Here's one suggestion....IF you have a spare HD that you could use.... Throw it into the your server....install WIn2k on it - hook up your old hd as and go into disk management to "Import Foreign disk" this may allow you to retrieve the data off the old drive...unless it's REALLY pooched! By the way you're talking, I assume you don't have a backup? Anyway, let me know how this goes if you do it. Thanks, Randman -----Original Message----- From: win2kforum-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:win2kforum-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Rosilyn Carroll Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 12:41 PM To: win2kforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [win2kforum] Inaccessible Boot Device Hi All I have a problem with a machine which I am unable to boot and any ideas to resolve would be v.grateful. Machine: Compaq 3500 OS: W2K SP1 File system: NTFS System dir: C:\winnt Error Message on boot = Inaccessible Boot Device - Please run CHKDSk Solutions tried and failed: 1. Boot with W2K Install disk and tried to run Chkdsk. After loading the OS install files, error message = Unable to locate HD 2. Boot with W2K Install disk and tried to install OS into new partition After loading the OS install files, error message = Unable to locate HD 3. Boot with NTFS Dos Disk Am able to read all dirs except %system% I can access this dir but when I try to list the files, nothing appears 4. Boot with ghost Boot disk to take image off machine Falls over straight away (err msg - unable to read boot sector) 5. Boot with Imagecast boot disk and tried to burn off image Falls over after about 15 mins... timeout errors - have increased the timeout but still falls over. 6. Removed HD and placed into identical machine - same error msg as 1 7. Tried all troubleshooting options built in to W2K at boot - all have failed. Do not have the Recovery Console installed and am unable to install it. I have not tried going in with a boot disk and running fdisk or format as there is data on here I have to retrieve and there is no backup. If any one knows of any utils which maybe worth trying please let me know - thanks v.much in advance.... Rosilyn Carroll ----- To unsubscribe, send a message to win2kforum-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and put "unsubscribe" in the subject of the message. To reach the administrator(s), send a message to win2kforum-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----- To unsubscribe, send a message to win2kforum-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and put "unsubscribe" in the subject of the message. To reach the administrator(s), send a message to win2kforum-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx