I have read some ack posts, so let me explain my situation:

WinXP Pro
Power Failure reboot
System won't come up
System WILL attempt to boot, i.e. hard drive seems to at least be partly in tact
If I boot safe mode, it stops at MUP.SYS
If I boot into recovery console, it will not let me see C:\ - "an error occurred during directory enumeration"
If I boot my install (WinXP Pro) CD, skip recovery and continue forward, it can not find an XP installation

I have read 2 things to attempt - putting on a new ntldr.sys and a new mup.sys - but I can not seem to get to a point where I can talk to the HD.

Just some background, I lost my HD last April, so this one is only 17 months old. And no, I haven't made a back-up since then. I have loads of pictures and audio (iTunes paid for) on this that if I lose, again, I will just vbe devistated - again.

I am happy that the OS does initiate a boot sequence, so something is there. I have extra HDs lying around that if someone suggests, I can install XP to one of them, then install this as a 2nd drive and then write to it through that install - if you think that will work. I don't have any other NTFS systems (I think this is an NTFS drive) running to try this easily now.

I tried sending DSmith a PM, but as a new member, I don't have privs to do so yet. Any/all assistance is greatly appreciated.

PittCaleb

Just an FYI, searching this and many sites, I saw multiple possible solutions - none of which worked, as I noted above, in that in recovery console, I could not see my C drive.

On one web site, I saw someone mention a very similar issue where he was able to successfully recover by running a CHKDSK /R for the non-responding drive.

It took a long while to complete, but it did find (at least) an error and the system booted without problem. I am currently writing the first of probably 3 backup DVDs so that next time this won't be such a problem - just an annoyance.

Caleb