A Digital Age Deserves A Digital Leader

XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Forum rules
Please start your own topic for support with problems you experience. Even if it appears to be exactly the same as someone else's problem, system configurations differ significantly. Thank you.

It may take our support staff between 24-48 hours to respond to your problem. We are a small business and strive to answer your questions as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience.

XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Mon Oct 18, 2010 12:21 pm

My prior boot menu had the following:

Previous Version of Windows - (XP)
Windows 7 Trial
Windows Vista

My order of installation was XP Pro, Vista Business, W7 Trial - Ultimate (BETA-Release Candidate).

The Trial expired and will reboot every 2 hrs. so I wanted to add W7 Ultimate - not in its place but as an additional entry.

I went ahead and installed W7 Ultimate thinking that the progression for installation has always been XP, Vista, W7 and the menu
choices would be updated to include the new W7 Ultimate - WRONG!!!!. The version installed but it wiped out XP Pro - NTLDR/Boot.INI.
I know Vista and W7 don't use NTLDR/Boot.INI. This might have been overlayed as it was a trial version.

I would like to make XP work again as well as the other 3 choices. I used DualBootPro/VistaBoot Pro in the past and it is a great product.

Current message is NTLDR is missing - press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart. What are the steps to correct this issue and keep everything else working?

All of the OS'es are on separate hard drives.

Thanks in advance and please advise if Dual Boot Pro can correct or will I have to issue commands from the recovery console/command prompt and
what the plan of attack should be.

BD
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby Grav!ty » Mon Oct 18, 2010 1:44 pm

You can copy ntldr and NTDETECT.COM from your XP CD if you need to and we can help you create a new boot.ini if that is necessary.

Have you tried to locate those files on your system? You will need to "show hidden files and folders" AND uncheck "hide protected operating system files" in Folder Options to be able to see them.

Has Windows 7 created a small partition named (System Reserved) in Disk Management?

When you come back with answers to those two questions we can continue to fix this issue.
Image

"The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - Niccolo Machiavelli
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 15790
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:22 am
Real Name: Graham

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:10 am

NTLDR is on the boot drive for XP - location - in the root of drive D:\ and under a service pack folder dated 2008.
I don't see a small System partition (System Reserved) in Disk Management.
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby Grav!ty » Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:27 am

What about boot.ini and NTDETECT.COM? - they should be in the same location and together (ntldr, boot.ini and NTDETECT.COM) constitute the boot system files of XP. Without either one you won't be able to boot XP.

If you can't locate them on your system, copy NTDETECT.COM from your XP CD to the root of the drive tagged (System) - not in any folder at all - and post a screenshot of your disk management so that we can construct a boot.ini for you.

Where are file bootmgr and the folder Boot by the way? These two items are the boot system files for both Vista and Windows 7. Just for info, the folder Boot contains your BCD (boot configuration data store) which replaces boot.ini for Vista and Windows 7.
Image

"The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - Niccolo Machiavelli
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 15790
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:22 am
Real Name: Graham

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:56 pm

Did you get the attachment? Could it be too big? Really can't paste here or maybe I don't understand how to do it.
BD
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Tue Oct 19, 2010 11:57 pm

The 2 other files are not in the same location as Drive D: which is the boot drive for XP. Please explain how to copy and paste or upload a file.

BD
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby Grav!ty » Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:22 am

The partition that is tagged (System) or (System Reserved) is the partition which ALL Windows operating systems will use to place their boot system files and where they will be looked for. There is only one (System) partition on any given Windows computer no matter how many drivers or partitions there are...at least there should only be one unless drives have been unplugged during installation of subsequent operating systems.

Have you checked all your drives/partitions for those missing XP files? If so and you have had no success finding them, you will need to copy NTDETECT.COM from your XP CD. It may have a different file extension on the CD, but that will correct itself once it is on your system. If not, it is the wrong file and you will need to locate the correct file on your CD.

To upload an image, look below the Preview and Submit buttons when you post a reply. You will see a "Upload Attachment" tab on the left of the page that you can use to browse to where you have stored the image...for example in My Pictures. Then click "Add the file" after selecting the image and wait for it to be uploaded. Click "Place inline" when that option becomes available after the image is uploaded.
Image

"The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - Niccolo Machiavelli
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 15790
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:22 am
Real Name: Graham

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:26 am

DiskManagementbdickert_rtf.zip
(202.35 KiB) Downloaded 374 times


Ok - I will be waiting for the reply and will place the files in the root. Here is the attachment. When you export you don't get anything at least under W7.

BD
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby Grav!ty » Wed Oct 20, 2010 2:00 pm

According to your Disk Management your boot.ini should look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

(Use whatever name you prefer between the inverted commas and let it be the same as you add to your boot menu or that already exists on your boot menu)

Open Notepad, copy and paste the boot.ini info above into it and save the file as boot.ini then make sure it is copied to the correct location.

All the XP boot system files should be placed on the root of your Windows 7 (Drive C) drive/partition - the one tagged (System).

If you already have an entry in your boot menu for XP, make sure it points to drive D: using the Operating Systems page of DualBootPRO and if you don't already have a boot menu entry then add a legacy OS and give it that drive letter in DBP.

This should get you booting to XP, all things being equal.

I take it you are able to boot to both Vista and Windows 7 without any problems?
Image

"The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - Niccolo Machiavelli
PROfessional Member
User avatar
Posts: 15790
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:22 am
Real Name: Graham

Re: XP won't boot - NTLDR Missing

Postby bdickert » Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:43 pm

Yes - W7 and Vista work - even the trial works - it is XP that is the only problem. Once I get this completed
then I should be ok. I really appreciate the assistance - I will post the outcome.

Thanks again.
BD
PRO Level 2
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:23 am

Next

Return to Windows Boot Problems

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

cron
cron