ntldr is missing error - second hd

[b r a l l]

I recently re-installed Win2K and am now having trouble re-connecting
a second hard drive used for data only.

I can boot up fine when the second HD is not connected. When I
connect it however, I cannot boot up windows and get stopped by a
"ntldr is missing" error. When I remove the HD, I can once again boot
up. I'm attaching this HD to an IDE that also shares a cd drive. I
did not have any problems prior to my re-install with it attached in
the same fashion.

I tried using a different IDE, this time sharing it with my HD. In
this situation, I did not get the "ntldr is missing" error, got to the
windows load screen, but it stalled in mid-load.

I've searched some postings for similar problems, but they seem to be
primarily about primary HD's that contain the OS. Not sure if the
fact that this is used for data only will affect the fix.

Much appreciated...

 

[Pegasus]

I recently re-installed Win2K and am now having trouble re-connecting
a second hard drive used for data only.

I can boot up fine when the second HD is not connected. When I
connect it however, I cannot boot up windows and get stopped by a
"ntldr is missing" error. When I remove the HD, I can once again boot
up. I'm attaching this HD to an IDE that also shares a cd drive. I
did not have any problems prior to my re-install with it attached in
the same fashion.

I tried using a different IDE, this time sharing it with my HD. In
this situation, I did not get the "ntldr is missing" error, got to the
windows load screen, but it stalled in mid-load.

I've searched some postings for similar problems, but they seem to be
primarily about primary HD's that contain the OS. Not sure if the
fact that this is used for data only will affect the fix.

Much appreciated...

It seems your BIOS is treating the secondary master disk as the
primary master disk. It should not but I have seen it before. If
this is correct then you could try either of these methods:

- Connect the second disk as a primary slave disk
- Make the CD drive the secondary master, and the second disk
the secondary slave disk.
- Tell the BIOS that you don't have a second disk. Win2000
will probably still pick it up.

 

[b r a l l]

Sounds good. To clarify:

- Connect the second disk as a primary slave disk

so I'd connect to the same IDE cable, yes? i've got
the jumpers set correctly.

- Make the CD drive the secondary master, and the

second disk
the secondary slave disk.

so again, i'd connect them to the same ide cable, yes?
is this set through the jumpers once they're on the
same, or is it through the position on the cable
(middle vs. outside). if so, which position is the
master and which the slave? i believe this is how i
currently have had it positioned: the second hd with
the cd-rom.

- Tell the BIOS that you don't have a second disk. Win2000
will probably still pick it up.

how do i do this? when i view the hardware setup, try
and hide the disk?

thanks for helping this newbie. fyi, my whole setup
looks like this:

ide 3 (middle connector) - hd 0 - boot - primary master
ide 4 (middle connector) - hd 1 (i've actually got three hd's, this one
is fine) - secondary slave
ide 1 (middle) - dvd rom
ide 2 - cd rw (middle) + hd 2 (outside) (the problem hd)

thanks for your help.

 

[Pegasus]

It seems some clarification about disc connections is
required.

Primary/Secondary Controller:
Whether a disk is connected to the primary or secondary
controller is determined by the socket for the ribbon cable
on the motherboard. One is labelled "primary", the other
"secondary".

Master/Slave Disk
Whether a disk is a master or a slave is determined by
one or several jumpers on the disk. It is irrelevant which
connector you select on the ribbon cable.

 

[b r a l l]

Right, I understand that. But funny enough, I find that my
motherboard, despite how I've set jumpers, sometimes detects my
devices differently depending on how they're situated on the cable as
well as which IDE I've used. It's caused me endless stress, as
there's no (conventional) logic to it...

I will take a crack, thanks.