Having problem with NTLDR

[Anwar]

Hey Everyone,

I have installed Windows Xp on my system. Whenever i start my pc i get an error message stating that NTLDR is missing on your system. Can any one tell me how do i resolve this problem? Any idea on it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Calvin K]

This error occurs when the partition marked as active does not contain the operating system boot files. The partition for the OS must be a primary partition that has been marked as active. If it is a SCSI, SATA or RAID drive the appropriate drivers need to have already been installed. The boot partition must be located on the disk pointed to in the BIOS boot sequence. The below advice is for single boot systems. Some exceptions apply if you have a dual boot setup.

So, two issues:

1. Having the PC boot from the correct drive, properly partitioned with the boot partition set as "Active".

2. Having the right files in that partition.

You can change the active partition using fdisk. And you can change the first boot device (but using an optical drive with a Windows CD to boot from can cause you problems later) in the BIOS.

[Lillebror]

Many times this error is caused when the computer is attempting to boot from a non-bootable floppy disk or CD-ROM. First verify that no floppy diskette is in the computer, unless you are attempting to boot from a diskette.

If you are attempting to boot from a floppy diskette and are receiving this error message it is likely that the diskette does not have all the necessary files and/or is corrupt.

If you are attempting to install Windows XP or Windows 2000 and are receiving this error message as the computer is booting verify that your computer BIOS has the proper boot settings. For example, if you are attempting to run the install from the CD-ROM make sure the CD-ROM is the first boot device, and not the hard disk drive.

Second, when the computer is booting you should receive the below prompt.

Press any key to boot from the CD.

Important: When you see this message press any key such as the Enter key immediately, otherwise it will try booting from the hard drive and likely get the NTLDR error again.

[jesse]

Using the Recovery Console, copy the Ntldr file from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the root directory of the current active partition. Follow these steps:
1. Start your computer by using the Windows XP Setup floppy disks or by using the Windows XP CD-ROM.
2. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10, or press R to repair.
3. Press C to start the Recovery Console.
4. Copy the Ntldr file from the Windows XP CD-ROM to the root of your system partition by using the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:

• Type cd .. to go to the root of drive C. (Note the space)
  
• Type the letter of the CD-ROM drive
  
• Type cd i386 to change into the right directory
  
• Type Copy ntldr c:
• Type Exit

If the partition was not formatted by using Windows, you might also need to run the Recovery Console fixboot command to make the active partition bootable.