I have an IBM Thinkpad T42 that now has an "unmountable boot volume". I've read i just need to get the windows xp cd and run repair but the cd's didn't come with my laptop, my warranty has expired, and i can't find anyone to loan me xp cd's. Should i take this in to a computer repair place and have them work on it? if so, what's a good place to take it in charlotte/raleigh.

12/27/2006 10:47:07 PM

Find someone to borrow the cd from, boot to it, press R to enter the recovery console, fixboot, fixmbr, reboot, be thankful you didn't spend $50-75.

12/27/2006 10:55:08 PM

How did you do that anyways? I never have those kind of troubles until I start trying to remove bootloaders and restore a computer to XP only from dual boot.

12/27/2006 11:42:32 PM

If your recovery partition is still intact, you don't even need any CD's. Just run Rescue and Recovery to restore it back to Day 1 state. You should be able to pressing the "Access IBM" button at the startup screen.

12/28/2006 12:34:02 AM

http://www.google.com/search?q=unmountable+boot+volume
First Hit: http://www.techtips4u.com/kb/sw/SW00014.htm

Quote :

"Someone filled out the form to the right and asked about systems without a XP CD like Compaq and HP. If you have a XP system and don't have a XP CD please download the Windows XP boot disk from our Downloads page and use it instead of the XP CD."

If you don't have a floppy drive, try what Specter said. Although your warranty is expired, you should still be able to access technical manuals for your ThinkPad. T42 doesn't help us much ... look on the bottom of your laptop and look for the specific model number (extends another 5-7 letters or so).

Quote :

"Should i take this in to a computer repair place and have them work on it? if so, what's a good place to take it in charlotte/raleigh."

Depends on your needs and time. Expect to pay $60/hr for somebody to look at it ... turnaround times vary but you could get it back the same day. In Charlotte, I'd recommend Vitality Computers on Monroe Road; IIRC they charge every 15 min, with a 30min/$30 minimum. Don't know Raleigh well enough to recommend anybody. There are some folks on TWW who will do it for $20/hr, but you may not get a quick response.

[Edited on December 28, 2006 at 6:08 AM. Reason : .]

12/28/2006 6:04:31 AM