Gets a error 0x000000ED Unmountable boot volume after the win7 splashscreen. When I try to boot into startup repair it seems to start to boot but then comes up with a blank screen with a mouse pointer that can move but nothing else. When I try safemode it freezes when loading drivers. Now the odd thing is that when I try to boot from a DVD rescue disk the same thing happens, blank screen with pointer, even my Win7 istallation disk does the same thing. The only way I can boot this machine (Toshiba Satellite) is either using a linux installed on USB, or into a windows rescue disk when the hard drive is removed. Even when I'm in linux I can't mount the disk, the error says $LogFile indicates unclean shutdown(0,0) Failed to mount '/dev/sda3': Operation not supported Mount is denied because NTFS is marked to be in use.....
As much as anything else I don't understand why I can't boot from the Win7 install disk unless the HDD is removed
Any ideas?

in Linux, you can try command console command:
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda3 /media/sda3 -o force

or Boot press F8, command prompt, and run: "checkdsk /f" and "chkdsk /r" then fixmbr,


most newer (2009 or newer) laptops lock the HDDs when it fails the SMART status.

check the BIOS screens to see if SATA has been locked.

Thanks for the suggestions Skate, I tried that command in linux, but it didn't work and I don't know Linux well enough to interpret its response. I'll try it again later when I get home in case I made a mistake. I've tried just about every option from the Boot menu except the cmd line, how did I miss that! Thanks again.

you can also run a windows live CD to get to command prompts, but the "Live" windows CDs are rubbish in my opinion, i never had one work correctly.

also you can try taking the HDD out and re-seating it.

I have reseated both the RAM and the HDD to no effect, and the only time that any Windows live CD will boot is if the HDD is completely removed. Weird.

thats usually a sign that the HDD is toast.

That's my suspicion too. I'm going to try swapping it for a HDD from my Vista laptop which I'm currently using as a HTPC. I won't try to boot from that though, I'll just try to boot a Windows live CD with it connected. I think if that works it should eliminate other possible causes, Mobo etc. I want to be sure before I fork out for a new HDD.

buy a internal hdd for the laptop, then a enclosure/converter to try and access the old one with file recovery tools for any files you want to recover.

Check the bios if the ide emulaton is set to ahci or ide

Right, the other HDD installed let me boot into the installation disk so at the very least I know its bad HDD. Now I'm faced with how to re-install the OS without knowing the key. I have the sticker on the back of the case, but some of the numbers have rubbed off, not many, but enough to make it impossible to use. I contacted Toshiba 'support' but the only thing they would do is sell me the recovery disk for £30. Nice one. It's bad enough having to buy a new HDD without having to fork out another £30 for a recovery disk when I have what should be a valid key already. Actually I'm fixing it for a freind, but as the cost of repair is rapidly approaching £100 its looking like a waste of time