UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME error. Need Help!!!

[Lithium]

Okay, heres the problem. A week ago I turn my PC on and everything is booting normaly. The Windows XP Pro splash screen comes up and a few seconds later I get a lovely blue screen that reads UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME and gives some other info. So I restart and it happens again, and again and again.

So, I get online and find out that the cause according to microsoft is either the wrong cable on my HD or a corrupt boot sector on my HD. I know the cable is correct because it worked the day before this happened. So, I try using the Recovery Console and using the CHKDSK /R command. That brings up another blue screen (can't recall the error) So, I again use the console and try FIXBOOT instead. It says the boot sector was corrupt and it proceeds to repair it. I reboot and get the same error. So, I figure "bad HD" so I download maxtors diagnostic software and run all the tests on the HD. All tests come out good so the HD is still physically in working order. So, whats next. There is stuff on that hard drive that I need to get to so reformatting isn't and option. I have tried putting the HD in another PC to get the files off it but I get errors or the PC won't boot to windows.

Any help is greatly appreciated since I am at my wits end and I don't have the cash to pay a shop to fix it. Thanks

[KHT]

since you have access to another PC have you tried just configuring your drive as slave and the other as master, letting it boot and then recovering your data?

also, have you tried using the "last known good registry" option?

[Alfie]

If you are using fat 32 file system,you have to first repair mbr with a 98 disk and then repair with xp.

[Lithium]

I am using the NTFS file format. I am a little leary of using the fixmbr command because of the risk of destroying the partition and not being able to access anything. I have also tried putting the hard drive into the working PC. When I set the good HD as master and the bad HD as slave on the primary ide channel I get a blue screen before Windows can load. If I put the bad hard drive on the secondary ide channel alone the PC locks up before it gets to windows.

[Alfie]

The fixmbr refers to the boot record and should not effect the partition.
See if you can access the drive via a bootdisk,if you can,try to back up data from there.
What type of ide ribbon are you using and how are the drives jumpered?

[CraigMcD]

Use ChkDisk /p then FixBoot. If that fixes it you need to go to Windows Update and get the Critical Update for Feb 10 2002.