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Information on the origins of and resolution to the boot-time error message "<strong>No GRLDR</strong>" and similar GRLDR errors affecting these Windows versions: <strong>Windows XP Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1</strong>
<h2>About "Cannot find GRLDR"</h2>
[kbintro]
<h3>Description and Symptoms</h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h4>Symptom 1: "Cannot find GRLDR" shown at boot</h4>
Upon attempting to boot a PC, the error "Cannot find GRLDR." is shown, possibly accompanied by one or more error messages before and after, like the ones shown in the example below:

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1574" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Cannot-find-grldr.png" alt="Cannot find grldr" />
<pre>Try (hd0,0): Extended:
Try (hd0,1): NTFS5: No grldr
Try (hd0,2): invalid or null
Try (hd0,3): invalid or null
Try (hd0,4): NTFS5: No grldr
Try (fd0): invalid or null
Cannot find GRLDR.
Press space bar to hold the screen, any other key to boot previous MBR ...
Timeout: 5</pre>
<h4>Symptom 2: "Cannot find GRLDR in all devices" shown at boot</h4>
A variation on the "Cannot find GRLDR" message from Symptom 1, but utilizing slightly different text and additional advice/instructions:
<pre>Try (hd0,0): NTFS5: 2
Try (hd0,1): Extended:
Try (hd0,2): invalid or null
Try (hd0,3): invalid or null
Try (hd0,4): NTFS5: No grldr
Try (hd1,0): Extended:
Try (hd1,1): invalid or null
Try (hd1,2): invalid or null
Try (hd1,3): invalid or null
Try (hd1,4): NTFS5: No grldr
Error: Cannot find GRLDR in all devices. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.</pre>
<h4>Symptom 3: "No WUBILDR"</h4>
An error message similar to the ones above is listed, but the <code>Try (hdx, y)</code> message indicates a failed search for a different file (WUBILDR):
<pre>Try (hd0,0): NTFS5: No wubildr
Try (hd0,1): Extended:
Try (hd0,2): invalid or null
Try (hd0,3): invalid or null
Try (hd0,4): FAT32: No WUBILDR
Error: Cannot find GRLDR in all devices. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.</pre>
<h3>Causes of this Error</h3>
This error has been known to occur as a result of one or more of the following:
<h4>Cause 1: Failed Linux installation</h4>
GRLDR is a nickname/abbreviation for the GRUB bootloader for Windows (also known as Grub4Dos or Grub for Dos), and is often used to set up a PC to dual-boot into Windows and one or more Linux (or other *nix-based) operating systems.

While most Linux distribution (such as Debian's, Ubuntu's, or Fedora's) normally install the GRUB or GRUB2 bootloader, the installation routines of some distributions will attempt to set up the Windows bootloader to co-exist with the Linux installation by adding GRLDR either to the BCD menu or by replacing BOOTMGR with GRLDR entirely (and attempting to load it instead).

This error can occur either immediately after such a Linux distribution is installed or at some point in the future when Automatic Update or Windows Update patches the bootloader files or the bootsector itself, breaking the GRLDR-based configuration.

The Ubuntu-based "Wubi" is one such example. Wubi attempts to install Ubuntu to a virtual hard disk stored as a local file on your Windows NTFS/FAT partition instead of assigning it an actual disk partition. Wubi then integrates WUBILDR (a variation of GRLDR and short for "Wubi Loader") into the BCD or BOOT.INI to chainload Wubi from this virtual disk as a boot-time startup option.
<h4>Cause 2: Use of Windows activation bypass</h4>
A "crack" in circulation used to bypass the Windows activation and Genuine Windows Validation tests for Windows Vista and Windows 7 attempts to inject certain code directly into the boot process.

As a stock, unmodified BOOTMGR will refuse to load unsigned kernels or Windows kernels that have been tampered or modified, the GRUB for Windows bootloader "grldr" is used instead.

This Windows activation crack can either fail to load correctly from the very start, causing this error to manifest immediately after applying the Windows Vista or Windows 7 activation patch, or it can work successfully for any length of time (months to years) until the patched GRLDR file in the root of the boot partition can no longer be loaded due to changes to the bootsector, often caused by Automatic Updates or Windows Updates, causing the "No GRLDR" message to appear at boot and the PC to fail to load.
<h4>Cause 3: NTFS bootsector incorrectly updated</h4>
Certain system-level software and utilities will attempt to reconfigure, upgrade, update, or repair the NTFS or FAT32 bootsector for the boot partition. Normally, the bootsect or bootrec command-line tools are used for this procedure. 3rd party software attempting unsupported/unofficial updates to the bootsector can break the delicate boot chain and cause the "no GRLDR" to appear.
<h2>Fix no grldr in Windows XP</h2>
<h3>Fix #1: Rebuild BOOT.ini and other boot components via Easy Recovery Essentials</h3>
The one-click automated Windows repair feature of the latest versions of EasyRE supports the full reconstruction of the Windows XP boot process. Its use will correct the "no grldr" error (and all variations thereof) by automatically rebuilding boot.ini with the correct configuration, and setting up the MBR and bootsector to load NTLDR (instead of GRLDR).

[easyre error="no grldr" bootscreen="xp" guaranteed="true"]
<h3>Fix #2: Manually attempt recreation of boot.ini</h3>
[setupcd]

For machines running Windows XP suffering from the "no GRLDR" error, a repair of boot.ini and the MBR/bootsector can take care of the problem.

[partial name="partial_bootini"]
<h2>Fix no grldr in Windows Vista, 7, 8</h2>
<h3>Fix #1: Rebuild MBR with EasyRE</h3>
For the cases that present the "no GRLDR" error due to a misconfigured MBR/bootsector or a corrupted chainload, EasyRE's automated boot repair procedure can isolate and fix the affected components, restoring boot to the PC.

[easyre error="no grldr" bootscreen="vista-7-8" guaranteed="true"]
<h3>Fix #2: Use Startup Repair to recreate BCD and bootsector</h3>
[setupcd]

[partial name="partial_startup_repair"]
<h3>Fix #3: Obtain valid Windows Vista/7 license</h3>
In the case that the "No GRLDR" boot-time error message is caused by the (attempted) usage of an activation bypass crack, it will be necessary for the owner/operator of the PC in question to obtain a valid license for Windows Vista or Windows 7 (see links below).

Note that in cases where the "No GRDLR" error appears at boot because of an activation patch for Windows, correcting the issue with the above fixes will normally cause Genuine Windows Validation to fail and activation prompts or nag screens to appear upon successful boot of Microsoft Windows.
<h3>Fix #4: Use EasyBCD to configure Linux entries</h3>
If this error is encountered in the process of setting up a dual-boot between Windows and a Linux distribution (or a virtual-disk-based Wubi install), NeoSmart Technologies' <a title="Download EasyBCD" href="/EasyBCD/">EasyBCD boot manager</a> can instead be used to correctly set up and configure the dual-boot between Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 or 8.1 and Linux.

Instructions on using EasyBCD and <a title="Linux" href="http://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/dual-boot/linux/">creating a dual-boot with Linux</a> can be found in the EasyBCD-specific section of our knowledgebase.
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
The errors below have been verified as being associated with or related to this problem:
<ul>
 	<li><a href="http://neosmart.net/wiki/no-g2ldr-fix-for-windows-xp-vista-7-and-8/">No G2LDR</a>, a similar error but for the GRUB2 version of GRLDR</li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/bootcfg/">bootcfg</a></li>
</ul>
[partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,server2003,server2008,server2012"]