NTLDR is missing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Clark____
  • Start date Start date
C

Clark____

I might be in the wrong group, but I'm tired of messing with
computers.

I'm getting "NTLDR is missing" on bootup. I guess I must have deleted
some important files off C: drive when I was cleaning it up. My
operating system WinXP SP2, NTFS, is on F:

Can someone tell me if I can restore NTLDR?

I have 2 computers, so I can access the Internet and maybe burn a CD
for the NTLDR-missing computer. I don't have a floppy drive for it.

Thanks
 
I might be in the wrong group, but I'm tired of messing with
computers.

I'm getting "NTLDR is missing" on bootup. I guess I must have deleted
some important files off C: drive when I was cleaning it up. My
operating system WinXP SP2, NTFS, is on F:

Can someone tell me if I can restore NTLDR?

I have 2 computers, so I can access the Internet and maybe burn a CD
for the NTLDR-missing computer. I don't have a floppy drive for it.

Thanks
Click to expand...
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm
 
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm
Click to expand...


OK, thanks. That's a start. But how do I copy (from DOS) hidden
system files like NTLDR? I can get a NTLDR file to copy, and I can
get to DOS. But MSDOS won't let me copy a hidden file, and it won't
let me unhide ntldr.

I actually had the original ntldr file in a subdirectory on the C:
drive, and I can get to DOS. So now I need to copy or move it back to
C:\
C:\NT>attrib -h ntldr
Not resetting system file - C:\NT\ntldr
Click to expand...


Thanks
 
OK, thanks. That's a start. But how do I copy (from DOS) hidden
system files like NTLDR? I can get a NTLDR file to copy, and I can
get to DOS. But MSDOS won't let me copy a hidden file, and it won't
let me unhide ntldr.

I actually had the original ntldr file in a subdirectory on the C:
drive, and I can get to DOS. So now I need to copy or move it back to
C:\



Thanks
Click to expand...


I've got it now. I gave up on copying or moving the original ntldr
file back to C:\. Instead I made a hex copy of ntldr and ntdetect.com
on my other computer by using a hex editor. Then I could save them as
non-hidden and non-system files. So I burned these "normal files" to
a CD and then could copy them to my ailing computer thru' DOS.

Boring, huh?
 
I've got it now. I gave up on copying or moving the original ntldr
file back to C:\. Instead I made a hex copy of ntldr and ntdetect.com
on my other computer by using a hex editor. Then I could save them as
non-hidden and non-system files. So I burned these "normal files" to
a CD and then could copy them to my ailing computer thru' DOS.

Boring, huh?
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same problem on my machine. I just took the HDD out and
installed it in another machine as slave and used windows explorer to copy
it over.

Michael
 
I had exactly the same problem on my machine. I just took the HDD out and
installed it in another machine as slave and used windows explorer to copy
it over.

Michael
Click to expand...

There's got to be a way to do it from DOS, I suppose. But here's the
Catch-22 I ran into when ever I tried to copy or move a system file
under MSDOS.

===
C:\NT>attrib ntldr
A SHR C:\NT\ntldr

C:\NT>copy ntldr tempfolder
ntldr
The system cannot find the file specified.
0 file(s) copied.

C:\NT>attrib -h ntldr
Not resetting system file - C:\NT\ntldr

C:\NT>attrib -s ntldr
Not resetting hidden file - C:\NT\ntldr
===

MSDOS couldn't find the file to copy it because it was hidden. So
when I tried to change it from hidden, I couldn't do that because it
was a system file. Then if I tried to change it from a system file, I
couldn't do it because it was hidden.
 
NTLDR is the boot sector... Can't recover it without a reinstall... Try a
repair install.
 
There's got to be a way to do it from DOS, I suppose. But here's the
Catch-22 I ran into when ever I tried to copy or move a system file
under MSDOS.

===
C:\NT>attrib ntldr
A SHR C:\NT\ntldr

C:\NT>copy ntldr tempfolder
ntldr
The system cannot find the file specified.
0 file(s) copied.

C:\NT>attrib -h ntldr
Not resetting system file - C:\NT\ntldr

C:\NT>attrib -s ntldr
Not resetting hidden file - C:\NT\ntldr
===

MSDOS couldn't find the file to copy it because it was hidden. So
when I tried to change it from hidden, I couldn't do that because it
was a system file. Then if I tried to change it from a system file, I
couldn't do it because it was hidden.
Click to expand...

Did you try this?
attrib -r -h -s ntldr
 
Ntldr is a file in the root directory of the boot partition. You can replace it if you can access the drive by booting from another partition or placing the drive in another PC.
 
Did you try this?
attrib -r -h -s ntldr
Click to expand...




Well, well... that suggestion worked. Never would have guessed that.

So, now if I ever screw up again like that, I can recover quicker!!!
;-)

Thanks,

Clark
 
Ya... I was confused with the BootSec.lnx that I have to create when dual
booting machines...

I believe it's the first sector of the NT boot drive. For some reason the NT
boot process needs the first sector of any boot partition in a file as well.
Could be wrong though.

Mike Walsh said:
Ntldr is a file in the root directory of the boot partition. You can
Click to expand...
replace it if you can access the drive by booting from another partition or
placing the drive in another PC.
 
.... snip ...

C:\NT>attrib -h ntldr
Not resetting system file - C:\NT\ntldr

C:\NT>attrib -s ntldr
Not resetting hidden file - C:\NT\ntldr
===

MSDOS couldn't find the file to copy it because it was hidden. So
when I tried to change it from hidden, I couldn't do that because it
was a system file. Then if I tried to change it from a system file, I
couldn't do it because it was hidden.
Click to expand...

Try "attrib -s -h ntldr.*"

(I don't know what its extension is - dir will show you. You
should defeat the silly hiding of extensions and known file types
that windows has by default)
 
CBFalconer said:
(I don't know what its extension is - dir will show you. You
should defeat the silly hiding of extensions and known file types
that windows has by default)
Click to expand...

It has no extension.

Michael
 
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