NTLDR is missing

[claire]

This error message is driving me crazy! Ive searched all
over the web trying to find a solution but none seem to
apply...

When I turn on the computer, after the system checks etc
I get the error message "NTLDR is missing. Press ctrl alt
del to restart". All the other posts etc say the solution
is to reformat the hard drive but I cant get anywhere to
be able to do that. I cant get into windows or even dos.
All I can get to is BIOS.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do???

BACKGROUND INFO: This hard drive used to have win98 on it
but wouldnt load properly. I put it into another computer
as a slave so I could load XP onto it and that worked
fine. When I put it back into the computer as a master
(and changed the jumpers back) I get this error.

 

[JBM]

This error message is driving me crazy! Ive searched all
over the web trying to find a solution but none seem to
apply...

When I turn on the computer, after the system checks etc
I get the error message "NTLDR is missing. Press ctrl alt
del to restart". All the other posts etc say the solution
is to reformat the hard drive but I cant get anywhere to
be able to do that. I cant get into windows or even dos.
All I can get to is BIOS.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do???

BACKGROUND INFO: This hard drive used to have win98 on it
but wouldnt load properly. I put it into another computer
as a slave so I could load XP onto it and that worked
fine. When I put it back into the computer as a master
(and changed the jumpers back) I get this error.

Boot with the XP CD. When your asked to choose a drive
to install to you can format your drive.

 

[Graham]

If you're happy to reformat the disk you could try booting
up with your original Windows installation disk in your
floppy drive. It should prompt to reformat as part of the
installation, assuming the disk is visible. Worth checking
your IDE connecter cable is firmly in place on the hard-
drive (and the motherboard).

Life may be a bit more complicated if you've formatted it
on the XP system with ntfs format and you're trying to go
back to a Win98 installation.

 

[Les Herrman]

This error message is driving me crazy! Ive searched all
over the web trying to find a solution but none seem to
apply...

When I turn on the computer, after the system checks etc
I get the error message "NTLDR is missing. Press ctrl alt
del to restart". All the other posts etc say the solution
is to reformat the hard drive but I cant get anywhere to
be able to do that. I cant get into windows or even dos.
All I can get to is BIOS.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do???

BACKGROUND INFO: This hard drive used to have win98 on it
but wouldnt load properly. I put it into another computer
as a slave so I could load XP onto it and that worked
fine. When I put it back into the computer as a master
(and changed the jumpers back) I get this error.

The drive does not have any of the boot files on it. Even though you
installed XP to it, The drive was a slave drive at the time. The boot
files will always be placed on your C drive even when you choose to
install the OS on another drive. The boot files for that XP install
are on the C drive of the system where you had the drive as a slave
when you did the install.

So just taking the drive out and switching the jumpers on it will not
work. This is why you are getting the error message as the boot files
for the installation of XP dont exist on the drive.

Also since the drive was in another system when XP was put on it, you
will also most likely need to do a repair install of XP so that it
will pick up the right hardware in the system it is currently in.

Go to this link to find out how to do a repair install.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Because you performed the WinXP installation while the hard drive
was a slave in another PC, the essential WinXP system files -
Boot.ini, NTLDR, and NTDetect.com - are most likely located where they
would be by default: on the primary active partition (C: drive) of the
other computer. You need to perform the WinXP installation with the
drive installed where it will be used.

Also, normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM licenses
are not transferable to a new motherboard), unless your motherboard is
virtually identical (same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS
version, etc.) to the one on which the other WinXP installation was
originally performed, you'll need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place
upgrade) installation, at the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also require re-activation, unless you have a Volume
Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more than 120
days since you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most
likely be able to activate via the internet without problem. If it's
been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone call.


Bruce Chambers

--
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[Guest]

Thanks all.

New problem is: When I try to boot from the CD I get the
error message saying there is an invalid boot diskette in
A:

The light on the CDROM doesnt go on. Could it be a
problem with the CDROM? If I get into DOS using the boot
diskette (booting from floppy) I can open the CDROM and
perform functions like DIR on it, so the CDROM must be
recognised. I cant boot from it though.

 

[Guest]

I, too, am having the problem of "NTLDR is missing". After hiting Ctrl-Alt-Del, I have tried to go in and do a system recovery. Through this process I receive hundreds of error messages through the extraction process. Once completed (System Recovery Complete) the system will not start automatically. I then power off my PC and restart. Unfortunately, windows does not start "because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll". I am asked to re-install a copy of the file. Unfortunately, I can't get to DOS. How do I proceed?

 

[Tom]

I, too, am having the problem of "NTLDR is missing". After hiting Ctrl-Alt-Del, I have tried to go in and do a system recovery. Through this process I receive hundreds of error messages through the extraction process. Once completed (System Recovery Complete) the system will not start automatically. I then power off my PC and restart. Unfortunately, windows does not start "because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll". I am asked to re-install a copy of the file. Unfortunately, I can't get to DOS. How do I proceed?

Go here (from the site of Kelly theriot):

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_haldll_missing.htm