NTLDR is missing error

[MSExchange2003Student]

Hi all

I have a important user who gets this message when her pc boots. Obviously
you know the drill...it restarts after you press CTRL+ALT+DEL and it give
the same message again. SHE MUST GET HER WORK BACK - So, a clean install is
NOT a option.

I did the following - Boot with the win xp cd and go to recovery mode >
Choose the installation (which is 1 by default) and it give me the prompt
C:\WINDOWS. I then type copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ > It ask me if i want to
overwrite upon which i say yes and get the message "the file copied could
not be found". Then i type copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ and it says 1 file
copied. If i try and read the boot.ini by typing "type c:\Boot.ini" i get
the message "the system cannot find the file or directory specified"

What should i do? please help me?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi all

I have a important user who gets this message when her pc boots. Obviously
you know the drill...it restarts after you press CTRL+ALT+DEL and it give
the same message again. SHE MUST GET HER WORK BACK - So, a clean install is
NOT a option.

I did the following - Boot with the win xp cd and go to recovery mode >
Choose the installation (which is 1 by default) and it give me the prompt
C:\WINDOWS. I then type copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ > It ask me if i want to
overwrite upon which i say yes and get the message "the file copied could
not be found". Then i type copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ and it says 1 file
copied. If i try and read the boot.ini by typing "type c:\Boot.ini" i get
the message "the system cannot find the file or directory specified"

What should i do? please help me?

I note your capitalised remark "SHE MUST GET HER WORK
BACK - So, a clean install is NOT a option." Have you ever
considered installing a proper backup process for your important
client?

If her data is so very important then you must concentrate
on salvaging it instead of playing around with the operating
system and perhaps losing the data permanently. Here are a
couple of options:
- Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD, then back up
her data.
- Temporarily connect her disk as a slave disk to some other
WinXP PC, then back up her data.

Post again when the data is safe so that we can concentrate
on fixing her Windows problem.

 

[MSExchange2003Student]

I note your capitalised remark "SHE MUST GET HER WORK
BACK - So, a clean install is NOT a option." Have you ever
considered installing a proper backup process for your important
client?

Yes, i do have but in this case she saved some important info under my
documents and not under the correct map drive which is under my computer.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Yes, i do have but in this case she saved some important info under my
documents and not under the correct map drive which is under my computer.

Then you must change the location for "My Documents".

 

[MSExchange2003Student]

Then you must change the location for "My Documents".

Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

Now that you've covered the essentials, here are your
next steps:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Boot the machine with this diskette and report the result.

 

[MSExchange2003Student]

Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

Now that you've covered the essentials, here are your
next steps:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Boot the machine with this diskette and report the result.

Hi, i first have to deal with issues. the technician (newly appointed) that
i asked to go have a look at the pc when it gave the problem the first time,
tried to load windows again and thus doing a quick format. I took out the
HDD from the pc - made it a slave in a working win xp pro pc - but couldn't
see anything on that HDD except the Windows folder and the NTDLR and
NTDETECT.com files which i assume is there because i copied these files like
i explained in the first post - So now my fist issue is to find a FREE
utility that can give me the data back and then i will start to worry about
the machine itself.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

message
Hi all

I have a important user who gets this message when her pc boots.
Obviously
you know the drill...it restarts after you press CTRL+ALT+DEL and
it
give
the same message again. SHE MUST GET HER WORK BACK - So, a clean
install
is
NOT a option.

I did the following - Boot with the win xp cd and go to recovery mode

Choose the installation (which is 1 by default) and it give me the
prompt
C:\WINDOWS. I then type copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ > It ask me if i
want
to
overwrite upon which i say yes and get the message "the file copied
could
not be found". Then i type copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ and it
says 1
file
copied. If i try and read the boot.ini by typing "type

c:\Boot.ini"
i

get
the message "the system cannot find the file or directory
specified"

What should i do? please help me?



I note your capitalised remark "SHE MUST GET HER WORK
BACK - So, a clean install is NOT a option." Have you ever
considered installing a proper backup process for your important
client?
Yes, i do have but in this case she saved some important info under my
documents and not under the correct map drive which is under my computer.

Then you must change the location for "My Documents".

Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

Now that you've covered the essentials, here are your
next steps:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Boot the machine with this diskette and report the result.

Hi, i first have to deal with issues. the technician (newly appointed) that
i asked to go have a look at the pc when it gave the problem the first time,
tried to load windows again and thus doing a quick format. I took out the
HDD from the pc - made it a slave in a working win xp pro pc - but couldn't
see anything on that HDD except the Windows folder and the NTDLR and
NTDETECT.com files which i assume is there because i copied these files like
i explained in the first post - So now my fist issue is to find a FREE
utility that can give me the data back and then i will start to worry about
the machine itself.

Initially I thought that my first reply was somewhat on the overcautious
side. It now appears that if was prophetic.

Your chances of recovering anything useful from this disk are close
to nil. Your technician made three capital mistakes:
a) He failed to realise that an unbootable Windows installation
must be handled with extreme care until all data is safe.
b) He tried to re-install Windows, which is unnecessary and dangerous
c) He allowed the disk to be formatted, which is equally unnecessary
but quite fatal.

After pacifying the client, you probably have to conduct some
rigorous training programs for trouble shooting. The following general
rules come to the mind:
- Think twice before doing anything.
- Don't do anything unless you have a proven backout plan.
- Get a second opinion.

There are many data recovery tools out there. Here are a few.
I doubt that they will help you:
http://www.restorer2000.com/r2k.htm
http://www.hddrecovery.com.au
http://bootmaster.filerecovery.biz
http://www.runtime.org/ (GetDataBack - has a trial version)
http://www.softwarepatch.com/software/filerecoverysecdownload.html
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/restoration.html

 

[Malke]

message
Hi all

I have a important user who gets this message when her pc boots.
Obviously
you know the drill...it restarts after you press CTRL+ALT+DEL and
it
give
the same message again. SHE MUST GET HER WORK BACK - So, a clean
install
is
NOT a option.

I did the following - Boot with the win xp cd and go to recovery mode

Choose the installation (which is 1 by default) and it give me the
prompt
C:\WINDOWS. I then type copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ > It ask me if i
want
to
overwrite upon which i say yes and get the message "the file copied
could
not be found". Then i type copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ and it
says 1
file
copied. If i try and read the boot.ini by typing "type c:\Boot.ini" i
get
the message "the system cannot find the file or directory
specified"

What should i do? please help me?


I note your capitalised remark "SHE MUST GET HER WORK
BACK - So, a clean install is NOT a option." Have you ever
considered installing a proper backup process for your important
client?
Yes, i do have but in this case she saved some important info under my
documents and not under the correct map drive which is under my computer.
Then you must change the location for "My Documents".
Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

Now that you've covered the essentials, here are your
next steps:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Boot the machine with this diskette and report the result.

Hi, i first have to deal with issues. the technician (newly appointed) that
i asked to go have a look at the pc when it gave the problem the first time,
tried to load windows again and thus doing a quick format. I took out the
HDD from the pc - made it a slave in a working win xp pro pc - but couldn't
see anything on that HDD except the Windows folder and the NTDLR and
NTDETECT.com files which i assume is there because i copied these files like
i explained in the first post - So now my fist issue is to find a FREE
utility that can give me the data back and then i will start to worry about
the machine itself.

You definitely have issues in the way your IT is set up. You probably
should find a better computer technician to help you and get a backup
strategy in place. That said, here is standard data recovery information:

*IMPORTANT* - If you think the drive is physically healthy, it may be
possible to retrieve the data by software methods. DO NOTHING FURTHER ON
THE DRIVE. The data is still on the hard drive but if you overwrite it,
it will be extremely difficult or impossible to recover it. If you use
data recovery software, install it on another machine and either use it
from that operating system or create a bootable cd/floppy and work with
that. If you don't have the skill and/or equipment to do these
procedures and the data is crucial, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop that has experience in doing data recovery. This
will not be your local version of BigStoreUSA. In-shop data recovery is
usually not exactly cheap (for ex., my charges are generally
$150-350USD), but it normally costs less than sending the drive to a
company like Drive Savers. You need to make the determination of the
value of your data and decide what to do.

http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
PCInspector File Recovery -
http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/welcome.htm
Executive Software “Undelete” -
http://www.execsoft.com/undelete/undelete.asp
R-Studio - http://www.r-tt.com/
File Scavenger - http://www.quetek.com/prod02.htm
Ontrack's EasyRecovery - http://www.ontrack.com/software/

DriveSavers (professional data recovery company)
http://www.drivesavers.com


Malke

 

[MSExchange2003Student]

message


message
Hi all

I have a important user who gets this message when her pc boots.
Obviously
you know the drill...it restarts after you press CTRL+ALT+DEL
and
it
give
the same message again. SHE MUST GET HER WORK BACK - So, a clean
install
is
NOT a option.

I did the following - Boot with the win xp cd and go to recovery
mode

Choose the installation (which is 1 by default) and it give me the
prompt
C:\WINDOWS. I then type copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ > It ask me if i
want
to
overwrite upon which i say yes and get the message "the file copied
could
not be found". Then i type copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ and it
says
1
file
copied. If i try and read the boot.ini by typing "type c:\Boot.ini"
i
get
the message "the system cannot find the file or directory
specified"

What should i do? please help me?



I note your capitalised remark "SHE MUST GET HER WORK
BACK - So, a clean install is NOT a option." Have you ever
considered installing a proper backup process for your important
client?
Yes, i do have but in this case she saved some important info under my
documents and not under the correct map drive which is under my
computer.

Then you must change the location for "My Documents".

Sounds like an idea.- Thanks

Now that you've covered the essentials, here are your
next steps:
- Format a floppy disk on some other WinXP PC.
Don't do it on a Win9x PC - it won't work.
- Copy these files from the \i386 folder of your WinXP CD to A:\
ntldr
ntdetect.com
- Create a file a:\boot.ini with these lines
[boot loader]
timeout=3
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
- Boot the machine with this diskette and report the result.

Hi, i first have to deal with issues. the technician (newly appointed) that
i asked to go have a look at the pc when it gave the problem the first time,
tried to load windows again and thus doing a quick format. I took out the
HDD from the pc - made it a slave in a working win xp pro pc - but couldn't
see anything on that HDD except the Windows folder and the NTDLR and
NTDETECT.com files which i assume is there because i copied these files like
i explained in the first post - So now my fist issue is to find a FREE
utility that can give me the data back and then i will start to worry about
the machine itself.

Initially I thought that my first reply was somewhat on the overcautious
side. It now appears that if was prophetic.

Your chances of recovering anything useful from this disk are close
to nil. Your technician made three capital mistakes:
a) He failed to realise that an unbootable Windows installation
must be handled with extreme care until all data is safe.
b) He tried to re-install Windows, which is unnecessary and dangerous
c) He allowed the disk to be formatted, which is equally unnecessary
but quite fatal.

Yes, this is know and are trying to tell him NOT to do it again.

After pacifying the client, you probably have to conduct some
rigorous training programs for trouble shooting. The following general
rules come to the mind:
- Think twice before doing anything.
- Don't do anything unless you have a proven backout plan.
- Get a second opinion.

There are many data recovery tools out there. Here are a few.
I doubt that they will help you:
http://www.restorer2000.com/r2k.htm
http://www.hddrecovery.com.au
http://bootmaster.filerecovery.biz
http://www.runtime.org/ (GetDataBack - has a trial version)
http://www.softwarepatch.com/software/filerecoverysecdownload.html
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/restoration.html

Because i don't have money to spend on a solution for datarecovery i will
try the links above and see where i get a trail versions that actually gives
me the ability to restore the lost files (or i hope it will do that for me)