[Meg002]

Hi,
I'm new here...and I'm in extreme need of HELP :|

My PC won't work. When ever I turn it on, the only thing it says is NTLDR is missing and tells you to press CTRL + ALT + Delete to restart.. and whn you do that... the same thing comes up ---> NTLDR is missing.

My bro asked his friend.. whose in IT (in university) .. and he's like the only thing to do is format it from the beginning, so it will be like a 'new' computer. Nothing will be saved on it. Everything's going to be gone.

AND that's SOOOOO NOT GOOD FOR ME. Because I'm the one that always goes on the PC so all of my stuff is there. My bro usually goes on his laptop .. but .. the PC has ALLLL of my things. I don't even know where to start.. listing all the things I NEED. WE CAN'T format it from the beginning!! NOO!

Is there anything else we can do? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REPLY.

this is soooo urgent.

on the PC we have windows XP .. and we think the problem is .. the fact that we only have 256MB(ram) .

Any replies would be appreciated.

thanks a lot,
Meg.

[Mak213]

Sorry to say but your friend in IT isnt that good with PC's. This is not a hard issue to fix. Use the XP CD and copy the file over from the CD to teh C:\ drive.

Simple "ntldr is missing" fix with boot floppy, CD-R, or USB flash

[Celticsfan]

Either that or copy it from a PC with the same OS and replace it on the PC without it. Whichever way is easier. It also fits on a floppy disc.

[Saxon]

OK put a copy of a XP cd in a drive an boot from that folow all the steps an enter the recovery console select the primary drive or partition an enter your admin password (default is blank) an then type chkdsk /r that should fix the situation.

This is not a total fix for all windows errors but it can fix quite a few of them.

[Celticsfan]

Originally Posted by Chris Chadwick

OK put a copy of a XP cd in a drive an boot from that folow all the steps an enter the recovery console select the primary drive or partition an enter your admin password (default is blank) an then type chkdsk /r that should fix the situation.

This is not a total fix for all windows errors but it can fix quite a few of them.

Chris, Does everyone who gets a new pc with XP on it receive an install copy of XP with it? If not, can the same thing be done with a recovery CD? If she doesn't have one she might have to get a copy of ntldr from another pc, copy it to a floppy then go to the the pc with the error, bring it to a dos prompt and copy it to the C:\.

[Alvin.C]

Hello,

I'd do both as already suggested. First, check to see if the 'ntldr' file and the 'ntdetect.com' file exists in the root directory (C:\) and if it doesn't, copy them over from the Windows XP disc. Then secondly, perform a 'chkdsk /r' on the drive as described.

If they both fail, then another possibility is that the Boot Sector or Master Boot Record is corrupt, in which case, they can be repaired by using 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr' in the recovery console of the Windows XP disc.

[Saxon]

Originally Posted by Celticsfan

Chris, Does everyone who gets a new pc with XP on it receive an install copy of XP with it? If not, can the same thing be done with a recovery CD? If she doesn't have one she might have to get a copy of ntldr from another pc, copy it to a floppy then go to the the pc with the error, bring it to a dos prompt and copy it to the C:\.

No they don't if it is a mass built model from HP an Packard Bell ect, but they should have to option to make a revoery CD when they boot the computer, If it was a small shop bought PC such as from the type of place i work at they get the OEM copy we sell. There is also the option of borrowing it from a friend as the license key is not needed at all.

[Meg002]

how do i copy if the computer won't even start, you guyss? :|

[Saxon]

This is where my suggestion comes in handy, set the boot order in the BIOS to boot from CD first an then put the disk in the drive an folow the steps i outlined above.

[Alvin.C]

Hello,

Step by step instructions on 'How to use the Recovery Console' in the following article: How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP