Recipe 20.11. Fixing NTLDR or NTDETECT Not Found Errors

Problem

You receive the "NTLDR is not found" or "NTDETECT is not found" error message at startup.

Solution

Using a command-line interface

1. Boot from your Windows XP CD-ROM.

2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key.

3. Press the number that corresponds to the installation of Windows you want to repair. Typically this will be number 1.

4. When prompted type in the administrator password.

5. Enter in the following commands (d: is replaced by the actual drive letter that is assigned to the CD-ROM drive):

   > COPY d:\i386\NTLDR C:\

   
   

   or:

   > COPY d:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

   
   

   Remove the XP CD-ROM, type exit at the command prompt, and then press the Enter key to restart the PC normally.

Discussion

Loss of the NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM files may be caused by a disk error, differences in disk configurations between operating system versions, or a virus. After making this repair, run CHKDSK and do a complete virus scan to ensure your hard drive is bug free. If the problem recurs, the fix may be reinstalling the operating system, reformatting the hard drive in the process to correct disk configuration problems.

See Also

MS KB 314057, "`NTLDR is missing' error message when you install or upgrade Windows XP over Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition." Many other possibilities related to system and disk corruption are documented at http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm.