serious NTLDR issues... PLEASE HELP!

[grkchrys]

Im running windows XP pro on a soyo dragon plus...
i did something the other night, and now i get the dreaded "NTLDR missing" prompt.
I checked out an old post concerning this, and i made a boot disk per instructions, but when i put the boot disk in and power up, the a: drive spins a little and i can hear the computer thinking, but then it stops and i get a black screen.... guys, i'm pulling my hair out here, nothing seems to work (windows CD, XP boot cd, etc.)
if/when i have to reformat (pleeeease no) i dont even know how to go about doing it, as i can't get to any kind of c: prompt!!!
-desperate

[Sixpac_XP]

So what was the thing that you did?

[truckpuller]

If you go to computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm they have alot of info on this problem and my be able to help out

[washe]

breath, calm down its not the end of the world......

Go to the bios and look for boot devices use Boot from CD-ROM, use your Windows XP install disc and use the recovery console instead of using the floppy disk...

If you are in the possibility of reformating you can still save your data, NTDLR means that it cannot find the MBR but your data is there and intact... you can install your harddrive on another machine a burn/copy the data you need.... of course on the worst case scenario....

BTW what you were doing that you screwed the MBR?

[grkchrys]

i was using norton cleansweep and windoctor (which theoretically shouldnt have messed anything up, but there you go.... the last thing i did before i rebooted my windows for the last time in days). the problem is i have changed the boot order in bios, and when i put in the XP cd, it goes to the same black screen. that was my first effort at fixing the problem, and when that didnt work, i went to the boot floppy. i'll try the link truckpuller mentioned....

[grkchrys]

what i meant to say by that last post is that i've played with the boot order, and the XP cd is just as ineffective... it says "please wait while setup looks at your hardware config" or something like that, and then..... black screen. with the floppy boot disk, it spins the drive like it's about to do something, and then.... black screen. i think this is an unconventional problem because all the help i can find starts with the assumption that a boot disk or XP cd will do something. i tried manually replacing the NTLDR file using an DOS boot disk, but when i try to copy to c:, it says invalid directory... is it possible that i damaged the hard drive somehow? i suppose the next step is to throw the drive into another computer and check it out, but im not sure how to get the second computer to recognize the HD. i'd like to try solving the problem before i do this step, though.

ps
i really appreciate all this fast help

[madmaven]

I have seen this when people have CDs in the drive and the machine is set up to boot to CD drive first. This may sound silly but if you have the boot sequence to the cd first you will not find the NTLDR. if you hace a Cd in drive if you are booting to CD first. Also can you check that the flopy dirve is aa working drive?

[madmaven]

Here is another link that may be helpful

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...d_tro_bohs.asp


http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tre...d_tro_bohs.asp

sorry you will have to copy and paste from edit to use this link as I cant make it active here

[grkchrys]

no, i dont have any disks in any of the drives when it gives me the message. like i said in a previous post, using either the Windows XP cd or the XP boot disk, i can NOT get to the recovery console. when i put the cd in, it says "please wait while setup determines your setup configuration" and then this text disappears and leaves a black screen. soon, the HDD light turns off and the cd drive spins down. same story with the floppy boot disk.
the IDE cables are fine, i tested them;
the HDD is getting power, and BIOS recognizes it correctly;
booting with a norton disk says that 1 MBR is present and clean, but this doesnt get me to windows, it just does the job and then stops at drive prompt;
i used a floppy to boot to DOS, and i tried manually replacing the NTLDR file, but when i do this, the computer says c: is an invalid drive (same with every other letter of the alphabet)
so here's a real ball-buster! i think something is seriously wrong with the HD, beyond just a missing NTLDR... what do you think

my next plan is to throw the HD into another computer and see if i can access any of the information...

[grkchrys]

also, in the event that i DO put my harddrive in another computer to salvage it, and assuming that this second computer is a fairly new dell inspiron, how do i go about partitioning the drive? ive never done that before...