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There are few different ways that the “NTLDR is missing” error may present itself, with the first listing being the most common:
- “NTLDR is missing
- Press any key to restart”
- “NTLDR is missing
- Press Ctrl Alt Del to restart”
- “Boot: Couldn’t find NTLDR
- Please insert another disk”
The “NTLDR is missing” error displays very shortly after the computer is first started, immediately after the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete. Windows XP has only initially begun to load when the NTLDR error message appears.
Causes of NTLDR Errors
There are a number of possible causes for NTLDR errors, including the most common “NTLDR is missing” error message.
The most common reason for this error is when your PC is trying to boot from a hard drive or flash drive that is not properly configured to be booted from; in other words, it’s trying to boot from a non-bootable source. This also would apply to media on an optical drive or floppy drive that you’re trying to boot from.
Other possible causes include corrupt and misconfigured files, hard drive and operating system upgrade issues, corrupt hard drive sectors, an outdated BIOS, and damaged or loose IDE cables.
Fixes for NTLDR Errors
Method A:
Restart the PC. The NTLDR error could be a fluke.
Check your floppy and optical (CD/DVD/BD) drives for media and disconnect any external drives. Often times, the “NTLDR is Missing” error will appear if your PC is trying to boot to a non-bootable floppy disk, CD/DVD/BD, or external hard drive or flash drive.
Check the hard drive and other drive settings in BIOS and ensure they are correct. The BIOS configuration tells the computer how to use a drive so incorrect settings can cause problems, including NTLDR errors.
Restore the NTLDR and ntdetect.com files from the Windows XP CD. Restoring these two important system files from the original Windows XP CD may do the trick.
Repair or replace the boot.ini file. This will prevent the NTLDR error if the cause of the problem is a boot.ini file that is not configured properly for your Windows XP installation.
Write a new partition boot sector to the Windows XP system partition. If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or isn’t properly configured, you may receive the “NTLDR is Missing” error.
Method B:
You can run Smartpcfixer to fix it automatically.
Smartpcfixer is a top-ranking error-resolution registry cleaner which will fix the computer errors and optimize the system settings. You can scan, clean, optimize, and keep your PC much healthier with it!
You can download Smartpcfixer here.
Just run Smartpcfixer, click ‘quick scan’
After the scan is completed, click ‘repair all’ button.
