ntldr is missing

[Kingers]

I'm one of the poor souls who keeps getting "ntldr is missing" when I
try to boot my PC.

I have followed advice I've seen elsewhere and run the Recovery Console
from the XP installation CD. I have copied over the ntldr and
ntdetect.com files and run fixboot and fixmbr. I have also done a full
repair of windows.

Sadly, none of this has worked. My computer supplier has told me to do
a clean re-install of windows but they've told me to do that before
when I had the same problem a year or two ago. I fixed it then without
a clean install (can't remember how though!) and I suspect telling
people to do an install is their 'fix all' solution that gets rid
of people needing help.

Before I do an re-install, does anybody have any other suggestions as
to what I can try?

Many thanks.

 

[Guest]

windows repair is better than a reinstall

and yes you are right, most of them do say "just to a reinstall" or "you
need nother computer" or "you got dust in your cpu".. And they put you on
hold for a number of minutes to pretend they are conversing with the
intellectual counterparts...... yeh yeh rigghhhtttt.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Make sure that there are no disks in any removable drives when you boot.

NTLDR is missing, why does it happen?

[[This problem may occur if the basic input/output system (BIOS) on your
computer is outdated, or if one or more of the following Windows boot files
are missing or damaged:
* Ntldr
* Ntdetect.com
* Boot.ini ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318728

[[Cause:
* Computer is booting from a non-bootable source. I.e. a disk left in the
the floppy or CD drive.
* Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
* Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
* Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
* Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using
FAT32.
* New hard disk drive being added.
* Corrupt boot sector / master boot record.
* Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
* Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable. ]]
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm

[[For this problem to occur, all the following conditions must be true:
* The system/startup partition is formatted with the FAT32 file system.
* The computer starts by using INT-13 extensions. (This is a partition
larger than 7.8 GB with a System-ID type of 0C in the partition table).
* Because of the cloning procedure, the Heads (sides) value in the FAT32
BIOS Parameter Block (BPB) does not match the geometry of the physical
drive. ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057

Error Message When You Start Your Computer with a Non-System Disk
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812492

An NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM Not Found Error
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555304

Windows XP Does Not Start on a Computer That Is Configured for Dual Booting
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315233

You Receive an "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Start Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320397

HOW TO: Troubleshoot the "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318728

Err Msg: Boot - Can't Find NTLDR, or Windows Could Not Start..
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/101862

"NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Upgrade or Install Windows XP Over
Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057

The Computer Does Not Start After You Change the Active Partition by Using
the Disk Management Tool
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315261

Cannot Start Windows XP After You Install Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283433

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[John]

I'm one of the poor souls who keeps getting "ntldr is missing" when I
try to boot my PC.

I have followed advice I've seen elsewhere and run the Recovery Console
from the XP installation CD. I have copied over the ntldr and
ntdetect.com files and run fixboot and fixmbr. I have also done a full
repair of windows.

Sadly, none of this has worked. My computer supplier has told me to do
a clean re-install of windows but they've told me to do that before
when I had the same problem a year or two ago. I fixed it then without
a clean install (can't remember how though!) and I suspect telling
people to do an install is their 'fix all' solution that gets rid
of people needing help.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Before I do an re-install, does anybody have any other suggestions as
to what I can try?

Many thanks.

If vital files are not available for booting by the BIOS I would suspect
a hardware problem and the first suspect is the hard drive. Go to the
website of the hard drive manufacturer (not Dell or whoever you bought
the comp from) and download a utility to check the drive. The next
culprit and the leading suspect as I see from the little that you have
posted is a bad power supply. Thirdly bad motherboard especially if you
bought from Dell.

John