NTLDR is missing

[Double Helix]

I've been browsing through the forum looking at previous peoples problems and found that the way to sort this is to create a startup disk with files such as the above and NTDETECT. I was wondering if someone could tell me whereabouts, cos searches isnt bringin anything up???

Also, rather than making the startup disk on floppy (my fdd has recently decided not to play) could I make it on CDR?

I also noticed that someone had to create a boot.ini file, would I have to do that?

Prob a simple problem for u guys but not 1 for me!!!
Any help is appreciated.

[embj]

Welcome to TechIMO! From what I gathered you are trying to say that when you try to startup your comp it says NTLDR is missing. If you have your Windows XP or whatever operating system you are running's setup or recovery disc all you have to do is pop it in the drive and it will load. Then it will ask you if you want to setup your operating system. Hit enter to let it do that. Then press F8 to agree to the license agreement. Then It will scan for previous versions of Windows. It will detect your Windows installation that is currently on there. Then it will ask you if you want to repair it. I can't remember what key it is but, I think you hit enter to tell it to repair but, it will tell you. This will just repair your installation and it won't get rid of anything that you have on your computer except like your wallpaper, screensaver, and a few minor things like that. Now if you can't get your computer to boot from the cd-rom you will have to find out how to get into your system's bios and change the boot order. I like to make it so the floppy is first, then the cd-rom, then the hard drive, and then the network. You can make it anyway you please but, just make sure that you make the cd-rom come before the hard drive.

Hope this helps.

[Double Helix]

Yes that is what's happening, although when I put in my XP disc, the only option I have to repair the install is recovery console, which is just a dos prompt. What I have done though is copied NTLDR and NTDETECT to the root of c: and i find that it will then take me to the XP login screen. When selecting who I want to login in as, it freezes on 'Applying your personal settings'???

Am I missing something out or should I be doing something different?

Thanks again!

[muno]

To make a w2k/xp compatible bootdisk you need to format the disk in w2k/xp. Then copy ntdetect.com, ntldr and boot.ini (all files sit in %systemdrive% (they're hidden by default))

Have you tried any other user? Are all the users freezing? Can you boot into safe mode and have a succesful login?
-M