NTLDR is missing

getting this error
NTLDR is missing
press crl alt del to restart

tried copying ntldr files from the windows installation cd using the repair utility
didnt work
Ive tried reinstalling windows - gets as far as initial copying of files for installation then needs restarts and am back to the same error

Any way I can check if hard disk is corruputed ?
I did a chkdsk and says all is good

DonkeyStyle \o/

tried copying ntldr files from the windows installation cd using the repair utility
didnt work

What happened? Did it copy successfully then throw up the same error on reboot? or did the file copy fail?
It might be worth another try, along with using fixboot and fixmbr.

You could try doing a dir on the C:\ drive to see if it's accessable and the folder structures are still there. (through the recovery console)
I had a drive fail so badly the directory listing was all random garbage :eek:

If all else fails you could install the harddrive as a second drive in another PC, backup whatever you want off it (maybe try some other utilities on it while you're there), put it back in the original machine and completely repartition and reformat it during the install process.
That's what I'd do anyway if it was giving me this much hassle.

tried fixboot and fixmbr
the files copied
I formatted the drive now during the last windows installation but its all still ntldr missing

its a sata drive i plugged it into another pc and then that pc comes up ntldr missing until i plug the drive out LOL

Mr. Presentable

I'm almost afraid to ask, but, there isn't a floppy in, is there?

Edit: based on your next post, unlikely.

Mr. Presentable

Is there also an IDE drive in the PC. Is the boot sequence correct in BIOS? Is the SATA set as Master?

have 4 other hard disks on an pci ide controller this yoke
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=110632

I have unbuntu on one of those hard disks but have no idea how to boot it now!!

they dont come up in the windows installation just the sata hard drive

I have no floppy drive at all installed.

I would install a version of windows onto one of the hard disks if possible
oh the motherboard has only one ide thing on which I have the cd r and dvd on

if i take one of the hard disks from the controller and plug out the cdr and plug the ide hard disk in its place will I be able to install windows onto it??

Mr. Presentable

3000 posts WOOT!

OK, if it was me, I'd take everything out. All the HDDs and fit the SATA. Format it and install Windows, and if successful, work from there. But that's just me - I don't know anything about the IDE PCI thingie.

ok tried that didnt work though
thanks for replyin people

going to try a clean install now

I will be *formatting* the drive, if I do this and try running the program "undelete" afterwards is there much chance of *ANY* data recovery?

DonkeyStyle \o/

If you're worried about losing data then don't format the drive.
You should absolutely be able to set the drive up as a second drive in another PC and pull the data off it... you just might need to tweak the boot order in the bios or fart around with the boot sectors or something.

too late its been formatted, only a few things on it - nothing I cant get hold of again

But it didnt work
totally baffled
must be the hard disk is kaput

DonkeyStyle \o/

Ouch, have you got all the other harddrives plugged out?
Maybe it's trying to boot from a partial/botched/aborted windows install on a different drive.
I find XP a bit funny in these situations when I've installed it on a machine with multiple harddrives... like it boots from one drive and is directed to find the rest of its startup files from another drive... to be honest I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's something to consider.

just back on this pc a few minutes!!!

For anyone who finds themselves in the same boat,
What I did was put one of my raid disks in place of the Cdr or slave ide drive

installed windows on it then am using active undelete as we speak to recover what I can.

for whatever reason before my troublesome hard disk was formatted it would make whatever pc it was plugged into give the same error
ntldr is missing blah blah blah bill gates is laughing blah blah error

yet again Bill Gates has made a fool out of me

DonkeyStyle \o/

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote: »

Ouch, have you got all the other harddrives plugged out?
Maybe it's trying to boot from a partial/botched/aborted windows install on a different drive.
I find XP a bit funny in these situations when I've installed it on a machine with multiple harddrives... like it boots from one drive and is directed to find the rest of its startup files from another drive... to be honest I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's something to consider.

Yeah I tried it with the drives out, XP went mental first time I put the controller and extra hard drives in.

I had a BIG BIG loss of data before I built this machine of irreplaceable stuff
and thats the very reason I have the extra hard disks!!
I keep all the important stuff back up so I lost very little only stuff I have been working on the past few days and hadnt transferrred yet