Another NTLDR is missing, in Vista

hilljack

Member
Hello all.

Downloaded the Recovery Disc for Vista to try to repair some problems. Ran the Automated Repair, and restarted windows. Keep getting NTLDR is missing, press any key to reset. Pressing any key does not reset the computer. Tried running the Auto Repair several more times and still have the same error. Also tried to follow this: Recovering the Windows Bootloader from the DVD - EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki

Could not type in the commands from Option Two, as some of the key strokes come up as different letters.

Tried to type in:

bootrec.exe /fixmbr , it showed up on the screen as:
b66trec.exe +f5x0br

Error is: command not found. No surprise there I guess.

Where to go from here?

P.S. I don't know much about computer stuff.
 
NTLDR is the XP boot manager and has nothing to do with Vista.
Do you have a Vista/XP dual boot ?
If you have only Vista and you're getting that message, it would indicate that you're booting from a disk that was formatted under XP.
Check in your BIOS that you have the HDD boot sequence correct and that you are booting from the Vista HDD and not another.
 
NTLDR is the XP boot manager and has nothing to do with Vista.
Do you have a Vista/XP dual boot ?
If you have only Vista and you're getting that message, it would indicate that you're booting from a disk that was formatted under XP.
Check in your BIOS that you have the HDD boot sequence correct and that you are booting from the Vista HDD and not another.

Do have a Vista/XP dual boot ? ....Do not know, thought it was Vista only.

Check in your BIOS that you have the HDD boot sequence correct and that you are booting from the Vista HDD and not another....How do you do that?

Thanks

John
 
Enter your BIOS setup as you boot
How to access/enter Motherboard BIOS
Find the "boot" section and look around till you locate the HDD sequence (there will normally be a device type sequence, i.e USB/CD/HDD, but you need to look deeper. Each of those device types will also specify the sequence of the individual devices within that type)
Your PC should have come with a user handbook which will give the specifics for your particular BIOS.
 
Thanks for the help so far. Can access a screen that lets me change the Boot Priority Order. But so far, have not found any way to access each boot device. The book that came with the computer is almost useless.
 
Is it a Dell ?
They won't let you change the HDD boot sequence in the BIOS.
In that case have you changed the physical position of the HDDs ? (putting them back in different slots - laptop, or replugging the cables - desktop)
If it's not a Dell, keep playing, you should find it.
 
It's an Acer. Did not move anything around, just ran the Automated Repair, on the Recovery Disc. Other info I found was :

System BIOS shadowed, and version 1.21
Video BIOS shadowed.

Looked at the link you posted, but I'm still not getting very far.

Addendum

Using another computer, downloaded a copy of BIOS 1.35 on a flash drive. Is there a way to install it on the flash drive? The option to boot from a flash drive is available on my computer.
 
Forgive me if I sound patronizing or presumptuous, but you don't sound like flashing your BIOS would be a very wise step to take.
It could turn your PC into an unusable collection of expensive bits.
If you don't do it correctly, or you've chosen an incorrect download, the PC might never boot again.
Concentrate first on finding your way round the BIOS you've got. There's no indication there's anything wrong with it.
 
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It's all good Terry. Thought the BIOS could be installed on a flash drive, then boot from there.

Here's all the detailed info, from the manual....

BIOS utility
The BIOS utility is a hardware configuration program built into your
computer's BIOS.
Your computer is already properly configured and optimized, and you do not
need to run this utility. However, if you encounter configuration problems, you
may need to run it.
To activate the BIOS utility, press <F2> during the POST; while the notebook PC
logo is being displayed.
Boot sequence
To set the boot sequence in the BIOS utility, activate the BIOS utility, then select
Boot from the categories listed at the top of the screen.

Can adjust the Boot priority order, but that's all. Any other suggestions?
 
Have you tried all the displayed lines on the BIOS "boot" screen.
You should be able to drill down into the "removable drives" and the HDD sections and change their internal order.
 
All I can change is which device boots. It doesn't allow access to the boot device. Think I hit every key on the keyboard to see if anything would open. Nothing happens, except a beep. Ran the Automated Repair a few more times. No help. Had a Knoppix unix disc, and loaded that on a flash drive. It boots and runs ok(using it now). Is there anything I can search for, using that? Have poked around a bit, but have not found anything helpful. Thanks for the help.... John

Addendum

Here's the Boot page....

0219131903_zps21741700.jpg


Am I missing something on accessing the BIOS?
 
It would seem this is a fairly old PC, no SATA for example.
My 5 year old ASUS mobo uses the Phoenix Award BIOS, which contains the tree structure boot priority I mentioned.
This Phoenix "trustedcore" would seem to be a simple 1-step list.
That said, your list appears to show only a single HDD on IDE0, with nothing on IDE1.

Do you actually have a second HDD ?
If so, your problem with booting, and the subsequent inability to fix it would seem to be simply down to the fact that your PC can't see it.

First thing to try, is to dis/reconnect the power and data cables to your HDDs several times to clean up the contacts. I've had several occasions in the past, where a HDD "disappeared" for that reason, though it was always a secondary, and therefore obvious because the OS reported that stuff it needed was missing if I tried to run an app or access data. If the OS HDD itself is the problem, then obviously there's nothing other than the BIOS to report the fact.

If that doesn't help, then it could be that your OS HDD has gone u/s.

You can boot the repair CD you downloaded, and instead of running the repair function, use the backup option to examine the contents of your PC.

Can you see a copy of Windows on any accessible HDD ?
 
It would seem this is a fairly old PC, no SATA for example. True. Found the receipt, bought it in 2007.
My 5 year old ASUS mobo uses the Phoenix Award BIOS, which contains the tree structure boot priority I mentioned.
This Phoenix "trustedcore" would seem to be a simple 1-step list.
That said, your list appears to show only a single HDD on IDE0, with nothing on IDE1.

Do you actually have a second HDD ? Don't think so, looks like only one disk to me.
If so, your problem with booting, and the subsequent inability to fix it would seem to be simply down to the fact that your PC can't see it.

First thing to try, is to dis/reconnect the power and data cables to your HDDs several times to clean up the contacts. I've had several occasions in the past, where a HDD "disappeared" for that reason, though it was always a secondary, and therefore obvious because the OS reported that stuff it needed was missing if I tried to run an app or access data. If the OS HDD itself is the problem, then obviously there's nothing other than the BIOS to report the fact. Removed / installed the hard disk 6 times. Started the computer normally, same problem. Tried running the auto repair, and restared. Same problem.

If that doesn't help, then it could be that your OS HDD has gone u/s.

You can boot the repair CD you downloaded, and instead of running the repair function, use the backup option to examine the contents of your PC.

Can you see a copy of Windows on any accessible HDD ? Looks like windows is still there.......

0220130847_zps440a5fb6.jpg
 
In that case, my initial speculation about you booting from the wrong HDD cannot be correct.
Disconnect all of the USB stuff and try the repair again.
If you're getting that NTLDR message, it indicates that your MBR IPL is searching for the wrong boot manager.
The repair disc should fix that.
If it doesn't, post here what messages you get from the repair process.
 
Ran the auto repair again, usb device was disconnected. Re-booted and have the same NTLDR error. Here's what the repair showed....

0220131543_zps0f2b12ce.jpg


Just to be sure, I'm trying to repair C: on this right?

0220131542_zps5a80cc55.jpg
 
I imagine the NTFS 88Gb partition is your Vista.
You should be able to see how big it is from the recovery option you used earlier.
Is your USB stick 10Gb ?
Fat32 partitions are generally on flash drives nowadays.
 
The stick 16GB. I've tried the repair on both C and D. I'm guessing the 10 GB C: drive is part of the main drive?
 
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Can you use the partition editor option on the repair disc to post a picture of your HDD layout.
 
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