NTLDR missing after crash during update

[Guest]

Was running the XP updates on a Hewlitt Packard PC.
Something caused a reboot in the middle of the update (I
suspect a brown out). When the computer booted back up it
gave me the message

NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart

CAD didn't restart it, and so I did a cold boot. Nada.
Plus our wonderful friends at HP have it set to go to some
recovery drive so that I can't access any files.
Frustrating. Any ideas?

Mark

 

[stafford collinsworth]

how about 'system restore' to the day before this event ??

hope this helps

stafford collinsworth

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, after setting the CD-Rom to be the primary
boot drive, and having the XP CD in, I get the same
message. It's as if the computer is completely ignoring
the CD-Rom. So no way for me to get to system restore

Mark

 

[Daryl]

Same thing happened last night to me. Gateway say that MS
and Gateway are researching the problem. Two hours on the
phone and Gateway gave up and said to reinstall op. system.
That did not work either.

 

[Chad Harris]

There is a way to get to system restore if it lets you--it's tapping on the
F8 key when you start the computer and it tries to boot when you see the
firmware screen. This takes you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu and
from there you have choices: Last Known Good (you can try it--it fails a
high percentage of time--maybe Redmond could explain that but it's
predominantly to fix hardware problems and driver crashes in particular and
takes a snapshot of the last time you booted). It doesn't have a high
percentage of efficacy however but it's the Win XP Resource Kit Team's first
choice for their own reasons they didn't share.

So choose Safe Mode or Safe Mode With A Command Prompt and try System
Restore from both those places. First try safe mode and use system restore
the way you would if you had booted to Windows normally. Then if not try
using safe mode with a command prompt to get to System Restore. This KB will
help:


How To Use Safe Mode With A Command Prompt to System Restore

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&Product=winxp

For purposes of this
NTLDR is an essential part of boot.ini and is the file crucial in the boot
process that displays the boot menu, detects the hardware, initializes
adapters and detects the file system. This error doesn't ususally mean the
file is "missing" although it says that; it means that the MFT (master file
table) root folder is severely fragmented. See this KB:


NTLDR is missing.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=320397

The KB suggests calling MS to obtain the Bcupdate2 utility.

Here's what I'd try:

1) Shutdown or shutdown/restart and tap the F8 key to the so-called Advanced
Options menu. Select Safe Mode and see if you can System Restore. You can
also try selecting Safe Mode With A Command Prompt and trying System
Restore.

How To Use Safe Mode With A Command Prompt to System Restore

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449&Product=winxp

2) If that doesn't work, I'd call to get the update.

3) If you can get up to Windows, then I'd go to Exec Soft's site and
Download Diskeeper 8 for it's 30 day trial, and defrag the MFT.
(Instructions in help and it's easy).

http://www.diskeeper.com/downloads/menu.asp

hth,

Chad Harris



______________________________________________________________

 

[Chad Harris]

Daryl--

See message to Mark from me this thread. Applies to you as well.

Chad Harris

____________________________________________

 

[Chad Harris]

If the steps outlined above for you and Mark don't work, then you can try
using the Recovery Console which may or may not help to repair problems but
it'd be last in the sequence--here is some context for using it:

Recovery Console

*I'd try the order of my steps before going to the Recovery Console.*
Here's an explanation of it from Kelly's site to context it for you. It has
13 regular dos commands and is a command interface with its own commands to
fix things in your OS when you can't reach windows:

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

Boot with XP cd and choose recovery console. Type 1 and the administrator
password. The file may be recovered if the problem is that it's actually
missing rather than that the MFT is too fragmented which is the case a much
higher percentage of the time when you see this message:

You'll need to make sure the boot order in your bios is set to boot from the
XP CD to get into the recovery console. Then after getting in, you'd have
to use the appropriate command. The 3 commands you can run most likely to
help you would be

Chkdsk
Fixboot
Fix MBR

The Recovery Console is powerful but I'd use it as a last resort because
it's results can be a bit of a crap shoot. Many "can't boot" problems
aren't fixed by the Recovery Console. The list of commands possible is in
Kelly's article and can always be shown by typing in "help" without the
quotes. When it says which Windows system do you want to log onto, type the
answer "1" for your Windows os if that's the first operating system and
you're not dual booting.

How To Install and Use the Recovery Console

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...gb/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-gb;307654&ln=en-gb

Screen Shots of the Recovery Console
http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxprcons.htm

Use the Recovery Console PC Magazine

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1206397,00.asp

hth,

I hope you and Mark post how you made out.

Chad Harris


________________________________________________________________