NTLDR missing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
  • Start date Start date
K

Ken

I keep getting the "NTLDR missing Press Crtl+Alt+Del to
restart" error when I try to start my computer. It will
not load windows even with the XP CD. XP is my original
OS not a upgrade or anything. I've tried searching the
KB but all the fixes that are suggested in there do not
work. I have tried copying from the XP setup disk and it
still doesn't work. I decided to just reinstall XP. Can
someone tell me how and or why I got this error and how I
can prevent it from happening again??? I don't want to
do all this in the future. Thanks
 
Usually a system crash or lockup of some kind, also improper shutdown as in
you had to turn the machine off because it wouldn't shut down. Disk
utilities not rated for XP can corrupt the system as can a bad install or
even some conflict on your setup.

You might try running the compatibility wizard on your system to make sure
all hardware and software are in compliance. Place the XP CD in the drive,
when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility." After
you run it, the system may start XP setup, just cancel out of it at the
first available opportunity if that happens.

Also, check the Event Log for recurring errors. Open Control Panel, open
Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for recurring errors, double
click the errors, the information contained within may give a clue as to a
source or the source of this issue.
 
From
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;318728

NTLDR Missing
Use the Recovery Console
Use the Windows 2000 Setup disks to restart the computer,
or use the Windows 2000 CD-ROM to restart the computer.
At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to repair the
Windows 2000 installation.
Press C to repair the Windows 2000 installation by using
the Recovery Console.
Type the number that corresponds to the Windows
installation that you want to repair, and then press
ENTER. For example, type 1, and then press ENTER. For
additional information, click the article number below to
view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
229716 Description of the Windows Recovery Console

Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
Type map, and then press ENTER. Note the drive letter that
is assigned to the CD-ROM drive that contains the Windows
2000 CD-ROM.
Type the following commands, pressing ENTER after you type
each one, where drive is the drive letter that you typed
in step 4 of "Method 2: Use the Recovery Console," of this
article:
copy drive:\i386\ntldr c:\

copy drive:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

If you are prompted to overwrite the file, type y, and
then press ENTER.

NOTE: In these commands, there is a space between the
ntldr and c:\, and between ntdetect.com and c:\.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
type c:\Boot.ini

A list similar to the following list appears: [boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

If you receive the following message, the Boot.ini file
may be missing or damaged:
The system cannot find the file or directory specified.

If the Boot.ini file is missing or damaged, create a new
one. To do so, follow these steps:
Use a text editor, such as Notepad or Edit.com, to create
a boot loader file similar to the following boot loader
file:[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

For additional information, click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
102873 BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage

301680 HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT
Partition in Windows

Save the file to a floppy disk as Boot.ini.

NOTE: If you used Notepad to create the file, make sure
that the .txt extension is not appended to the Boot.ini
file name.
Type the following command at the Recovery Console command
prompt to copy the Boot.ini file from the floppy disk to
the computer:
copy a:\Boot.ini c:\

Type exit, and then press ENTER. The computer restarts.
 
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;318728

NTLDR Missing
Method 2: Use the Recovery Console
Use the Windows 2000 Setup disks to restart the computer,
or use the Windows 2000 CD-ROM to restart the computer.
At the Welcome to Setup screen, press R to repair the
Windows 2000 installation.
Press C to repair the Windows 2000 installation by using
the Recovery Console.
Type the number that corresponds to the Windows
installation that you want to repair, and then press
ENTER. For example, type 1, and then press ENTER. For
additional information, click the article number below to
view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
229716 Description of the Windows Recovery Console

Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
Type map, and then press ENTER. Note the drive letter that
is assigned to the CD-ROM drive that contains the Windows
2000 CD-ROM.
Type the following commands, pressing ENTER after you type
each one, where drive is the drive letter that you typed
in step 4 of "Method 2: Use the Recovery Console," of this
article:
copy drive:\i386\ntldr c:\

copy drive:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

If you are prompted to overwrite the file, type y, and
then press ENTER.

NOTE: In these commands, there is a space between the
ntldr and c:\, and between ntdetect.com and c:\.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
type c:\Boot.ini

A list similar to the following list appears: [boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

If you receive the following message, the Boot.ini file
may be missing or damaged:
The system cannot find the file or directory specified.

If the Boot.ini file is missing or damaged, create a new
one. To do so, follow these steps:
Use a text editor, such as Notepad or Edit.com, to create
a boot loader file similar to the following boot loader
file:[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional" /fastdetect

For additional information, click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
102873 BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage

301680 HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT
Partition in Windows

Save the file to a floppy disk as Boot.ini.

NOTE: If you used Notepad to create the file, make sure
that the .txt extension is not appended to the Boot.ini
file name.
Type the following command at the Recovery Console command
prompt to copy the Boot.ini file from the floppy disk to
the computer:
copy a:\Boot.ini c:\

Type exit, and then press ENTER. The computer restarts.
 
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