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NTLDR is Missing' error message during Windows boot.

Troubleshooting the "NTLDR is Missing" error when booting into Windows.

The "NTLDR is Missing" error can sometimes occur when users boot their Windows system.

The error can be caused by many different factors. Mainly this error occurs when trying to install Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7. Other times this error may occur when a partition is corrupt or the system can't find the boot file on the drive.

If the NTLDR error occurred when trying to do a fresh install of Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7, then:

If the NTLDR error occurred when there were no changes made, then:

  • Boot to the Windows setup CD or diskettes. In the installation option you will want to perform the "Repair" option. If the Windows repair function does not work and you still receive the errors then you may want to refer to some Microsoft documents on the "NTLDR is missing" error:

If the NTLDR error occurred when you moved the boot drive to an ATA or SATA PCI controller, then:

  • You will need to change the BIOS boot sequence to boot to SCSI. The system recognizes the ATA PCI card as a SCSI device so setting the BIOS to boot to SCSI should resolve the issue.

If the NTLDR error occurred when you changed cabling and jumper settings of existing internal drives, or added an additional internal drive to your system, then:

  • You may have set the jumpers or connected the data cable to your drives incorrectly. For example, if your boot drive is a primary ATA drive and you have connected a secondary ATA drive to the same cable, it needs to be connected to the middle slave connector on the ATA cable. If you connected on the end master connector instead, the BIOS will recognize it first and be unable to boot to your original hard drive.
  • Your system’s BIOS’ boot priority may need to be corrected, especially if the error occurred after installing a SATA drive on a system that had only ATA hard drives, or an ATA hard drive on a system that only had SATA hard drives. Your computer may be trying to boot to the new hard drive, and receiving the error before recognizing the drive that has the operating system installed.

If the NTLDR error occurred when you added a USB drive to your system, then:

  • Your system’s BIOS may be configured to boot from an external USB device. Consult your computer’s or motherboard’s documentation for further information on disabling this feature.

 

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