NTLDR Is Missing (Windows 2000)

[tjtz]

I was running windows 95. I decided to install Windows 2000 (clean install) and get rid of all the poop left on that computer over the years. I succesfully installed windows 2000 on one of the partitions of my hard drive (d, also that partition was given the NTFS file system). Finding it harmless to reformat the other partition, which contained windows 95 and the FAT(32?) file system. I formated it converting it to the NTFS file system without error or warning . Albiet, that was probably not that smartest move on my part, but i'm an idiot at times. I restarted the computer and all I get is:
NTLDR Is Missing
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart


I have tried restarting the computer with a downloaded 95 boot disk, some recently created 2000 boot disks (made on this computer), and both the 95 and 2000 cds. None of which will get me past that error. I mean, I have NO IDEA what to do .

[Starwaves]

This solution is specific to having upgraded win95 to 2000 >

Restart the computer with your Windows 95 Startup disk that contains the Sys.com file
.
At a command prompt, type sys c: This command rewrites the Windows 95 boot code with accurate BPB-bios parameter block- information.

Restart the computer to Windows 95, and begin the Windows 2000 installation again.

after you run the sys c: command you could also boot to the Recovery Console, use the fixboot command fixboot c: to rewrite the Windows 2000 boot code

Bty, don't use the win 2000 boot disk, the drivers on it alone will cause this error message on a 95 machine, even if you weren't attempting to upgrade to 2000

[Steeple]

Welcome to Techimo!

The last time I had this error, I had a non-system disk in the boot drive. Is that a possibility?

Search this site for "NTLDR." You will find about 10 pages of posts on topic. Something there might help you.

When you find the solution to your problem, please post "the cure."

Good luck!

Because you installed Win2K on D:, it still had to put some files on C: that will allow it to boot.

You don't need to do a "sys c:" to get the PC to boot.

Just boot from the Win2K CD and when it asks if you want to install or do Recovery Console, press "R" and go into Recovery Console.

Typing "FIXBOOT" will rewrite "ntldr, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini" back to the C: drive so it will boot again.

Since you just did a clean install, you might wanna just repartition and put 2K back on the C: and be done w/ it.

[tjtz]

Now that I have been fooling with this god forsaken machine for hours, which unfortunatly has consisted of only the first few steps of the startup process then the good ol error shows it's ugly self. I have found that no matter what disk I put in the floppy drive, the computer won't read it. I put in the 2000 boot disk (No. 1 of 4) I don't get to the setup screen, or anything like that. I put in the 2000 CD and nothing different happens. It seems as if I can't boot form anything other than the hard disk. I can't boot from a floppy, or a cd, i can however keep trying to boot from the hard disk which is obviously missing a few important files.

Also, i cannot boot from a self created boot disk, suggested by this http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318728
All the help i have found says to boot from a disk, but i can't!! argh...fustration.

Check your BIOS to make sure it's not set to boot from the HDD 1st.

Choose CD-ROM or FDD before the HDD.

[john kelsall]

remove all disks before rebooting to avoid "ntldr is missing "

[tjtz]

ok. I disabled the hard drive in the boot process, so now atleast i don't get the ntldr error. But now it won't accept any of my boot disks. I put in the 95 boot disk, it says "please insert a bootable disk into the appropriate drive." I put the 95 cd in and the same thing. 98 disk/cd, 2000 disk/cd... Both the floppy and cd rom drives are still recognized in the boot process and it took a while to figure out that it was trying to read bootable material from the 5 1/4 inch floppy drive but i corrected that problem by removing the useless drive completely from my computer.
What constitutes a bootable disk? Why won't my computer recognize that i am doing what it's telling me to it's just too stupid to realize it?!!!?!!?! fugiferfigfurfulargfurufuchgih

How old/what kind of system is this?

Give us some specs, like mobo, CPU, RAM, disk drives, etc . . .

[tjtz]

oh, this will make you laugh!
mobo? i know what makes a computer tick, well somewhat, but whats that
it's a Pentium Pro 180 MHz
164 mb of ram
4 gb hard drive (2 partitions c and d; d contains all the windows 2k files minus those it installed onto c which I formated effectively sending them to cyber heaven)
a cd rom 45x i think
floppy drive
old 5 1/4 floppy drive now removed, well disconnected
its a gateway, back when they called themselves gateway 2000