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Thread ID: 41757 2004-01-21 08:05:00 NTLDR is missing Mike (15) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
208986 2004-01-21 08:05:00 I've been asked to try to get somebody's computer going again. When you turn it on it gets to the point where it should say "Starting Windows" but instead it says "NTLDR" is missing.

I managed to get onto the HDD and found that NTLDR does exist (its an hidden system file), but don't know what to do with it.

I've booted from my XP install CD and entered the recovery console and tried running fixboot and fixmbr, but neither worked. I also tried going a couple of steps further into the install where it asks if I want to repair the existing install, which didn't work either.

Any ideas of what I do with NTLDR and how to make this machine go again without the nice easy format? There is a fair amount of data on the machine which hasn't been backed up and the owners would love to be able to get some of it back (although they had resigned to the fact that they'd probably lose it...)

Mike.
Mike (15)
208987 2004-01-21 08:57:00 Have a look here (www.techwarelabs.com) at the last posting.
I would be more inclined to copy your existing NTLDR somewhere safe, then carry out their recommendation.
Pheonix (280)
208988 2004-01-21 08:59:00 And Microsofts (www.microsoft.com) instructions. Pheonix (280)
208989 2004-01-22 09:12:00 Thanks for the suggestions Pheonix, but neither worked :( I think there might be other issues...

Mike.
Mike (15)
208990 2004-01-23 22:26:00 As a last resort try booting with a Windows 98 floppy and 'fdisk /mbr'
It might just work.
Mzee (158)
208991 2004-01-24 00:54:00 i would like to bet you will have to reinstall windows to get things working again. BootyLicious (526)
208992 2004-01-24 02:30:00 I'd be inclined to install the disk as a slave on a running system, and extracting all the data files to CDs. Graham L (2)
208993 2004-01-24 02:31:00 you dont have a floppy disk sitting in the floppy drive do you? skinnerjack (4296)
208994 2004-01-24 03:08:00 > you dont have a floppy disk sitting in the floppy
> drive do you?

No. Why would that make any difference, except for the fact that it'd try to boot from the floppy, in which case it'd say something like "Cannot find system files" or something to that effect. Is that what you were meaning?

Mike.
Mike (15)
208995 2004-01-24 03:22:00 Looking like a reload Mike? Pheonix (280)
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