NTLDR Missing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim

I have a Dell XPS that has been running fine for 9 months.
Suddenly this message appears. NTLDR MISSING PRESS ANY KEY
TO START.Pressing any key just gets the message again. So
I hit f12 and boot from the Primary Drive number 2 option
and the computer boots up and everthing works fine. Try to
reboot same scenario.
To my knowledge nothing has changed. I've tried Recovery
procedures, everything except a total reinstall of XP
Professional. This CPU came from Dell with XP
Professional. It is not dual boot setup, although we have
MacDrive installed. It was running fine with that program,
which is software to read MacDrives. I tried a reboot with
that program disabled.

Anyone have any advice?
 
Jim said:
I have a Dell XPS that has been running fine for 9 months.
Suddenly this message appears. NTLDR MISSING PRESS ANY KEY
TO START.Pressing any key just gets the message again. So
I hit f12 and boot from the Primary Drive number 2 option
and the computer boots up and everthing works fine. Try to
reboot same scenario.
To my knowledge nothing has changed. I've tried Recovery
procedures, everything except a total reinstall of XP
Professional. This CPU came from Dell with XP
Professional. It is not dual boot setup, although we have
MacDrive installed. It was running fine with that program,
which is software to read MacDrives. I tried a reboot with
that program disabled.

Anyone have any advice?
Click to expand...

Based on the post on Friday, is there a floppy in the floppy drive?
Someone was complaining about spending hours talking to Dell support
before a friend asked about the floppy. That was the problem.
 
Brian,
there was a floppy in the drive, I can't believe it! I
never use floppies and more, but the other day I had to
transfer something from and old floppie...

Boy do I feel stupid. Thanks, this could have gone on for
days..

Jim
 
Jim said:
Brian,
there was a floppy in the drive, I can't believe it! I
never use floppies and more, but the other day I had to
transfer something from and old floppie...

Boy do I feel stupid. Thanks, this could have gone on for
days..

Jim
Click to expand...

You're welcome. If I hadn't just seen this Friday I would never have
thought of it based on the "clear and accurate" ;-) error message. Have
a good week.
 
"Jim" said in news:[email protected]:
Brian,
there was a floppy in the drive, I can't believe it! I
never use floppies and more, but the other day I had to
transfer something from and old floppie...

Boy do I feel stupid. Thanks, this could have gone on for
days..
Click to expand...

Don't feel too stupid. Checking for the floppy is the first suggestion
I make when someone reports an NTLDR not found error. Check out
http://snipurl.com/monitor_oops. Guy puts in a new video card but
leaves the monitor hooked up to the old onboard connector. There's also
a link in the thread to some of the more comical tech calls.
 
Been there, done that etc!
(but *you* wouldn't be that stupid in the first place, now would you <g>)

Insert a (blank) floppy into the drive.
See how the button pops out a few mm?
While it's out, grab the boss's <g> brightest nail varnish (for a beige
box) or *Tippex* (for a black one) and paint a band of colour across the
back end of the button, _so that it will only show when a disc is present in
the drive_.

Of course, if the box manufacturers had been half sharp, they would have
arranged for a socking great red LED to come on when a disc is inserted!
The trouble is, we so rarely use floppies any more!
 
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