chkdsk /r prompts for full path for Autochk.exe? novice user

[peterkeesen]

I am a novice user.

When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including drive
letter for location of Autochk.exe"

Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is. I
would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or on
drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for it.


Background Summary:
Had power outage. Blue Screened.
unmountable_boot_volume
stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.

Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access Recovery
Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q297185.

I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".

the prompt is from drive C

do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair on
drive a?

thanks for reading

[peterkeesen or balfiecat]

Apparently chkdsk cannot find Autochk.exe from what I read at "How To Use
Recovery Console" at
http://support.microsoft.com/default...n-us;307654#3:

"Chkdsk: The /p switch runs Chkdsk even if the drive is not flagged as
dirty. The /r switch locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.
This switch implies /p. Chkdsk requires Autochk. Chkdsk automatically looks
for Autochk.exe in the startup folder. If Chkdsk cannot find the file in the
startup folder, it looks for the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM. If Chkdsk cannot
find the installation CD-ROM, Chkdsk prompts the user for the location of
Autochk.exe."

Still, I do not know what to do. I do not have a setup CD; just the floppies.

*Should I reinsert each of the floppy disks and see if it searches them for
the file? *Can I download the autochk.exe file for XP somewhere? Then I could
insert the floppy at the prompt and tell it to look on drive 'A', correct?

I made the floppy disks on a compaq using Wiin ME but do not have consistent
access to that pc (it is not mine). I have papers to write for school and am
getting pretty anxious (have been trying to fix all weekend).

Thanks in advance for your help :-)


"peterkeesen" wrote:

> I am a novice user.
>
> When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including drive
> letter for location of Autochk.exe"
>
> Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is. I
> would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or on
> drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for it.
>
>
> Background Summary:
> Had power outage. Blue Screened.
> unmountable_boot_volume
> stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
> Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
> Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.
>
> Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access Recovery
> Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q297185.
>
> I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
> at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".
>
> the prompt is from drive C
>
> do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair on
> drive a?
>
> thanks for reading
>
>
>

[Treeman]

peterkeesen Wrote:
> I am a novice user.
>
> When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including
> drive
> letter for location of Autochk.exe"
>
> Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is.
> I
> would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or
> on
> drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for
> it.
>
>
> Background Summary:
> Had power outage. Blue Screened.
> unmountable_boot_volume
> stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
> Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
> Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.
>
> Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access
> Recovery
> Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
> http://tinyurl.com/cwk5.
>
> I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
> at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".
>
> the prompt is from drive C
>
> do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair
> on
> drive a?
>
> thanks for reading

The problem is not that your computer can't find autochk.exe -- the
problem is that it cannot find the system partition itself and
therefore cannot traverse the directory path to find autochk.exe. This
is exactly what happens if the partition is flagged as invisible (ie:
"hidden NTFS"). This happens on most computers like Dell, Compaq, HP,
etc, where there is a hidden partition that contains system files.
Check out HP help center, or use a third party app. like Partition
Magic 8, tools that let's you "see," the hidden partition.
Then you can do your "chkdsk /r."
Treeman


--
Treeman

[peterkeesen or balfiecat]

to complicate things more, when i try to get any directory information from
C: i get nothing, but dir a: gives me a list of files. does this mean my
windows files on C are gone? the prompt is coming from C: .

i started to used fixboot but i do not understand partitions and apparently
using the command creates the boot files on a petition and i changed my miond
and told it not to continue because other users with the same problem i have
had problems after using the fixboot command.

there is a possibility that after a previous recovery i failed to redo my
windows updates and did not have service pack 1 installed. hewlett packard
has a warning on their site that if you do not have sp1 installed you might
get the unmountable boot volume error if there is a sudden slow down in
writing to disk speed *which there would be in power outage) ... something
about cashing .... they say they have some file they will mail to you on a
disk to fix it (for money i really don't have) but i need access to my pc
like soon for school! this is my final quarter of high school and i cant
afford to blow it or i dont graduate!

i have seen numerous posts on various sites from other people with the exact
same problem (unmountable boot volume, use 6 floppy disks to access recovery,
don't have xp cd, unable to use chkdsk due to autochk.exe not found), but no
final solution anywhere that i have read.


i so hope someone here can tell me how to fix this .


"peterkeesen or balfiecat" wrote:

> Apparently chkdsk cannot find Autochk.exe from what I read at "How To Use
> Recovery Console" at
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...n-us;307654#3:
> If Chkdsk cannot > find the installation CD-ROM, Chkdsk prompts the user for the location of > Autochk.exe."
>
> Still, I do not know what to do. I do not have a setup CD; just the floppies.
>

[peterkeesen or balfiecat]

thanks treeman,

i had read about the partitions at microsoft and HP (and in here actually),
but I do not have access to anything like the partition utility and i live 3
hours from the nearest store (anchorage). It makes sense to me now (that the
partition was hidden) and there is also a drive D preinstalled that i have
never known how to access, but i did not read anything that i thought i could
do to unhide it myself so this morning i went ahead and just restarted and
selected the recovery that comes preinstalled. it takes it back to
manufacturer settings so i knew i would lose everything (soooooooo much music
and some school stuff too), but i figure rewriting some stuff is faster than
getting a card to charge a mail order cd then waiting for it to get shipped
to the middle of no where alaska.

i will spend some time learning about partitions and maybe one of my friends
parents even have software for it. something i did not understand was that i
thought this happened because of the power outage, but i have what i thought
was a good surge protector, not just a glorified power strip.

anyway, thanks again for clarifying what the issue really was.

"Treeman" wrote:

>
> peterkeesen Wrote:
> > I am a novice user.
> >
> > When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including
> > drive
> > letter for location of Autochk.exe"
> >
> > Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is.
> > I
> > would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or
> > on
> > drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for
> > it.
> >
> >
> > Background Summary:
> > Had power outage. Blue Screened.
> > unmountable_boot_volume
> > stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
> > Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
> > Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.
> >
> > Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access
> > Recovery
> > Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
> > http://tinyurl.com/cwk5.
> >
> > I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
> > at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".
> >
> > the prompt is from drive C
> >
> > do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair
> > on
> > drive a?
> >
> > thanks for reading
>
> The problem is not that your computer can't find autochk.exe -- the
> problem is that it cannot find the system partition itself and
> therefore cannot traverse the directory path to find autochk.exe. This
> is exactly what happens if the partition is flagged as invisible (ie:
> "hidden NTFS"). This happens on most computers like Dell, Compaq, HP,
> etc, where there is a hidden partition that contains system files.
> Check out HP help center, or use a third party app. like Partition
> Magic 8, tools that let's you "see," the hidden partition.
> Then you can do your "chkdsk /r."
> Treeman
>
>
> --
> Treeman
>

[peterkeesen or balfiecat]

thanks treeman,

i had read about the partitions at microsoft and HP (and in here actually),
but I do not have access to anything like the partition utility and i live 3
hours from the nearest store (anchorage). It makes sense to me now (that the
partition was hidden) and there is also a drive D preinstalled that i have
never known how to access, but i did not read anything that i thought i could
do to unhide it myself so this morning i went ahead and just restarted and
selected the recovery that comes preinstalled. it takes it back to
manufacturer settings so i knew i would lose everything (soooooooo much music
and some school stuff too), but i figure rewriting some stuff is faster than
getting a card to charge a mail order cd then waiting for it to get shipped
to the middle of no where alaska.

i will spend some time learning about partitions and maybe one of my friends
parents even have software for it. something i did not understand was that i
thought this happened because of the power outage, but i have what i thought
was a good surge protector, not just a glorified power strip.

anyway, thanks again for clarifying what the issue really was.

"Treeman" wrote:

>
> peterkeesen Wrote:
> > I am a novice user.
> >
> > When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including
> > drive
> > letter for location of Autochk.exe"
> >
> > Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is.
> > I
> > would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or
> > on
> > drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for
> > it.
> >
> >
> > Background Summary:
> > Had power outage. Blue Screened.
> > unmountable_boot_volume
> > stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
> > Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
> > Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.
> >
> > Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
> > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access
> > Recovery
> > Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
> > http://tinyurl.com/cwk5.
> >
> > I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
> > at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".
> >
> > the prompt is from drive C
> >
> > do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair
> > on
> > drive a?
> >
> > thanks for reading
>
> The problem is not that your computer can't find autochk.exe -- the
> problem is that it cannot find the system partition itself and
> therefore cannot traverse the directory path to find autochk.exe. This
> is exactly what happens if the partition is flagged as invisible (ie:
> "hidden NTFS"). This happens on most computers like Dell, Compaq, HP,
> etc, where there is a hidden partition that contains system files.
> Check out HP help center, or use a third party app. like Partition
> Magic 8, tools that let's you "see," the hidden partition.
> Then you can do your "chkdsk /r."
> Treeman
>
>
> --
> Treeman
>

[Treeman]

peterkeesen Wrote:
> I am a novice user.
>
> When i type chkdsk /r i am prompted to "type the full path including
> drive
> letter for location of Autochk.exe"
>
> Problem: I have no idea what the path is or how to tell where it is.
> I
> would assume it is on one of the 6 floppy setup disks I just used or
> on
> drive C somewhere, but I do not have access to windows to search for
> it.
>
>
> Background Summary:
> Had power outage. Blue Screened.
> unmountable_boot_volume
> stop: 0x000000ED (0x81BD6E30, 0xc0000032, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
> Had no access to safemode, a setup CD, or recovery console.
> Using HP Pavilion OEM version of XP.
>
> Downloaded the XP setup boot to 6 floppy disks per
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308402/EN-US#kb1 in order to access
> Recovery
> Console and be able to use chkdsk command per
> http://tinyurl.com/cwk5.
>
> I inserted all 6 floppy disks then selected 'r' for repair.
> at the prompt i typed "chkdsk /r".
>
> the prompt is from drive C
>
> do i need to switch to drive a or would that only perform the repair
> on
> drive a?
>
> thanks for reading

The problem is not that your computer can't find autochk.exe -- the
problem is that it cannot find the system partition itself and
therefore cannot traverse the directory path to find autochk.exe. This
is exactly what happens if the partition is flagged as invisible (ie:
"hidden NTFS"). This happens on most computers like Dell, Compaq, HP,
etc, where there is a hidden partition that contains system files.
Check out HP help center, or use a third party app. like Partition
Magic 8, tools that let's you "see," the hidden partition.
Then you can do your "chkdsk /r."
Treeman


--
Treeman