error message - NTLDR is missing

[Thedog]

When I boot up my computor it gies me an error message
"NTLDR IS MISSING Press
CTRL+ALT+DEL TO RESTART"
What does it mean and how can i fix it?

 

[S.Sengupta]

Hi,
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=320397

If you do a Windows XP Repair Install it will fix it:-


Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q315341
or,
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

regards,
ssg MS-MVP
pronetworks.org

 

[MGGP]

Courtesy of Michael Stevens . . .

You won't be able to get to a command prompt with that
error message as Windows will not load. Try the following:

Boot with your XP CD in the cd drive. Select 'To
repair..' by pressing 'R'.
When in the Recovery Console type the following:

"copy X:\i386\ntldr C:\" - without the quotes. Where X is
the letter of
your CD drive and C is the letter of your system drive.
Take the XP CD out
of the cd drive and reboot into XP normally.

or a 'Repair' install:

"How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install"
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Good Luck !

 

[Kelly Cotter]

When I boot up my computor it gies me an error message
"NTLDR IS MISSING Press
CTRL+ALT+DEL TO RESTART"
What does it mean and how can i fix it?

Cause:

1.. Computer is booting from a non-bootable source.
2.. Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
3.. Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
4.. Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
5.. Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is
using FAT32.
6.. Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
7.. Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable.
Solutions:

Computer is booting from a non-bootable source

Many times this error is caused when the computer is attempting to boot
from a non-bootable floppy disk or CD-ROM. First verify that no floppy
diskette is in the computer, unless you are attempting to boot from a
diskette.

If you are attempting to boot from a floppy diskette and are receiving
this error message it is likely that the diskette does not have all the
necessary files and/or is corrupt.

If you are attempting to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 and are
receiving this error message as the computer is booting verify that your
computer BIOS has the proper boot settings. For example, if you are
attempting to run the install from the CD-ROM make sure the CD-ROM is the
first boot device, and not the hard disk drive. Second, when the computer is
booting you should receive the below prompt.

Press any key to boot from the CD

When you see this message press any key such as the Enter key immediately,
otherwise it will try booting from the hard drive and likely get the NTLDR
error again.

Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.

Verify that your computer hard disk drive is properly setup in the BIOS /
CMOS setup. Improper settings can cause this error. Additional information
on how to enter the BIOS / CMOS setup can be found in document CH000192.

Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file

Windows 2000 users
Windows XP users

Windows 2000 users

If your computer is using Microsoft Windows 2000 and you are encountering
the NTLDR error. Create the below boot.ini file on the floppy diskette
drive.

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional" /fastdetect

Copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files from another computer using the same
Operating System. Both of these files are located in the root directory of
the primary hard disk drive. For example C:\NTLDR and C:\NTDETECT.COM should
be the locations of these files on many computers.

a.. Please keep in mind that these files are hidden system files, if you
need additional help with viewing hidden files in Windows please see
document CH000516.
Once these files have been copied to a floppy diskette reboot the computer
and copy the NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM files to the root directory of the
primary hard disk drive. Below is an example of what commonly should be
performed from the A:\> drive.

copy ntldr c:
copy ntdetect.com c:

After the above two files have been copied, remove the floppy diskette and
reboot the computer.

Windows XP users

1.. Insert the Windows XP bootable CD into the computer.
2.. When prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press any key.
3.. Once in the Windows XP setup menu press the "R" key to repair
Windows.
4.. Log into your Windows installation by pressing the "1" key and
pressing enter.
5.. You will then be prompted for your administrator password, enter
that password.
6.. Copy the below two files to the root directory of the primary hard
disk. In the below example we are copying these files from the CD-ROM drive
letter "E". This letter may be different on your computer.

copy e:\i386\ntldr c:
copy ntdetect.com c:


7.. Once both of these files have been successfully copied, remove the
CD from the computer and reboot.
Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file

Edit the boot.ini on the root directory of the hard disk drive and verify
that it is pointing to the correct location of your Windows Operating System
and that the partitions are properly defined. Additional information about
the boot.ini can be found on document CH000492.

Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using
FAT32

If you are getting this error message while you are attempting to upgrade
to Windows 2000 or Windows XP from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME
running FAT32 please try the following recommendations.

1.. Boot the computer with a Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME
bootable diskette.
2.. At the A:\> prompt type:

sys c: <press enter>


3.. After pressing enter you should receive the "System Transferred"
message. Once this has been completed remove the floppy diskette and reboot
the computer.
Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP

If you have tried each of the above recommendations that apply to your
situation and you continue to experience this issue it is possible you may
have a seriously corrupted version of Microsoft Windows. Therefore we would
recommend you reinstall Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

If you are encountering this issue during your setup you may wish to
completely erase your computer hard disk drive and all of its existing data
and then install Microsoft Windows 2000 / Windows XP.

Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable

This issue has been known to be caused by a loose or fault IDE/EIDE cable.
If the above recommendation does not resolve your issue and your computer
hard disk drive is using a IDE or EIDE interface. Verify the computer hard
disk drive cable is firmly connected by disconnected and reconnecting the
cable.

If the issue continues it is also a possibility that the computer has a
faulty cable, try replacing the hard disk drive cable with another cable
and/or a new cable.