Won't Boot To Windows

[Inu_Yasha]

Ok, I just put in a new hd into my parents computer and put windows XP MCE onto it. I upgraded windows and installed all the drivers. All was working fine until I took out the sound card. Now when I try to boot, it says NTLDR is missing. Even putting the sound card back in I still get the same msg. I was wondering if there is any way to fix this without reformatting?

[Dngrsone]

You can attempt a repair installation. That should fix Win without touching your data.

 

Before you do that, however, doublecheck all your cabling, particularly the drive cables-- they come loose easily and one not well-seated could cause this type of problem.

[Fire-Medic]

You can attempt a repair installation.  That should fix Win without touching your data.

 

Before you do that, however, doublecheck all your cabling, particularly the drive cables-- they come loose easily and one not well-seated could cause this type of problem.

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If it's reading the drive and is able to tell that a file missing, it's definately not the connection. I'm sure that the user has tried multiple times to boot, and if it's the same problem each time, it's not the connection.

 

Think about that one... If it's a bad connection, you wouldn't even get that far.

[Inu_Yasha]

I tried the connections and I tried copying the ntldr file from my windows cd with no avail. I also tried rewriting the boot.ini file through windows repair and it didn't fix the problem either . Any other suggestions?

[romeo55]

I tried the connections and I tried copying the ntldr file from my windows cd with no avail.  I also tried rewriting the boot.ini file through windows repair and it didn't fix the problem either .  Any other suggestions?

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can you try putting it in a differant comp? and fixing it there?

[martymcfly]

Do an OS repair, not the repair console. Proceed as if you are doing a fresh install (press enter) and then it wil detect your OS. Press R at this stage.

[CNUco2007]

yea there is some way to rebuild the master boot record from the repair thing. i dont remember the command though.

[martymcfly]

fixboot and fixmbr

[Dngrsone]

 

If it's reading the drive and is able to tell that a file missing, it's definately not the connection. I'm sure that the user has tried multiple times to boot, and if it's the same problem each time, it's not the connection.

 

Think about that one... If it's a bad connection, you wouldn't even get that far.

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Actually, a marginal connection can cause some weird stuff... personal experience there.

[kendellrt]

I just did this to a customers PC yesterday. Go o the recovery console and copy NTDLR to the root of the boot drive, ALSO copy NTDETECT.COM to the same place. It is almost a sure fix. It can save the time it takes to do a repair install. If that doesn't work, then do a repair install. I wouldn't play with fixboot if you don't know what you are doing, and I haven't seen fixmbr work for this problem very often.

[Inu_Yasha]

I did a fixboot but that didn't help any... I don't think its the mbr and I really don't want to play with that right now considering that I have vital files on that hd.

 

I'm going to install windows on a different hd and then copy the files over from that hd to the one that I was using before. Do you think that will work? If not I can just use the new install of windows.

[Ste]

1.  I did a fixboot but that didn't help any...  I don't think its the mbr and I really don't want to play with that right now considering that I have vital files on that hd. 

 

2.  I'm going to install windows on a different hd and then copy the files over from that hd to the one that I was using before.  Do you think that will work?  If not I can just use the new install of windows.

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1. Even if the MBR was currupted by some user error, your "vital" files would still remain Intact. All the MBR does is list the Active partition to load the OS files. (In short)

You should definitly try both, fixboot AND fixmbr from recovery console.

 

 

2.Instead of trying to copy the file over just back up your important files by attaching the Drive as slave in another computer that already has an OS on it. You have already tried the easiest methods to fix this problem, which include but may not be limited to: fixmbr from recovery console, Running a repair from OS disc and attempt to copy the file over from a Windows Disc. After you back up your data you can simply reformat the drive and start over.

 

I am in no way saying that this is what you should do; I am saying that if it where me and I tried everything you did I would just consider the OS to be "screwed" over and I would just start over, after Data back up. Which you should have beforehand.