Missing NTLDR

[mmonnin]

Well I got my Sata Drive installed and XP on it. Today I went to delete the XP OS that was on mt other IDE drive. So I delete the partitions and try to create another one covering the whole drive with Partition Magic 8.0. I deleted them all but could not format it right so I have a HDD I cant use. XP on the SATA drive would see it so I tried to reformat from My Computer. Wouldnt work, second time it disappeared.

So I reboot and stick in the XP install disk to try from there. It gets all the way to 100% and it says there is an error. Of course this took awhile cause I went thru all 80GB of the drive. So I say screw it, I will try the WD Duab floppy I have tomorrow. I try to reboot and it says NTLDR is missing.

WTF do I do now??? Is the MBR or something fubared because I got rid of the other OS (I was able to dual boot into either install of XP). Can I put the HDD in another computer and replace that file and it work? I have done this before with 2k but I didnt touch the OS in this case.

Anyone have any hints for me? This is my main machine and my fastest folder!!!

[gtghm]

Humm... I had this happen once when I was trying to put XP on a different partition.
For some reason if you try and put XP on a diffrerent partition other than the c: it will still put the boot files, ie NTLDR, on the c: partition.

If I remember right I googled the "NTLDR file missing" and I think the soultion was to restore the c: drive and do a restore boot from the intall disk. I wish I could be more specific and more help but I did find it by google it.

It was after I restored it that I decided never to try and instal XP on a partition other than the c:.

I wish I had more,
"g"

[mmonnin]

Oh yeah all the boot crap is always on C:. What a dumbass. I should have changed all the drive letters around first before deleting the partitions.

[gtghm]

Oh yeah all the boot crap is always on C:. What a dumbass. I should have changed all the drive letters around first before deleting the partitions.


So that was the problem then? and all is good now?

"g"

[mmonnin]

No its not good now. I have a HDD I couldnt see in windows and now I cant even get into windows.

Anyone think I could repair that? Im thinking I will have to start all over again.

[mmonnin]

Got my WD 80GB HDD back. Not sure what was wrong with it. The WD Diag didnt find anything and I got XP on it now so I have my main machine up and at least bare min operational (Net and FAH;))

So if I move the XP partition of my Sata drive to C: and put the NTLDR file in the right folder will it work or what else is needed for it to boot? Will a repair work?

[gtghm]

Got my WD 80GB HDD back. Not sure what was wrong with it. The WD Diag didnt find anything and I got XP on it now so I have my main machine up and at least bare min operational (Net and FAH;))

So if I move the XP partition of my Sata drive to C: and put the NTLDR file in the right folder will it work or what else is needed for it to boot? Will a repair work?


I think that there is something that you have to do to restore the boot using the XP disk.

I wish I could remember exactly but I can't. I do remember that it was pretty easy though.

Kinda like putting command.com on a boot drive in the old days...

If I have time today maybe I can do some digging and see if I can find more info for ya.

"g"

[gtghm]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=320397

Also try using the XP disk in the recovery dir and using fixmbr
also fdisk /mbr or fixboot.

Try this 5th post down.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/24441/

Hope this helps,
"g"

[mmonnin]

The link to his site doesnt work. But that looks like it would work.