Missing NTLDR file during boot up Windows 2k Pro.

[seechance]

This is a Lab thing. I upgraded the hard drive in one of our workstations. It has only one drive. It’s working great. I installed the old hard drive in a Lab machine, it only has this drive in it, and when I boot up I get the error “Can not find the NTLDR file” or something like this.

As both machine were single drive units and the old drive has the NTLDR file in the root, I can’t figure out what might be the cause of this. The OS is Windows 2000 Pro.

Can anyone give me some pointers on this? This is a Lab machine so I have to find time to experiment on this.

Chance

 

[Davetoo]

You don't by chance have a floppy disk in the drive do you?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[seechance]

No. There isn't a disk in the floppy drive.

 

[jasonboyes]

Reinstall again

Jason

Rich Cook -- "Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

 

[Shift838]

or run a system recovery from the OS CD..

 

[ricpinto]

What you gonna do is to format a diskette, copy ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini from another PC with the same configuration. Insert this diskette to the faulty PC and after booting up copy boo.ini to c:\.

 

[seechance]

Thanks to all for responding!!
I understand some of the responses. I know I can reinstall or repair but I was wondering way this is happening? The only thing that has changed is the motherboard, it is different in the Lab machine but as far as I'm concerned that should not make a difference.

Ricpinto: The disk you want me to make cannot boot up.
Please advise if something is missing in your suggestion.

Again thanks,
Chance

 

[OdedShafran]

This can be caused for 1000 reaasons.
dont format ! you may succeed in fixing it.
boot with winxp cd.
goto R (Recovery Console) and try FIXMBR and FIXBOOT options.
it should fix you problem (hopefully)

Oded Shafran,
Network Administrator

 

[OdedShafran]

oppss. replace winxp with 2000

Oded Shafran,
Network Administrator

 

[ricpinto]

Just follow this step in creating a boot disk.

http://www.ezine.com/QandA/BOOT.html

http://www.winnetmag.com/WindowsStorage/Article/ArticleID/14716/WindowsStorage_14716.html

Usually if if I replace a motherboard with diff. model, I usually re-install the OS in the same directory to repair everything, but there's related link here that's worth reading:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/Q249/6/94.ASP&NoWebContent=1

 

[ejones]

No, you cant just migrate a bootable hard disk from one PC to another with a different motherboard. It just won't work - too much is different.

Format and reinstall - only real option.

 

[karlisi]

'ejones' is right, you should reinstall Windows. The most likely reason is Windows have chipset and HDD controller driver for another (previous) MB and can not recognise your HDD.

===
Karlis
ECDL; MCP

 

[HKNinja]

I'm have the same problem with one of our workstations. I reinstalled Windows 2000 Pro on Partition A, then partitioned the remained space as Partition B. After reboot, I got NTLDR Missing message. I don't want to do all the reinstallation. There got to be a way to do it. It's a known problem with Microsoft if you do a search there. They've a solution call "BCUPDATE2 UTILITY" but they want $ for that. I created the boot disk as they recommended in "Work Arround" and am able to boot into the system with the FDD. However, I found those files are existed in Partition A (C. Even if I overwrite them with those on the FDD, it still won't work. Now, I'm going to try Windows 2000 Setup Disk's repair... any other idea on the problem?

-Harry
A+, MCP