NTLDR

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anthony Jachim
  • Start date Start date
A

Anthony Jachim

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I could not find a solution
to my specific encounter with the NTLDR file. I was requred to do an
reinstall-repair on my system becuase I had added tow 200 G hardrives
and the drivers provided by MS did not work as well as the drivers
provided by WD. Anyway I got the system functional 'cept now every time
I boot I get the error message "NTLDR not found". The NTLDR file is
pressent on my HD located in C root and in
C:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386. Its file size is 229 KB.If I have the
OEM CD in the drive it will boot using the NTLDR file found on the the
CD located in the i386 folder with its file size 218 K. Now since it
will boot with the CD NTLDR can I just copy that file to the named
locations?
Reinstall (repair function) does not correct the problem.
 
Drivers, even those included in the operating system are provided by and the
responsibility of the manufacturer of the device.

Try a repair install as follows:
NOTE, while a repair install should leave your data files intact, if
something goes wrong during the repair install, you may be forced to start
over and do a clean install of XP. If you don't have your data backed up,
you would lose your data should that eventuality occur.



Boot from the CD. If your system is set to be able to boot from the CD, it
should detect the disk and give a brief message, during the boot up, if you
wish to boot from the CD press any key.



Once you have pressed a key, setup should begin. You will see a reference
asking if you need to load special drivers and another notice that if you
wish to begin the ASR (Automatic Recovery Console) depress F2. Just let
setup run past all of that. It will continue to load files and drivers.



Then it will bring you to a screen. Eventually, you will come to a screen
with the option to (1) setup Windows or (2) Repair Windows Installation
using the Recovery console.



The first option, to setup Windows is the one you want and requires you to
press enter. When asked, press F8 to accept the end user agreement. Setup
will then search for previous versions of Windows. Upon finding your
version, it will ask if you wish to Repair your current installation or
install fresh. Press R, that will run a repair installation. From there
on, follow the screens.
 
Not to be unappreciative for your suggestion/instructions, but I have done
exactly
what you instructed twice already with no change to the error message. And each

'repair' installation requires me to enter the product key and then reinstall
all the
updates (SP1 +). This activity has not changed or lost any of my personal
settings or data. But it is time consuming, to say the least. To the point:
can I just
paste the NTLDR file from the OEM to my HD locations and be done with it? I
would not really like to do a clean install, and I'm not sure what the
implications of
multiple 'clean installs' are for licensure. I've done it twice already, once
because
my video/audio configuration could not be fixed in the registry which resulted
from
a conversion from the seller's installation of 32 fat instead of NTS and my
subsequent conversion, and the second when I initially installed the 200 G hard
drive with its own controller and had a conflict with XP gobbling up mega gigs
on
the new drive and allocating them to system status.
 
I apologize for having missed the fact you had already done a repair install
and failed to resolve the issue.

You can't simply paste it in because the problem is your Master Boot Record.
However, this can be repaired as follows:
Be sure your system is set to boot from the CD. If you are not sure, when
the system first boots you usually see message about how to enter setup or
something similar and tells you to hit a key, sometimes it's del, sometimes
it's esc, just hit the key. This takes you to the system bios, you need to
navigate to where the boot sequence is set, put the CD-ROM drive first in
line.

Place the XP CD in the drive, save your settings and exit. The system will
reboot and should boot from the CD. If you see a message to hit any key in
order to boot from the CD, do so, otherwise, assuming your system supports
it, the system should boot from the CD on its own as it can't find
an OS on the hard drive.

XP Setup will begin by examining your system, don't worry, just let it run,
it's just copying some files to a temp folder. Ultimately, you'll be
brought to a menu. Choose, "Repair a Windows XP installation using the
Recovery Console, press R.

You will be asked for an administrators password. This is not any of the
accounts you've created for XP. It's a hidden system account for which
users are asked only to create a password during setup. Most leave this
blank. If you left it blank, when asked for a password, just leave blank
and press enter.

At the prompt type bootcfg /rebuild and press enter.

The repair install can repair the MBR but sometimes misses the issue.
Often, an error such as this is indicative of there being other issues as
well and the repair install would ordinarily fix these issues as well.

As to the clean installs, you can install XP on the same machine as many
times as you want, there is no limitation in that regard. Activation is
only meant hinder or otherwise preclude having XP installed on more than one
machine at the same time.
 
Executed the bootcfg /rebuild command. The prompts followed:
Add Installation To Boot (yes/no/all). Selected y
Enter load identifier: What is the proper response? I hit the enter key, no
data input.
Enter OS load options: What is the proper response? I hit the enter key, no
data input.

Rebooted system w/o CD and got the same NTLDR not found. Rebooted with
CD in drive but not actioned, and XP requested to select OS to use, selected XP
Professional and the system went thru a chkdsk operation and 'fixed' some data
on the second partitions of the two 200 G drives (they are configured with two
100 G partitions each). Afterwards, functioned as normal.
A reboot without the CD in the drive, resulted in the same NTLDR not found
message


Any more suggestions?
 
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