simple "ntldr is missing" fix with boot floppy, cd-r, or usb flash
simple "ntldr is missing" fix with boot floppy, cd-r, or usb flash
how to fix: ntldr is missing, press any key to restart
what happened?
when your computer starts, the bios attempts to find the primary hard drive's active partition
to read the first sector for the mbr (master boot record), it uses that info to
load the rest of the os. for windows nt4/2k/xp the
ntldr (new technology
loader) takes it from there. if you get the "ntldr is missing,
press any key to restart" what's most likely going on is the bios either
didn't look for the right drive, didn't find the right partition, it
wasn't active, didn't find the mbr, or the mbr didn't list ntldr in the
right place, the location of ntldr changed, or you are looking at
a hardware failure situation (memory/cables/drive/motherboard/etc).
windows vista does not boot this way, you can still use my floppy to
boot into an existing installation of 98/nt/xp, but i've not had a
chance to test windows vista.
if possible, try to change back whatever hardware or software change
you just made (this could be as simple as leaving a floppy disk in the
drive or you need to recheck the cables). (what if i made new changes that i want to keep?).
make a ntldr boot disk to get back into windows.
the quick test to make sure your os installation is still good is to
create an mbr and ntldr on a floppy disk and check your partitions, this
disk will check many of the partitions for a working windows
installation.
here are the instructions to do this:
1. get a blank floppy (whatever is on it will be erased), and put it into a working computer
(what if the computer doesn't have a floppy drive?).
2. download fixntldr.exe onto
a working computer (fixntldr-winnt if you
are using windows 2000 or windows nt4) (what if i don't want to download a file from a website i don't trust?).
(what if my backup system is
mac / linux or another alt os?).
3. run the fixntldr.exe file by double clicking it. click ok to
overwrite the blank floppy disc in the working computer, you should see
some screens about writing a new floppy disk.
4. do you remember if the folder you had your windows installation in
was named "windows"? if you can't remember just keep going (what if it was not named windows
but winnt like in nt4 or 2000?) .
5. put the new floppy (or cd/usb drive) you have just created into the computer that
gets the ntldr is missing error message, turn the broken computer off.
using the boot disk in the computer with the "ntldr is missing" error.
start back up the broken computer with the floppy in the floppy drive (or cd
in cd drive or flash drive in usb port). once your computer gets past the bios screen your computer should try
to access the floppy drive and you should see a black screen
with white letters that says: (what if i don't see this screen?).
1st try this seleccione esto primero
2nd try this essayez ceci en deuzieme
3rd try this wahlen sie diesen third
4th try this selezioni questo fourth
5th try this selecione este fifth
6th try this seleccione este sexto
7th try this essayez ceci en septieme
8th try this wahlen sie dieses achte
9th try this selezioni questo nono
10th try this selecione este decimo
(i threw in some spanish / french / german / italian / portuguese for
international flavor.)
this file is set up to automatically select the "1st try this" choice after
30 seconds. try it first, if it was the wrong selection, you will likely
get one of these four errors:
1. windows could not start because file
"<windows root>\system32\hal.dll was missing or corrupt
2. windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware
configuration problem. could not read from the selected boot disk. check
boot path and disk hardware. please check the windows documentation
about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals
for additional information.
3. i/o error accessing boot sector file multi(0)disk(0)fdisk(0)\bootsect.dos
4. immediate reboot
if you get the immediate reboot or some other weird error, try pressing f8 at the "1st try this" selection screen,
it will give you a prompt where you can select safe mode, and then try the "1st
try this" option again. safe mode is a special "minimal" version of
windows that doesn't load certain parts of the operating system that might have
caused the problem.
one of the choices should eventually boot you back into windows. (what if none of the options worked?) .
use windows to fix the boot files on the hard drive.
if you got back into windows, stop whatever you are doing and backup your
most important information from this computer.
now that you are done backing up the most important info, try to change back whatever you were last
doing and boot normally, it that doesn't work, put the floppy back into the
broken computer and double click the fixntldr.bat file on the floppy drive, if
it asks you to overwrite a file, just type in y for yes (the file
copies boot.ini, ntldr, ntdetect.com from the floppy to the c:\ drive and
removes the read only attributes). that process take a few minutes, then remove
the floppy and reboot.
if you are using the cd or usb solution, copy the boot.ini, ntldr, and
ntdetect.com files to my computer > local disk c:\ > and overwite whatever files
might be there, then right click each file, choose properties, uncheck the read
only attribute, and click ok.
if you get back into windows again, you can change that "1st try this" menu by
going into start > control panel > system > advanced tab > startup and recovery
section, settings button > system startup; then change the "default operating
system:" to the selection that worked for you, and change the box that says
"time to display list of operating systems" to however many seconds
you want (usually 1 second). click ok twice. (what if the bootdisk worked, but i can't get into windows without it?) .
(what if i want to do further research?) .
advertisement
it worked! please help me back. - keeping website in "maintenance mode"
all done? hi, i'm
miles comer and i developed
this "solution" back in 2002 when i had to fix my relatives computer without me
standing over their shoulder. if
the floppy fixed it for you, might i humbly suggest you
use a credit card or paypal to donate for $5 or whatever amount you choose.
paypal email address: milescomer@gmail.com
if you don't have a credit card or pay pal account, you can mail a check to me,
use the form below to send me your email address and i'll send you the address
to mail the check to you.
i added this button because i am sometimes told that the other donate button doesn't show up.
for $25 you can get a banner ad on this page for 1 month, new advertising
opportunities available now.
ad revenues help, but it's your donations that
are the force that keeps this site up and able to make improvements. before it was much more difficult to
create the boot floppy, but with winimage pro (for $80!) it's much simpler. i
then had a bounty out of $50 for a usb solution which was paid, then i donated
$50 to gilles vollant software for the bootpart program that's on the inside of
it. at some point i'll make the "rename boot.ini" instructions to just "double
click this .bat file". luckily, windows vista does not give this
error, thought it may still have the problem, i'm not 100% sure. however with windows 98
still used by millions 7
years later, i'm sure windows xp won't disappear anytime soon and thus this page
must stay.
a free way to help me would be to link back to my webpage. either from your
own web page, or if you belong to any discussion forum that has to do with
computers, or has a lounge section, why not let everyone know i helped you out
by making a post and in that post, link back to my webpage? use this address in
case i change something in the future:
http://ntldrismissing.com/
if you would like, try providing feedback where everyone can see it (no login
required) on "the corkboard".
highstyledoggy.com is my best sponsor
to date, they have provided me with loads of support over the years, and really
make everything in my life possible. please visit them for all your
pampered pooches needs :)
what if i made new changes that i want to keep?
adding a new hard drive or a new drive array often causes your computer to
miss the ntldr, to fix it
you'll want to specify in the bios which device to boot from first, and you'll
want it on your ide0 channel and as the master (first on the chain) with jumpers
set to master, and then use fdisk to make sure that the first partition is a
primary partition (and set as active), and that none of the other drives or
partitions are set to active. try setting the bios to it's defaults or
clearing the cmos memory. if you made changes as drastic as a new
motherboard you may want to run a repair install as described here:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html
come back if you still get the error after that. go back
what if the computer doesn't have a floppy drive?
i have also created a cd-r and usb drive solution.
cd-r cd-r/w
for cd,
burn the fixntldr iso image for windows
xp or fixntldr iso image for
windows nt4
and windows 2000; you will have to unzip the file then burn the iso image with a cd burning software, try download.com for free iso burning cd software:
magiciso.
download it and save it to your desktop.
extract the file, and see if you can just double-click it. if it brings the
program you use to burn new cd's, go ahead and burn it, place it in the broken
computer, and try to boot.
if it brings up a box about "windows cannot open this file" we need to download
some more software. by default, windows doesn't include the software you need to
burn iso images, but some free software exists here:
http://www.download.com/magiciso-maker/3000-2646_4-10191803.html
click download now, run the setup program, go back to your desktop and open
magiciso, (choose the try it) button. once it opens, click tools>burn cd/dvd
with iso.
there will be a white box in the middle with an open folder to the right, click
the open folder, and find the fixntldr.iso file i had you save to the desktop
earlier (it might be in a folder named fixntldriso).
once you select it, click "burn it!" and have it create the cd, put that into
the broken pc and turn it on, it should give you the boot options, and go ahead
and boot the pc. go back.
usb flash drive
for usb flash drive, download this file:
ntldrusb.zip (ntldrusb-winnt
for windows nt4 or 2000 or upgrades from). expand the contents out
to the folder named ntldrusb.
then insert your usb stick into the working computer;
double-click hpusbfw.exe in the ntldrusb folder;
check "create a dos startup disk" and "using dos system files located at" then
press the grey button with the "...";
a box will come up asking you which folder to select, point it to the "dos
system files" folder;
press ok; press start; press yes; let it run for just a few minutes till a new
box comes up; press ok; press close;
open the "putonusb" folder, copy all the files, paste them onto the usb stick
(just in the root of the drive, like e:\);
eject the usb stick; remove it from your computer;
place it into the computer with the "ntldr is missing" issue, reboot it.
you will see the windows 98 screen pop up for a second, then you will see a
black screen with white letters prompting you to "replace boot sector of the
drive c: (y/n)", press the y key;
it will go to a c:\ prompt, reboot the computer by pressing ctrl+alt+del;
now you should be able to select the different options 1-10;
pick back up on step 5 above about
placing the disk in the drive. go back
what if i don't want to download a file from a website i don't trust?
if you want to make a floppy yourself, format it using a windows nt/2000/xp
computer (it can't be windows 95/98/me) and then get a copy of 3 files from a
working windows nt/2000/xp computer: ntldr, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini come off
the root of the c:\ drive. either put those on the floppy and boot up with
it, or somehow copy those to the c:\ drive of the broken computer.
if you can't get access to those files, but still don't want to run an
executable from a website off the internet, download and expand onto the floppy
this zip file: fixntldr.zip.
what's in fixntldr.zip?
two program files copied from a windows xp installation named "ntldr" and "ntdetect.com"
these assist in booting your existing installation.
and a text file named "boot.ini" that is what you use to make the selection
of which partition and disk you are trying to boot from. the contents of
boot.ini are as follows:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="1st try this seleccione esto
primero" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\windows="2nd try this essayez ceci en
deuzieme" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\windows="3rd try this wahlen sie diesen
third" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(2)\windows="4th try this selezioni questo
fourth" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\windows="5th try this selecione este fifth"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(3)\windows="6th try this seleccione este sexto"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\windows="7th try this essayez ceci en
septieme" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\windows="8th try this wahlen sie dieses
achte" /fastdetect
c:\="9th try this selezioni questo nono"
d:\="10th try this selecione este decimo"
winxp.ini has "winxp" instead of windows, and winnt.ini has "winnt"
instead of windows.
i threw in some spanish / french / german / italian / portuguese for
international flavor.
the contents of fixntldr.bat file is:
%systemdrive%
cd\
rename boot.ini boot.ini.bak
rename ntldr ntldr.bak
rename ntdetect.com ntdetect.com.bak
copy a:\boot.ini boot.ini /-y
copy a:\ntldr ntldr /-y
copy a:\ntdetect.com ntdetect.com /-y
attrib boot.ini -h -r -s -a
attrib ntldr -h -r -s -a
attrib ntdetect.com -h -r -s -a
(it is renaming the files on c:, copying the files from a:, then removing the
hidden, read only, system, and archive attributes. my sincere thanks to
jorge toscano for providing the code
for the bat file and the portuguese translation) go back
what if my backup system is linux or another alt os?
i made the disk an executable to make it easier to make a floppy.
of course that only works for microsoft os's. if you back up
system is linux or any other alternative operating system, then use
xpnt4lix.zip /
xpnt4lix.rar for windows xp installs or
2knt4lix.zip /
2knt4lix.rar for windows 2000 or nt4
installs, you will need to uncompress those files). (these are previous
versions in case those img files don't work for you:
fixntldrimg.zip or
fixntldrimg.rar). you'll
need a program like rawrite.exe (which works
in dos if you can get there from a win98 boot disk) but
for your os.
read redhat talk about making a floppy from an image (and i have it
on good word that the command in linux is "dd if=filename.img
of=/dev/fd0" or do a
search
on google. you may also be able to do that linux command line in a
mac. but if you have an easy way to make a boot floppy on a mac i
don't know about, please let me know
milescomer@gmail.com , or just
send it along using one of the forms. if you give me a solution.
i'll give you $10 from the pay pal account on this site.
if none of these options work for you, check out the what if i don't want to download a file from a website i don't trust?
section to try and find a way you can create the disk yourself with your current
configuration, then drop me a line to let me know how you did it. go
back.
what if it was not named windows
but winnt like in nt4 or 2000?
instead of just the fixntldr.exe, use the
fixntldr-winnt.exe file if your
system is nt4, or 2000, or was upgraded from a previous installation of
nt4 or 2000.
if you named your windows directory something like "shinyhappypeople"
then open the boot.ini file and change any mention of "windows" to "shinyhappypeople"
like so:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\shinyhappypeople="1st try this"
save changes, and put the disk back in and continue on trying the 10 choices.
go back
what if i don't see this screen?
if you do not see the screen come up with the different selections and
immediately goes back to the "ntldr is missing, press any key to restart" error,
then you will need to change the "boot order" in your systems bios to first
select the floppy drive (sometimes called "removable media drive") before it
tries to boot to the hard disk (sometimes called "fixed disk" drive).
if you are using the cd or usb solutions, move those before hard drive.
to get to the bios, when the computer first starts try pressing the ctrl or
esc or end or delete or f1-12 keys to get it to stop trying to load windows and
instead go to a screen that allows you to make configuration changes to your
machine. once there, try looking for a "boot order" screen that will list
your floppy, cd-rom, and hard drives with a number, (typically 1-3), look for
instructions on the screen on how to make changes, and move your floppy to 1 and
cd-rom to 2, find a way to exit and be sure to save your changes. go back
what if none of the options worked?
if using the boot disk to create a new mbr and ntldr did not help, or copying the files to the root of the c:\
drive and you remove the disk and still get the message when you boot up, your
options for a solution diverge into different areas.
then we know that the programs are fine, and the 3 startup files are fine, but
perhaps the mbr is incorrect. correcting the mbr takes a few different directions, choose any of the following sections:
installation cd option
performing a "repair" installation of windows. get an installation cd: (the full version of
the windows xp cd, the upgrade version is non-bootable). start your computer with your
xp (or 2000) cd (in your bios "boot sequence" the cd-rom will need to be
accessed before the hard drive, and a dialog will appear that says "press any
key to boot from cd..." and you need to press a key on the keyboard to have it
begin booting from the cd)
see screenshot of the repair install in action:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html
recovery console option
you can choose to repair a windows installation from
the recovery console. once you are logged in to your recovery console, select the number that represent your c: drive
more than likely it will be 1. it will ask for your admin password, enter
it you have one or just hit enter if you don't know it. follow the
recovery console instructions from here:
http://www.5starsupport.com/faq/booting.htm#7-9
then try using the floppy again. go back.
hardware problems
if neither of those options worked, try checking your hardware, replace cables, try
different power cable, ensure jumpers are on properly, ensure that the drive you
want to boot from is on the primary ide connection (ide 0) and is set as the
first device on the ide cable (master). at best your data
is still intact, so you can put the drive in another computer and back it up. you can
most likely save your data,
but if your okay with losing it, fdisk to erase all your partitions, recreate
one as primary, set it to active, and format it, run sys c: and see if you can't
reboot to at least a c:\ prompt.
you also may be having hard drive failure problems, here's a handy thread to
check for those problems:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7602
still nothing?
if your still looking for help, of all the other online write ups, i found this the most helpful (be sure to first select what you were doing that got you into the ntldr situation):http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm
and
http://www.short-media.com/articles/repair_windows_xp
if reading stuff online feels like you are going in circles and you
need some serious help, for a $3 donation, i'll provide at
least 5 email responses and see what i can do, use this form to send me
the note and you don't have to make your donation until i reply back
(usually within 12 hours).go back
what if the bootdisk worked, but i can't get into windows without it?
stop - backup your important files - then proceed
inside windows option
once back into windows, right click on the my computer option, choose
the manage option. the computer management window will open, click
on "disk management" on the left pane. one of the disks it lists,
and one of the drives on it, will need to be marked as active. it
will be which drive letter you have placed the 3 boot files into (this
will likely be the c: drive on disk 0). right click on that drive
letter and select "mark partition as active", you may first
have to convert the partition to a primary partition before you can mark
it as active. close and reboot.
if that doesn't work, go into "my computer", right-click each hard drive,
select "properties", switch to the "tools" tab, click the "check now" button,
check both options then click "start"; if you selected the system partition it
will require it to be rebooted and done outside of windows. when you reboot you
will see a message about "disk checking will begin in 7 seconds", let it do this
and don't skip it. it may take awhile and will boot back into windows when
it's done.
if that doesn't immediately work, and you have more hard drives than just c:,
try placing the 3 boot files into other drives like d:, e:, f:, etc. reboot each
time to check if that was the one that fixed it, and when you find the correct
one, mark it as active.
win9x boot disk option
get a win9x floppy and boot with it and when you get your a:\ prompt type:
fdisk
and make sure that the correct partition and hard drive are labeled
"active" (usually the first hard drive with the first partition).
if you had a win 9x install on this machine you may need to also run the
command: sys c: (or d, e, or f for the installation).
recovery console option
go into the recovery console by booting up with a windows xp cd and go
through the options till you get to the recovery console, you will need the
admin password for this option (if you do not know it, just hit enter, that will
work if it is blank). then issue the command: fixboot
new hard drive option
purchase a new hard drive, remove the old one, install the new one as
master, install your os, install the old one as slave (remember to
change
jumpers), copy all the data off the old hard drive, burn cd's or
dvd's of the most important stuff, perform a low-level format of the old
drive, make a partition on it and use it as backup storage drive or just
another place to store your stuff. go back
what if i want to do further research?
if you want to do your own research on this topic, here are links to
relevant microsoft kb articles:
windows xp resource kits: initial startup phasee
ntldr is missing when you install or upgrade windows xp over 95/98/me
you receive an "ntldr is missing" error message when you start your
computerhow
to troubleshoot ntldr is missing in w2k
how
to create a boot disk for an ntfs or fat partition in windows
the computer does not
start after you change the active partition by using the disk management tool
error message when you start your computer with a non-system disk
windows 2000 disk concepts and troubleshooting
windows xp resource kits: replacing the boot sector
windows xp resource kits: using recovery console to recover from startup
problems
how to create a bootable disk for an ntfs or fat partition
how to recover from a
corrupted registry that prevents windows xp from starting
how
to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of windows xp
cloning os
partition using ghost 2003
or try a search on google for ntldr
web
tinyempire.com
go back
copyright 2002 by miles comer all rights reserved; you can link to this
article without first contacting me.
see more of tiny empire's shortnotes to fix your
problems.
all tinyempire.com content is maintained by
milescomer.com and is either copyright
of miles comer or of it's respective creator. site maintained by
i@milescomer.com send a
msg2miles go back to
tinyempire.com home.
Acceuil
suivante
simple "ntldr is missing" fix with boot floppy, cd-r, or usb flash Fix290 How to Fix a Scratched CD - wikiHow PINBALL: Pinball Repair Guides. Collector buys pinball, arcade ... Apple Releases Fix For iMacs That Freeze Up -- Apple ... Macrovision: Updating the Macrovision SECDRV.SYS Driver Can Architects Fix Construction’s “Busted Budgets”? News ... Opinion Fix public education Seattle Times Newspaper Tricia Fix Originals. Florida born fashion designer The Hotfix - Vista SP1, XP SP3, IE8, Home Server, and more! - Home Rob Galbraith DPI: Canon EOS-1D Mark III autofocus fix may be two ... OpenBSD 3.4 errata Berkshire Computer Repairs And Servicing - 1-Fix Computer Services The Art of Colin Fix The Daily Fix - WSJ.com The Right Way To Fix Inaccurate Wikipedia Articles M·A·C Cosmetics Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation Blogger Buzz: A Layout Solution IndieHIG » Blog Archive » Fix the Leopard Folders (FTLF or FTFLF) Fix your Exposé keys - WOW Insider ca-fix program description. macosxhints.com - Twenty steps to help diagnose and fix system issues Federal 'fix' knocks ca.gov for a loop NetworkWorld.com Community DriverAgent.com Fix Your Driver Problems Instantly with Driver Agent Cafe Hayek: Just Fix It Fix for securityd hogging RAM when reauthorizing apps' Keychain ... VCOM: V Communications. Security, Web, OS Management, Partitioning ... What To Fix Gallery 2.2.3 Security Fix Release Gallery The Simple Dollar » 31 Days To Fix Your Finances: A Wrapup Dura Fix Aluminum Welding Aluminum Brazing Aluminum Soldering ... [Profil de Fix] OverBlog - Le blog des blogs We Can Fix That with Data A race to fix a 30-year-old 'solution' csmonitor.com Eye Fix Photos: Photo Restoration and Retouching FIX définition FIX The new urgency to fix online privacy Perspectives CNET News.com Finding a Fix À propos de votre fix « Le Blogue d’Ironica Congress Pushes 'Band-Aid Fix' to Gas Price Woes, Analyst Says ... Nukefix, To Fix the Nuclear Weapons Problem Abena Frantex Abri Fix - Incontinence urinaire If It Works, Don't Fix It! Vasectomy Information Home Page VBS.LoveLetter Fix - Symantec.com fix. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language ... script-fix -- Screenplay Database fix - Synonyms from Thesaurus.com Prototype JavaScript framework: Prototype 1.5.1.1 bug fix release Outlook-QuoteFix - Home Proposal to fix Pacific with 'urea' dump - Telegraph Harley-Davidson Maintenance - Do It Yourself DVDs The library fix Salon.com Angry-Fly.com: Fix for MySQL on Leopard Toilet Repair: Leaks, Tanks and Bowls Toilet Repair Fix a ... Advanced Registry Fix – Registry Repair Fix Slow Computer: spyware, trojan horse, virus removals edgeblog » Daylight Saving Time - Windows Mobile Fix Paul Fix Quotes - The Quotations Page Paroles Fix You - Coldplay - Musique Ados.fr Hex blog: Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability HotFix Amazon.com: FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit ...