even boot from a Windows USB drive.

The only thing this machine will actually run is an Ubuntu live session.

How can I tell if my motherboard is officially toast?

stormytinker40 said:I’m completely stuck. It won't even attempt to load Windows. I see the Windows logo for a second, then the blue screen pops up with all that Greek-looking gibberish, tells me it’s going to automatically restart and repair Windows, and then—boom—it restarts straight into a black screen. Nothing. Just dead air.

It won't even boot from a Windows USB drive.

The only thing this machine will actually run is an Ubuntu live session.

How can I tell if my motherboard is officially toast?

It’s unlikely the motherboard is the culprit if it’s successfully running Ubuntu. The issue is almost certainly with the hard drive. You'll probably need to hook it up to another computer to try and fix this, assuming that's even possible.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Yeah, my old drive finally kicked the bucket, so I just picked up a 240 GB SSD.

Windows is installing, and man, it’s freakishly fast. Like, unnaturally fast. The whole thing was done in five minutes flat.

I've got a couple of things on my mind;

1. Should I bother setting up a separate partition for my files, or is it better to just leave the SSD as one big chunk?

2. What's the best way to hook up my dead hard drive and use some software to try and salvage whatever data is left?

stormytinker40 said:Thanks for the input, everyone.

Yeah, my old drive finally kicked the bucket, so I just picked up a 240 GB SSD.

Windows is installing, and man, it’s freakishly fast. Like, unnaturally fast. The whole thing was done in five minutes flat.

I've got a couple of things on my mind;

1. Should I bother setting up a separate partition for my files, or is it better to just leave the SSD as one big chunk?

2. What's the best way to hook up my dead hard drive and use some software to try and salvage whatever data is left?

1. Honestly? You can do whatever you want. 😁
2. Just grab or borrow something like this:
https://www.startech.com/HDD/Duplicators/?page=all
And hey, if you happen to be near Indianapolis, I might even let you borrow one.

There's a good chance you'll be able to just plug it in and see everything in File Explorer like normal. If that fails, though—then you'll need to dig into some recovery software to get the job done.

stormytinker40 said:Thanks for the input, everyone.

Yeah, my old drive finally kicked the bucket, so I just picked up a 240 GB SSD.

Windows is installing, and man, it’s freakishly fast. Like, unnaturally fast. The whole thing was done in five minutes flat.

I've got a couple of things on my mind;

1. Should I bother setting up a separate partition for my files, or is it better to just leave the SSD as one big chunk?

2. What's the best way to hook up my dead hard drive and use some software to try and salvage whatever data is left?

1. Honestly, it’s pretty subjective—some people prefer splitting things up while others just stick to one big partition, so there isn't really a "right" answer. For instance, I have a 120GB SSD where I just kept one single partition, but I have a 1TB HDD that I split into two parts—one specifically for games and another for downloads and stuff.

2. Well, like I mentioned before, just plug that old hard drive into another computer that already has Windows installed—actually, since you just got your SSD, you can probably just plug it right into your own machine now. If it doesn't show up in My Computer, maybe try booting from a Linux live USB? If it still won't show up after that, well... you might just be able to toss it in the trash.

Larry Ortiz5 said:1. Honestly, it’s pretty subjective—some people prefer splitting things up while others just stick to one big partition, so there isn't really a "right" answer. For instance, I have a 120GB SSD where I just kept one single partition, but I have a 1TB HDD that I split into two parts—one specifically for games and another for downloads and stuff.

2. Well, like I mentioned before, just plug that old hard drive into another computer that already has Windows installed—actually, since you just got your SSD, you can probably just plug it right into your own machine now. If it doesn't show up in My Computer, maybe try booting from a Linux live USB? If it still won't show up after that, well... you might just be able to toss it in the trash.

My bad, I forgot to mention I'm working on a laptop. So, this SSD is actually the only drive in my machine right now. Does partitioning an SSD actually mess with its performance? I'm asking because most people seem to use them strictly as system drives.

2. Look, like I told you before, just plug that old hard drive into another computer that already has Windows installed. Since you bought that SSD, you can hook it up to your current rig. If it doesn't show up in My Computer, try booting from a Linux live USB. If even that fails, honestly, you might as well toss it in the trash.

What kind of cable am I going to need for that?

Karen Doyle72 said:1. Honestly? You can do whatever you want. 😁
2. Just grab or borrow something like this:
https://www.startech.com/HDD/Duplicators/?page=all
And hey, if you happen to be near Indianapolis, I might even let you borrow one.

There's a good chance you'll be able to just plug it in and see everything in File Explorer like normal. If that fails, though—then you'll need to dig into some recovery software to get the job done.

I didn't even see your reply. 😁

Thanks, but man, that’s a little pricey. 😁 Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near Indianapolis.

stormytinker40 said:I didn't even see your reply. 😁

Thanks, but man, that’s a little pricey. 😁 Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near Indianapolis.

Look, that was just an example so you could see what the thing actually looks like, you can find them all over $67.
But,
it's way easier if you're dealing with a laptop.
Anytime you want, just grab a USB connector—basically an external enclosure.

Just one heads-up: make sure those external enclosures ask you to format the disk when you plug them in for the first time.

Karen Doyle72 said:Look, that was just an example so you could see what the thing actually looks like, you can find them all over $67.
But,
it's way easier if you're dealing with a laptop.
Anytime you want, just grab a USB connector—basically an external enclosure.

Just one heads-up: make sure those external enclosures ask you to format the disk when you plug them in for the first time.

Awesome! Thanks a million!

Just one more thing; creating a new partition isn't going to mess with my SSD's performance, right? Is it safe to go ahead? I'm thinking about leaving 100 GB on the system partition and carving out another 120 GB for a new one.

stormytinker40 said:Awesome! Thanks a million!

Just one more thing; creating a new partition isn't going to mess with my SSD's performance, right? Is it safe to go ahead? I'm thinking about leaving 100 GB on the system partition and carving out another 120 GB for a new one.

It really just boils down to how much space your OS and all your programs are hogging up. If you're sitting under 50GB, you aren't gonna have any issues at all. Honestly, even if it's over 50GB, you should be fine too—don't get hung up on that specific number—but you definitely need to leave enough breathing room for the OS to actually function.

I mean, some Blu-ray movies these days are like 30 or 40GB... so just think about it. You've got 50 gigs for the OS and apps, then you download one massive movie via torrent and suddenly you're hitting a wall.

(Of course, you could just save stuff to that other 120GB partition instead, which would push that whole headache way down the road.)

Try accessing the HDD using Hiren's Boot (it works via USB). Just grab whatever files you need to save.
As for the SSD, IMO there's really no point in messing with partitions on a 240GB SSD, but hey, it's your call.