Installation Problem--NTLDR

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ryan
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Ryan

I recently formatted my hard drive and now the only file
on it is "command.com". This allows the hard drive to
boot to a prompt. I have no problem switching to the
floppy drive's prompt or both CD-ROM drive's prompt when
at the DOS prompt. However, when I try to install Win 2k,
it will not let me set it up through DOS. I do not have a
windows environment to run the setup from. I cannot boot
directly from the CD because the BIOS will only boot from
floppy or hard drive. There are no further BIOS
upgrades. When I try to use the four floppy setup disks,
it gives me an I/O error when the first disk loads. Setup
never loads. I know it is not the floppy disk because I
have tried more than one. If I let the hard drive boot
alone, it will give me a DOS prompt because
of "command.com". I also have done "sys c:". I cannot
set the BIOS to boot from the CD either. It just isn't an
option. The problem is that I can't get setup to run from
a floppy or the CD at all. I try to run it from the DOS
prompt, but it says that setup cannot run in DOS mode. I
can browse and see "setup.exe" on the CD from the CD
drive's prompt. But, when you run "setup.exe", it says
that setup cannot run in DOS mode.

I have found a fix for this problem, though. For those
that cannot boot by just letting the CD boot upon turning
on the computer and for those that get some I/O error when
trying to use the four setup floppy disks, these are the
steps that I have taken:

First, I booted to a DOS prompt by using a bootable
Windows 98 disk. At the prompt, I formatted the hard disk
drive. I then used FDISK to set a partition and set it
active. I followed this by using the command "sys c:",
which makes the hard disk drive bootable.--This is fine
here, except when your BIOS does not allow you to use the
CD to boot from (and I have that I/O error with the setup
disks for some reason). Windows 2000 needs a Windows
environment to run setup.exe.--Then I had to switch to the
letter of the CD-ROM drive, mine is "D:\>". When browsing
the CD, I found what I needed in the "I386" Folder. If
you change the directory from "D:\>" to "D:\I386\>", there
is an executable setup file that allows you to set up
Windows 2000 from DOS. It is "winnt.exe". I just typed
it in and it asks where the setup files are. They are in
the "I386" directory. Setup then went completely through
the first of the three phases of setup.

This worked brilliantly, EXCEPT....

Now I have a NTLDR is missing message when I rebooted to
run the second of the three Windows 2000 setup sequences.
I'm not sure if this is what happens when you use the
method I described above or not. I can, however, see that
the C drive has "NTLDR" and "ntdetect.com". So now I'm
not sure why I'm getting this message when "NTLDR"
and "ntdetect.com" is on the Hard Disk Drive. I can see
it when I look at the directories on the hard disk drive.
I am thinking that it must not be present in the Boot
Sector or Master Boot Record of the hard disk drive and
that is why the BIOS is not seeing it. This machine had
Windows 98 on it before I did the format and the hard disk
drive is now reformatted with FAT 32. Anyone have any
ideas here?
 
Ryan said:
I recently formatted my hard drive and now the only file
on it is "command.com". This allows the hard drive to
boot to a prompt. I have no problem switching to the
floppy drive's prompt or both CD-ROM drive's prompt when
at the DOS prompt. However, when I try to install Win 2k,
it will not let me set it up through DOS. I do not have a
windows environment to run the setup from. I cannot boot
directly from the CD because the BIOS will only boot from
floppy or hard drive. There are no further BIOS
upgrades. When I try to use the four floppy setup disks,
it gives me an I/O error when the first disk loads. Setup
never loads. I know it is not the floppy disk because I
have tried more than one. If I let the hard drive boot
alone, it will give me a DOS prompt because
of "command.com". I also have done "sys c:". I cannot
set the BIOS to boot from the CD either. It just isn't an
option. The problem is that I can't get setup to run from
a floppy or the CD at all. I try to run it from the DOS
prompt, but it says that setup cannot run in DOS mode. I
can browse and see "setup.exe" on the CD from the CD
drive's prompt. But, when you run "setup.exe", it says
that setup cannot run in DOS mode.

I have found a fix for this problem, though. For those
that cannot boot by just letting the CD boot upon turning
on the computer and for those that get some I/O error when
trying to use the four setup floppy disks, these are the
steps that I have taken:

First, I booted to a DOS prompt by using a bootable
Windows 98 disk. At the prompt, I formatted the hard disk
drive. I then used FDISK to set a partition and set it
active. I followed this by using the command "sys c:",
which makes the hard disk drive bootable.--This is fine
here, except when your BIOS does not allow you to use the
CD to boot from (and I have that I/O error with the setup
disks for some reason). Windows 2000 needs a Windows
environment to run setup.exe.--Then I had to switch to the
letter of the CD-ROM drive, mine is "D:\>". When browsing
the CD, I found what I needed in the "I386" Folder. If
you change the directory from "D:\>" to "D:\I386\>", there
is an executable setup file that allows you to set up
Windows 2000 from DOS. It is "winnt.exe". I just typed
it in and it asks where the setup files are. They are in
the "I386" directory. Setup then went completely through
the first of the three phases of setup.

This worked brilliantly, EXCEPT....

Now I have a NTLDR is missing message when I rebooted to
run the second of the three Windows 2000 setup sequences.
I'm not sure if this is what happens when you use the
method I described above or not. I can, however, see that
the C drive has "NTLDR" and "ntdetect.com". So now I'm
not sure why I'm getting this message when "NTLDR"
and "ntdetect.com" is on the Hard Disk Drive. I can see
it when I look at the directories on the hard disk drive.
I am thinking that it must not be present in the Boot
Sector or Master Boot Record of the hard disk drive and
that is why the BIOS is not seeing it. This machine had
Windows 98 on it before I did the format and the hard disk
drive is now reformatted with FAT 32. Anyone have any
ideas here?
Click to expand...


the alternative way to install win2k would be from a standard
win9x boot floppy with cd support
you merely need to modify it to load smartdrv

then run setup from the i386 folder by issuing the command

winnt
 
Thanks for your reply Philo.

I already have done what you said. I stated that in my
original post. What I need to know is how to keep
the "NTLDR is missing" from coming up when I reboot.
 
Ryan said:
Thanks for your reply Philo.

I already have done what you said. I stated that in my
original post. What I need to know is how to keep
the "NTLDR is missing" from coming up when I reboot.

i guess i did not read all of your post
Click to expand...

sorry

maybe you should boot with a floppy and issue the command
fdisk /mbr

then try again to install
 
That's ok. This whole thing is just so frustrating. I
tried the fdisk /mbr thing and this works, sort of. This
allows the hard drive to boot to the DOS prompt again.
But, it won't allow the second part of the setup to run.
Do you know how to run this second setup stage from the
CD's DOS prompt?
 
That's ok. This whole thing is just so frustrating. I
tried the fdisk /mbr thing and this works, sort of. This
allows the hard drive to boot to the DOS prompt again.
Click to expand...

Is this from the dual boot menu?
Try installing without doing the sys c:. This way, there will only be
one OS on the drive.
Just for the hell of it I did try installing using the winnt.exe
method, and it worked fine.
 
1.format your hard disk
2.transfer system files and install install cd-rom drivers
3.run Smartdrv file found in win95/98 machine
4. copy i386 form windows disc to c:\
5.Run winnt /a
6. complete the setup......
 
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