I am building a machine for my uncle and am at the stage of installing an OS, so the machine boots and posts - fire up the win xp installer, all goes swimmingly, then it blue screens...

this was last weekend, only just looking at it again (i need to install it at their place on sat :p) so tonight it boots/posts but I get NTLDR is missing error - wont even boot off a cd :(

I googled and came up with

Windows XP users

1. Insert the Windows XP bootable CD into the computer.
2. When prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press any key.
3. Once in the Windows XP setup menu press the "R" key to repair Windows.
4. Log into your Windows installation by pressing the "1" key and pressing enter.
5. You will then be prompted for your administrator password, enter that password.
6. Copy the below two files to the root directory of the primary hard disk. In the below example we are copying these files from the CD-ROM drive letter "E". This letter may be different on your computer.

copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

7. Once both of these files have been successfully copied, remove the CD from the computer and reboot.

But clearly I can't even get into the recovery console thingy..

anyone got any idea's ???

this MS site is of no use either :(

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;318728&Product=win2000

get that ultimate boot cd thing or whatever it is, run memtest & see if the ram is rooted.

edit: to boot off a cd you'll probably have to change the boot order in the BIOS, or in my case I can just hit f8 at POST and it brings up a boot device menu on this computer, hit esc on the other one same menu so try them.

I've found that if there's no OS installed it'll boot from cd even if HDD is first in line, if it has some inkling of an OS it'll try that then sometimes the computer will just go wtf? and sit there not even trying the cd rom so stick cd rom first as the boot device

last edited by whoop at 21:24:35 08/Sep/05

Is it an old system?

Tried installing a dif OS? My old computer couldnt handle XP but could easily handle 98.

My p3 833 couldnt handle XP until i removed the AGP video card, and used the onboard, once i did this i couldnt put the vid card back in cus it seems that the AGP slot is farked. But it could easily be ram as well, I also had a problem with the ram and i removed a stick and it allowed me to install etc - but it would blue screen in windows until i removed the vid card (btw, i put the vid card in my computer and used it for a good 3-4 months, so it was def the AGP slot)

nar, it's a brand new PC (allbeit a celly 2.4, 512ram)

whoop - good thinking, when it blue screened a mate mentioned to me it might be ram.

Any linkage? I might just google it :p

hehe you noob heardy you gota use "EXTRACT.EXE" command as the the files on the cd have .XX_ extensions and are compresed files.

but before you do that, boot up off xp cd in recovery mode.
do "FIXMBR","FIXBOOT","CHKDSK" commands first.

with the extract command in dos, RTFM :D
extract -help.


last edited by 0z at 21:36:26 08/Sep/05

get the microsoft ram tester and make a bootable cd from it

OCZ Mem test x86

Oz, no offence (and thanks for helping) but did you read my post?

It's not even booting, it gives me NTLDR error before it even boots off the cd :/

I am hoping the ultime boot disk thinggy actually boots as well, else I got nothing ....

Holy s*** that a serious hardware prob heardy. :S

my bad should learn to read :)

its either your ram (doubt it mobo does mem check) , id say its a faulty mobo (most likely) or bad cpu (maybe).

Only way to determine whats wrong is to put each part from a working comp one by one.

Good luck bud.


last edited by 0z at 23:01:44 08/Sep/05

fark

I am hoping ram, got spare of that s***!

I had a similar problem a while ago, although it didn't forget how to boot from CD... It was the RAM voltage set too low. I ran Win98 for ages before I realised what it was. Hope that helps..

its either your ram (doubt it mobo does mem check)

the check of RAM performed by the motherboard is hardly a thourough test by any definition, hell I'd hardly even call it a test, it pretty much just goes s*** hey 1gig, can I see it all? let's see doo dee doo yep yep yep yep YEP I can see it all, ram must be good let's boot now AFAIK. It runs way too fast to be anything more I reckon.

anyway heardy did you try altering the boot sequence like I suggested & boot from the nt cd? hmmm???????

you didn't like, plug the hard drive in backwards or upside down or something did you? :p

hmm good point with the mobo mem test whoop. :)

My bad, if you can burn ocz memtest iso to bootable cd, should give you 100% if your ram is at fault.


last edited by 0z at 00:46:44 09/Sep/05

Remove the hard drive all together and then go through the process of installing windows until you get to the part where the instalation says it cant find a hd.
Does it still blue screen?

^^ no offence zectbumo, but whats hard drive got to do with the error's hes getting of the cd?

to me logicaly means the fualt is else where ie, mobo / ram / cpu...

um, Heardy, NTLDR has to do with NTFS partitions... its nothing to do with the CD (CDFS). You probably need to change your boot order so that it is told to boot from the CD first, then the HDD.

Then do what OZ said, press R for recovery console, and then FIXMBR, FIXBOOT and CHKDSK.

Also, Oz, it could be a HDD, if its just dropped a partition. Thats what NTLDR about... That being said... I've had the problem happen to me before, and it turned out to be ram.

Oz the "NTLDR is missing" error has to do with how the drive is translated into the bios. From experience it is mostly due to a problem with the IDE ports on the motherboard or a problem with both the CD Rom and the HD running on the same IDE port.
I could write a whole list of things to do but if he simply removes the HD all together and tells me if it blue screens then the list would be cut down immensely.

^^ both valid points, i stand corrected. :)

thanks for the ideas gues :)

I got home from work late tonight and had a few beers on the way home and now have had a couple watching the cricket/footy/afl/new oc

go the tigers and swannies!! :D

p.s. we will still lose the ashes :/


so yeah I am going to have a look at this pc in the morning.... will let ya know how i go

ok, well i've only finally tonight decided to look at this again :p

so I got ultimate boot disk, ram mem test and the ram is PWNED!

so i'll what some of my ram in the f***er, just so i can format the f***er and then swap the ram over tomorrow and the dodgey yum cha i got it from

how long does this f***ing memtest thing take?


1 hour 40 so far and 7500 errors LOLOLOL

looks like the ram is farked