NTLDR is compressed

[Dave]

Hi,

I stupidly used NTFS compression on NTLDR (I was suprised it let me do it)
and now the system does not boot. It comes up with a "NTLDR is compressed"
and says to press CRTL-ALT-DEL which just reboots back to the same error.

I booted to the XP installation disk and started the repair console. I did a
dir on c:\ and sure enough NTLDR had a "c" attribute indicating it was
compressed. I then did an ATTRIB -c on the file and checked that the "c"
attrubute was gone, and it was. However I still get the "NTLDR is
compressed" error. I've double checked NTLDRs attributes from the repair
console and it is not compressed.

Anyone got any ideas?

Steve

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Hi,

I stupidly used NTFS compression on NTLDR (I was suprised it let me do it)
and now the system does not boot. It comes up with a "NTLDR is compressed"
and says to press CRTL-ALT-DEL which just reboots back to the same error.

I booted to the XP installation disk and started the repair console. I did a
dir on c:\ and sure enough NTLDR had a "c" attribute indicating it was
compressed. I then did an ATTRIB -c on the file and checked that the "c"
attrubute was gone, and it was. However I still get the "NTLDR is
compressed" error. I've double checked NTLDRs attributes from the repair
console and it is not compressed.

Anyone got any ideas?

I don't think you uncompressed it, you just deleted the bit that said it
was compressed. Just like you can reset the 'A' bit, but that doesn't
mean the file has been archived.

Try using the repair console to copy the version from <cd>:\ntldr to
your hard drive. If you compressed other things too, you may need to use
bootcfg /rebuild, or restore more files.

IMO compression is a really stupid idea these days, when disk is a $ a
GByte, and most large files (.mpg, .jpg, .zip, etc) already have
compression designed in.

 

[davetest]

I don't think you uncompressed it, you just deleted the bit that said it
was compressed. Just like you can reset the 'A' bit, but that doesn't
mean the file has been archived.

Try using the repair console to copy the version from <cd>:\ntldr to
your hard drive. If you compressed other things too, you may need to use
bootcfg /rebuild, or restore more files.

IMO compression is a really stupid idea these days, when disk is a $ a
GByte, and most large files (.mpg, .jpg, .zip, etc) already have
compression designed in.

If it's asking you which one you want to logon to, the existing
install should be highlighted, just press enter.

As a safety measure, keep a floppy disk that will enable you to
start XP. Format the floppy in XP.
copy the files boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com to the floppy.
That's it. This floppy can be used to start XP at any time.


Dave
PS don't you think it's lame that MS wouldn't *stop* you from
compressing NTLDR? Seems as if they gave it about as much thought
as they do to security.

 

[Ed.]

I made a floppy like you suggested to another poster:

As a safety measure, keep a floppy disk that will enable you to
start XP. Format the floppy in XP.
copy the files boot.ini, ntldr and ntdetect.com to the floppy.
That's it. This floppy can be used to start XP at any time

My question is how do you use this floppy to start XP at any time. I
formatted a floppy in XP and said to make it an MS DOS startup disk. I
added the three files to it as you said. In Windows Explorer I can see them
on the floppy. I boot to the disk and do a dir and I don't see them. I
type "type boot.ini" and I see that and the same with the others so they are
there.

But, I don't know what you are supposed to do to start XP with this disk.
Will you please explain the steps. I would like to know in case of such
emergency as I had before and would be able to get into XP.

Thanks,
Ed.

 

[davetest]

I made a floppy like you suggested to another poster:


My question is how do you use this floppy to start XP at any time. I
formatted a floppy in XP and said to make it an MS DOS startup disk. I
added the three files to it as you said. In Windows Explorer I can see them
on the floppy. I boot to the disk and do a dir and I don't see them. I
type "type boot.ini" and I see that and the same with the others so they are
there.

But, I don't know what you are supposed to do to start XP with this disk.
Will you please explain the steps. I would like to know in case of such
emergency as I had before and would be able to get into XP.

Thanks,
Ed.

All you have to do is put those 3 files on the disk.
Make sure your PC is setup in the BIOS to boot from the
floppy first.

when this is done and the disk is in the drive, XP will perform it's
initial boot sequence from the floppy. As soon as this intial phase
is completed, control is tranferred to the harddrive as normal.
It's a good emergency tool when one of those 3 critical files
is damaged or missing.


regards,
Dave

 

[Alex Nichol]

I stupidly used NTFS compression on NTLDR (I was suprised it let me do it)
and now the system does not boot. It comes up with a "NTLDR is compressed"
and says to press CRTL-ALT-DEL which just reboots back to the same error.

I booted to the XP installation disk and started the repair console. I did a
dir on c:\ and sure enough NTLDR had a "c" attribute indicating it was
compressed. I then did an ATTRIB -c on the file and checked that the "c"
attrubute was gone, and it was. However I still get the "NTLDR is
compressed" error. I've double checked NTLDRs attributes from the repair
console and it is not compressed.

From the Repair console boot, have the CD in the drive (letter x and
use
COPY x:\i386\ntldr c:\ntldr

I'd check on ntdetect.com as well, while you are about it. Also
boot.ini, which you would have to delete and rebuild with the
BootCfg /Rebuild
command

 

[Ed.]

Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I have done what you said and tried to test it to see
how it works but it is still the same thing. When you boot to the floppy,
it shows the "A" Prompt. When you get to the "A" Prompt, it just sits
there. Nothing happens after that. It doesn't do as you say for XP
performing it's initial boot sequence from the floppy.

When I saw this info I thought it would be great to have on hand as I have
in the past had a messed up boot.ini file that caused me problems. I would
like to have this work cause it would get me started again in event of
another such emergency. But, in my case it isn't doing nothing and I don't
know why.

Thanks Again Anyway,
Ed.

 

[davetest]

Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I have done what you said and tried to test it to see
how it works but it is still the same thing. When you boot to the floppy,
it shows the "A" Prompt. When you get to the "A" Prompt, it just sits
there. Nothing happens after that. It doesn't do as you say for XP
performing it's initial boot sequence from the floppy.

When I saw this info I thought it would be great to have on hand as I have
in the past had a messed up boot.ini file that caused me problems. I would
like to have this work cause it would get me started again in event of
another such emergency. But, in my case it isn't doing nothing and I don't
know why.

Thanks Again Anyway,
Ed.

Hi Ed -
not sure why it doesn't work for you.
I just tried it, checked my steps and it works for me.

I put in the floppy, chose format/quick format.
NOTE: I did not choose create an MSDOS startup disk - this may be
your problem.

Then copied over the 3 files. At this point, these 3 files should be
the only files on the floppy.
System booted from the floppy - got my normal
boot.ini menu, pressed enter and XP started as normal.

I hope you get it working,
Dave

 

[Ed.]

Hi again Dave,

The floppy is working now. It was what you said that my problem might be
was creating an MS DOS startup disk. I did a quick format and put the three
files back on it and it works fine now. When I read the original reply you
gave to another poster about creating a disk, I mistakenly assumed you meant
a boot disk when you said create.

Thanks Again,
Ed.

 

[Dave]

I don't think you uncompressed it, you just deleted the bit that said it
was compressed. Just like you can reset the 'A' bit, but that doesn't
mean the file has been archived.

Try using the repair console to copy the version from <cd>:\ntldr to
your hard drive. If you compressed other things too, you may need to use
bootcfg /rebuild, or restore more files.

IMO compression is a really stupid idea these days, when disk is a $ a
GByte, and most large files (.mpg, .jpg, .zip, etc) already have
compression designed in.

Thanks for the reply.

I already tried that but when I copied NTLDR it from the CD it still said it
was compressed and when I checked it in repair console it had the "c" bit
set on the new NTLDR. I then realised that the whole of C: drive must be
set for compression (I don't remember doing that). I then did an ATTRIB -c
C:\ and recopied NTLDR off the CD and it rebooted OK. Once booted I
replaced the NTLDR from the CD with the one from SP1 as it was a later
version. Everything is fine now.

I don't use compression to save disk space but for speed. I find that with a
fast processor (I have a 3.2gHz P4) then programs load faster because it's
quicker for the cpu to decompress the files than for the disk to read it in
uncompressed. I tested this throughly with benchmark programs and I found
that with a cpu below 2.4gHz it was slower on my system. My drive is 7200rpm
UDMA Mode 5

Steve