NTLDR

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce Stokes
  • Start date Start date
B

Bruce Stokes

Have two hard drives with new XP installed on each one. On connecting to a
different tower I receive
NTLDR. I know the meaning of the acronym, but how do you correct it so that
the hard drives will boot up?

thanks for any help.

(e-mail address removed)
 
Hi, Bruce.

What does "On connecting to a different tower" mean?

Having two HDs in a single computer is no big deal. Having WinXP installed
on each of them is no big deal. When WinXP Setup is run (by booting from
the WinXP CD-ROM) the second time, it should detect the existing WinXP
installation and automatically create the dual-boot scenario. All you have
to do is choose XP1 or XP2 (or whatever you choose to call them) from the
opening menu on each reboot.

What is different in your situation? How did you install the two copies,
especially the second one?

RC
 
By "different tower" I mean a friend gave two hard drives and wanted XP
installed on each. I connected each HD to my computer and installed the
program. Installation completed, they both worked fine hooking each one up
at a time - not together which I know two is no big deal.
The trouble is when he tries each on his computer they won´t boot-up and he
gets NTLDR.
 
By "different tower" I mean a friend gave two hard drives and wanted XP
installed on each. I connected each HD to my computer and installed the
program. Installation completed, they both worked fine hooking each one up
at a time - not together which I know two is no big deal.
The trouble is when he tries each on his computer they won´t boot-up and he
gets NTLDR.
 
Hi, Bruce.

Well, you've still left out more than you've told us. ;>(
I connected each HD to my computer and installed the
program.
Click to expand...

HOW did you connect each HD to your computer? Did you remove your own HD
and install your friend's HD as the primary master? Or did you add that HD
as a secondary or slave? Did you let WinXP Setup create partitions on your
friend's HDs and format them? Or were those HDs already formatted?

When we boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and install WinXP on the ONLY HD in the
system, Setup writes the boot sector and the "system files" (ntldr,
ntdetect.com and boot.ini) into the first primary partition on that HD,
which becomes the "system partition". But, there is only ONE "system
partition" for the whole computer, even if several HDs are present and even
if multiple Windows installations exist. So, if we boot from one HD and
install WinXP onto a second HD, Setup does not create a new system partition
on the second HD. If we then move that second HD to a different computer,
it still does not have a system partition - and can't be used as the boot
device.

With the HDs installed (as primary master and secondary or slave) in your
friend's tower, boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and run the Repair procedure.
Use the Recovery Console to run FixBoot and BootCfg to make the first
partition the "system partition" for his computer. (If both HDs are plugged
in, with both copies of WinXP on them, then bootcfg should detect both
copies and create the proper lines in C:\boot.ini.)

Even this might not work, though. If WinXP was installed on an HD while it
was the secondary drive in your computer, the WinXP Registry will think its
files are on D:, but now D: has become C:. You might still have to do a
clean install or a reinstallation to get everything straightened out. :>(

But all that may be wasted effort anyhow. One of the first things WinXP
Setup does is to detect the hardware configuration of the computer where it
is being installed. Then it customizes THAT copy of WinXP to fit THAT
environment. If you then drop that copy of WinXP into a different computer
with different hardware, you have to run Setup again to detect the new
configuration and re-customize THAT copy of WinXP to fit THAT environment.
So, unless your friend's computer is virtually identical to your own, you
will have to install WinXP all over again after the HD is moved into his
computer.

And, on a different but very pertinent subject, which Product Key did you
use for each installation? So far as WinXP and WPA (Windows Product
Activation) are concerned, it makes little difference whether you moved
WinXP to a different computer case, or replaced the key hardware components
(like mainboard, HD, etc.) in the existing case. In either situation, WinXP
is now in a "different" computer - and must be activated again. For details
of this, see:
Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Bottom line: Put the HD into his computer. Boot from the WinXP CD-ROM.
Let it partition and format his drive and install WinXP clean. Twice, if he
has two licenses.

RC
 
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