Issues the ntldr is missing command on boot. NTLDR is missing error. Solution to the problem. Conflict between two installed operating systems
Hello everyone, dear friends! Today I tried to turn on my computer, but it didn’t work, some incomprehensible inscription appeared something like this: “NTLDR is missing”, I don’t even have a clue what it is and why my computer stopped booting. I have a lot on my computer. important information Have I lost everything now? Help me please!
It is precisely such letters that have recently begun to come to me on my email from many users, with a plea for help. Well, let's figure out what actually causes the appearance of such an inscription when the operating system tries to boot successfully.
An error - NTLDR is missing of this kind occurs extremely rarely, but not every user can cope with it. The first thing that comes to the mind of the user after several attempts to reboot is reinstalling the operating system (OS). This is long, and sometimes unprofitable, because there may be important files on the system disk. In today's article, I will tell you how to deal with the error without reinstalling the system. Methods are suitable for everyone current versions Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10).
And there are several reasons for the appearance of "NTLDR is missing":
- corrupted boot files of the system;
- conflict due to the installation of another OS;
- installation of an additional hard drive;
NTLDR is missing What to do?
Hardware failure.
Reasons #1 and #2 - Boot File Corruption
So instead of Windows boot the error "NTLDR is missing" appeared. In the event that an error appears due to damage to boot files or a conflict between two systems, these methods will help you. Check if you have a Windows installation disc or flash drive that is in this moment is on the computer.
If there is no disk, then check out the following article, from which you will learn how to create such a disk or flash drive:
If the cherished flash drive or CD / DVD is present, then the sequence of actions for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1.10 is as follows:
1. We restart the computer and insert the disk or USB flash drive.
2. Now we need to set the boot priority from the media, and not from the hard drive. To do this, you need to go into the BIOS and set the "boot priority" on CD-ROM or USB. Almost all modern computers you can get to the "Boot Menu" without going into the BIOS. Try pressing F8/F9/F10 during boot. Then if it didn’t work with “F8”, then reboot and press “F9”. You can read more details
3. If the priority is set, then the download will already be from the disk. We are waiting for the installer to perform automatic operations. The installer will offer you two options: install new system Or restore the current one. Select "Restore current" and wait for completion. Done, problem solved.
Note for Windows XP users.
We carry out the first two points of the instruction located above. As soon as the installer starts, we immediately start pressing the "R" button - do not be afraid to overdo it. You will be given a list of OSes that need to be restored. We select the desired system (for this, the installer may ask you to press the number and Enter) and confirm your actions with the "Y" and "Enter" keys. Last action is a set of commands FIXBOOT And FIXMBR- the procedure is shown in the screenshots below.
What if the above actions did not lead to a positive result?
If the commands did not return the files, then you need to go the other way - using the same recovery console. Our task is to copy two files from your boot disk Windows. Using the "copy" command, transfer the files "NTDETECT.COM" and "NTLDR".
To do this, you need to register this in the recovery console: copy
Where
Actions in command line will look like this:
copy f:\i386\ntldr e:\
copy f:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
In commands, "f:\" means the letter of your Windows boot drive;
"c:\" is the address of the drive where the operating system is located.
Perhaps you have it on drive "d", and not on "C" - fix it. Also the name of the CD/DVD may be different. Check these data and prescribe two simple commands- the problem will definitely be solved.
Reason #3 – Active Disk Change
After installing an additional hard drive, the error most often occurs due to incorrect user actions. The already familiar recovery console and the standard DiskPart utility, which is launched using the command diskpart on the command line.
When the utility starts, proceed as follows:
Enter the list disk command - you will see a list of hard drives that are connected to the computer.
If only one disk is present, the program will display disk0.
We need to enter the command "select disk 0" to select the disk with the operating system to boot.
After selecting the disk, we drive in the “list partition” command to display a list of partitions on the disk.
We select the partition with the operating system, it is most often signed "select partition 1".
To complete the procedure, enter the command "active". Done, the partition with the operating system is again the main one - reboot and use it.
Reason #4 - hardware failure
If the instructions above did not help, then there was a hardware failure. personal computer. Can fail HDD or the motherboard controller, which is responsible for the operation and recognition of hard drives. Most often this problem occurs on older hardware. But still, if a breakdown occurs, then there is usually only one way out - replacing the faulty equipment. In some cases, craftsmen repair or replace only the failed item.
Concluding the article, I would like to add that if the problem still turned out to be corrupted boot files, and the Windows disk was not found, then you will have to go for another one. The main thing is that the version of the operating system on the disk matches the Windows installed on your computer.
That's all for today, how do you like the article? If you have any questions wishes, then ask them in the comments!
In this article, I want to talk about errors when booting a Windows XP computer. In some cases, the error “NTLDR is missing” appears, which at first plunges you into a stupor. No matter how many times you restart your computer, this error will not go away by itself, although below it says “Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart”. In other cases, you only see a black screen and a prompt to insert a boot disk, which means that the boot record is corrupted.
Solving the problem "NTLDR is missing"
Literally, this error means the following: "NTLDR file not found at the root of the boot partition." This file is vital, it is the boot loader of the Windows XP operating system. Some are simple, but in most cases this can be avoided and not wasted time.
The error says that the file has been deleted, possibly during the next cleaning of the hard drive or as a result of a virus attack. Remember, if you are not sure, then in no case do not delete files in the root of the "C:" drive. The solution is simple - you need to restore this file and, possibly, some others, for example NTDETECT.COM. Further we will assume that the restoration of both of these files is meant.
Using the Windows XP installation disc
I also archived the rest of the boot files: bootfont.bin, boot.ini and MS-DOS files. You can also copy them to yourself, it will not be worse. Please note, on different computers, here is the most common version for a system with one installed Windows XP on the first partition to the "C:\Windows" folder. To put these files on your computer, you need to copy them through any file manager or conductor.
Since the "NTLDR" file is hidden, in order to see it and copy it to Windows Explorer, you need to enable the display of hidden files.
After copying the files to the root of the C: drive, we reboot. If the error "NTLDR is missing" still appears, then look further.
Too many files in the root
With a large number of files in the root of the boot disk, such an error may occur. The file "NTLDR" may exist, but due to the nature of the file NTFS systems and the boot mechanism, it may not be visible at this stage of the OS boot.
Remember what actions you were doing before the error appeared. Possibly installed new program and did not pay attention to the installation path, and as a result the program was installed in the root folder, or simply copied a bunch of files. To solve this problem, you need to delete the extra files. For this you need:
- Boot from disk to portable version Windows
- Delete all files in the root of drive C: except ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini
- Or delete everything and restore files as in the previous paragraph
Boot record problem
Windows XP will not boot if the boot record is corrupted. It contains all the information about the download process.
BCUpdate2
To restore the boot record, we will use a utility developed by Microsoft « BCUpdate2 » . You can’t just download it from the Microsoft server, so take it from me.
We write it to the boot disk, start from it and enter the command:
Bcupdate2.exe C: /f /y
The program should answer: "The boot code was updated successfully"
Recovery Console
Boot into the recovery console and give the commands:
fixboot c:
If it does not help, then boot again and issue the command:
fixmbr
Only here you need to be careful, because. you can lose information about partitions if the problem was physical or the system is infected with viruses. It is recommended to pre-install with special anti-virus images. If the sections are still lost, we use to restore information.
Boot disk not active
In order for the operating system to boot, the disk must be marked as "Active" at the partition level. The issue is resolved from the recovery console, see how I did it in Windows 7 when I got the error "", but the essence is the same.
In order to make the boot disk active, you can boot from a LiveCD that contains some kind of partition management program, such as Paragon Partition Magic or Acronis Partition Expert. Select your drive there and mark it "Active" with context menu right mouse button.
hardware problem
There are times when data from a disk is simply not read. This may be due to the following issues:
- Faulty loop. If the problem is floating, then try replacing the cable.
- Hard disk failure. These are physical bads (BAD's), poorly readable sectors, problems with the electronics or the disk engine. Some problems can be solved with special programs, usually temporarily, but in general .
- Problems with motherboard. Very rare, but still. If the boot from this hard drive on another computer goes a little further (the OS does not fully boot on a computer with a different configuration), then you need to repair or change the motherboard.
You turned on your computer and there was a boot error when you started the Windows 10 operating system NTLDR is missing, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to Restart. What to do? Is there any way to fix the situation? Let's figure it out! First of all, I want to warn you that when this error occurs, it is very often impossible to save data.
If your hard drive has crashed, which is very likely on older PCs, then the only way out of the situation is to buy a new one. All data on the old media is usually permanently lost. Even when the hard drive is alive, the only thing that can restore the computer after the NTLDR is missing error is formatting the system disk and reinstalling the operating system.
Instructions on what to do with the error NTLDR is missing
Step 1. Try switching the hard drive to another free slot on the motherboard.
So we will exclude the possibility of some kind of failure in the operation of the motherboard associated with the operation of a particular SATA or IDE port.
Step 2 Try replacing the cable connecting the hard drive and the motherboard with a new one. We do this in order to be sure that the NTLDR is missing error is not caused by damage to the cable or its connectors.
Step 3. Check the device boot priority in the BIOS.
It often happens that after connecting a second hard drive, motherboard itself automatically puts it first in the load order. And since there is no operating system on it, the bootloader quite logically gives the error “NTLDR is missing” - Windows is not there and there is nothing to boot!
When you turn on the computer, press the "Delete" key (usually F2 on laptops) to enter. There should be a section responsible for boot settings - something like boot settings. And already in it - setting the boot sequence - Boot Priority. Make sure that the hard drive on which Windows is installed is in the first place. If you do not know this, we make it easier. First, we put one disk first and try to boot. Boot error "NTLDR is missing" again?! Ok, let's go to the BIOS again and set the priority to the second disk and check it again.
Step 4 Loading with installation disk or flash drives with Windows.
At the stage of starting the installation, you need to click on the link "System Restore". As soon as a blue window appears with a choice of action, select: "Diagnostics" - "Advanced options" - "Command line".
Step 5 Restoring the boot record. To do this, operating systems from Microsoft have special utilities. To use them, enter the commands in the command line in turn:
bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /RebuildBcd
After each of them, press the Enter key to start the execution. It should turn out something like this:
Reboot and check. If the NTLDR is missing error in Windows 7 or Windows 10 appears again, proceed to the next step.
Step 6 Repeat step 4 again to open the command line. Make the boot partition active. We enter the command diskpart to open the built-in Windows partition editor. We enter the commands:
sel disk 0
list volume
So we select the first hard drive and look at the list of its logical drives:
We find the section that has a mark in the “Info” column - System. For me it will be Volume 1 . Select it with the following command:
sel volume 1
And make it active:
Exit the program by entering the command exit. Reboot and check.
Step 7. If none of the previous actions helped, most likely one of the files was deleted or damaged:
Ntldr Ntdetect.com
You can try to restore them from the installation DVD or flash drive. To do this, you will need to repeat step 4 again, and then enter the command at the command line:
diskpart
list volumes
exit
In the list of disks we find a DVD or USB flash drive. In my screenshot above, this is drive Z. Next, we enter commands that will restore damaged files from the installation media:
copy z:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy z:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
After that, reboot and check.
P.S.: If, after all our advice, the NTLDR is missing message appears again, try reinstalling Windows. And even if this does not help, apparently your hard drive has come to an end and it's time to change it to a new one.
Hello, I'm getting an error when booting into Windows 7 NTLDR is missing Press ctrl+alt+del to restart! I know this error indicates that the NTLDR bootloader file is missing from my system or is corrupted, but let me, because there is no NTLDR file and the function of the operating system bootloader is performed by a completely different file, namely the system boot manager (bootmgr file), but what is strange , this file is in place - in a hidden partition without a letter (100 MB) "Reserved by the system, also in this partition is the Boot folder, and in it the boot storage configuration file (BCD).
In short, it turns out that I have everything right! The BIOS is set to boot from the hard drive first, the boot files of the operating system are all in place, so what is this error NTLDR is missing in Windows 7 and how to get rid of it?
NTLDR is missing in Windows 7
NTLDR (NT Loader) - loader for operating systems Windows NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003
Hello friends! Yes, in Windows 7 this error should not be, but at times I have to deal with it. Let me tell you the very first case that happened to me a few years ago.
They brought me a system unit to work with complaints that Windows 7 did not load and in fact appeared on the monitor when the computer was turned on. error NTLDR is missing Press ctrl+alt+del. I was a little surprised if boot files are corrupted on Windows 7, then a " " error usually occurs and I even have an article on the site on how to deal with it. But here there was a mistake more inherent in the operating room. Windows system xp.
How to defeat this error in Windows XP there is also an article "", the whole point of the article is to copy the ntldr file from the Windows XP installation disk to the root of our system disk with the operating system using the copy ntldr C: \ command, you need to do this all in the recovery console . But what about Windows 7?
I reasoned in this way, if in previous operating systems an error NTLDR is missing was associated with the boot files of a non-bootable operating system, then in my case the meaning is the same - the boot files are faulty Windows 7 or they don't exist at all.
Note: Windows 7 has a hidden System Reserved partition that is 100MB in size. The main purpose of this partition is to store Windows 7 boot files. This small partition is always "Primary" and has an "Active" Attribute, which tells the BIOS that this partition contains operating system boot files. You can only see it in Disk Management. If you assign a letter to it, you can go inside and see the system boot manager file bootmgr, you can still see daddy Boot, if we enter it, we will see the configuration files of the boot storage ( BCD).
File bootmgr and boot storage configuration files ( BCD) are directly responsible for loading the operating system and if they are damaged, Windows 7 will not boot giving various errors, for example "BOOTMGR is missing.Press ctrl+alt+del" or "NTLDR is missing Press ctrl+alt+del"
If you assign a letter to the hidden partition, you can go inside and see the system boot manager file bootmgr, you can still see the Boot daddy if you enter it,
we will see the boot storage configuration files ( BCD).
Since all these files have the "Hidden" attribute, you first need to go to Folder Options and uncheck the Hide protected operating system files checkbox and check the Show hidden files, folders and drives then Apply and OK.
So friends, I decided to boot from the Windows 7 installation disk and restore everything in one fell swoop, namely:
#1 Restore the bootmgr file and restore the boot storage (BCD) configuration files with a single command bcdboot.exe D:\Windows (in your case, the command may be different, read the article to the end)
No. 2 Make active the hidden partition System Reserved (Reserved by the system), the volume is 100 MB.
Something to help, I thought. Looking ahead, I’ll say that you just had to make the hidden System Reserved partition active, that is, limit yourself to point number 2.
Note: Friends, now we will work with the command line of the recovery environment. Required Commands I will give you, but if it is difficult for you to remember them, you can. This will greatly facilitate your work.
So, in the environment Windows recovery 7 I first decided on the drive letters.
We enter the command:
diskpart
list volume
You can see that the drive letter is assigned F:, and the hidden partition is System Reserved, 100 MB, Windows 7 Recovery Environment assigned a letter C:. So operating system files with Windows folders and Program Files are on disk D:.
exit
and exit diskpart. On the command line we type
bcdboot.exe D:\Windows
Attention: This command will restore the Windows 7 bootloader bootmgr file, as well as restore the Boot Storage Configuration (BCD) files, the contents of the Boot folder in the hidden System Reserved partition, 100 MB, specifically for the operating system located on the D:\Windows drive.
Success. The download files have been successfully created.
In this article, we will define NTLDR, explain common causes and errors associated with NTLDR, and provide several solutions to fix NTLDR error.
Most PC users have encountered the error "NTLDR is missing". At the same time, most of the users, in fact, do not know what NTLDR is and how to solve this problem.
What is NTLDR?
NTLDR, short for NT Boot Loader, is the boot loader for all editions of operating systems. The NT bootloader usually starts from the main hard drive, however it can also use a CD, DVD or flash drive to boot.
The NT bootloader contains three files. So let's take a look at which ones:
- ntldr, main loader.
- NTDETECT.COM, required to boot an NT-based OS, discovers the basic hardware information needed for a successful boot.
- boot.ini, contains the boot configuration (if absent, NTLDR will default to \Windows on the first partition of the first hard drive).
NTLDR starts with the system partition volume boot record, which is usually written to disk Windows team FORMAT or SYS.
Common Causes of "NTLDR Missing" Error
Sometimes users may receive the following messages when they try to start their computer.
"NTLDR is missing
Press any key to restart".
Figure 1. First example of an error related to NTLDR.
Boot: Couldn't find NTLDR
Please insert another disk".
"NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart"
Figure 3. The third example of an error related to NTLDR. Do you know what to do in a similar situation, why NTLDR is missing and how to fix the NTLDR error?
In general, there are many possible factors contributing to the absence of an NTLDR problem.
Often the problem with the NTLDR error is that your computer started to boot from a different source. For example, it can be inserted into an optical DVD drive, CD, or USB stick.
In addition, this problem may appear due to the fact that the system contains corrupted and misconfigured boot-related files (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini).
Now all we need and can do is spare no effort to try to find out the real cause and find an appropriate solution.
How to fix "NTLDR is missing" error?
In general, if you encounter an NTLDR error, you can try the following methods to fix the issue.
Solution 1 – Restart your computer
Restart your computer. The occurrence of the NTLDR error may be an accident.
Solution 2 – Disable all removable media
Because the error "NTLDR is missing" often occurs because the BIOS is trying to boot from an external drive, you can try disabling everything external drives and eject all removable media like CD, DVD discs, memory cards and USB.
Solution 3 – Change Boot Priority in BIOS
In addition, you can check the BIOS boot order to make sure that the hard drive with OC is in the first position in the boot priority. To check the boot order, do the following:
Note. Make sure the selected device has Windows boot files.
- Step 1. Restart your computer.
- Step 2 Press the desired key to open the BIOS menu. All key names are usually displayed on the first screen when starting the PC. Basically the keys to enter the BIOS menu: Esc, Del, F2, F8, F10 or F12.
- Step 3 If multiple keys are shown on the screen, find the key to open "BIOS", setup or "BIOS menu".
- Step 4 Use the arrow keys to select a tab Boot. Move the hard drive to the top of the priority list. (The following is an example BIOS bootloader configuration screen.)
Figure 1. Changing and setting the hard drive to the first position in the BIOS boot priority. Solution 4 – Reset the active partition
When using the built-in management tool Windows disks in order to determine the active partition, you may encounter problems starting your computer. Thus, your PC may boot with a similar error:
NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart.
It is worth noting that only one system partition can be active. If you select a partition with a different OC, you must first mark its system partition as active before restarting the computer.
Now, to fix this problem, you can reset the active partition. To do this, you can use the utility MiniTool Partition Wizard.
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a smart choice for most general users to set a partition as active, as this tool offers wizard-based work, high security, and excellent performance.
Detailed steps and instructions for using this utility are described below.
- Step 1. The first thing you need to do is to boot your computer with the MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable Disc to enter Boot Mode. Here, please select the first option Partition Wizard, to enter the main interface of the MiniTool Markup Wizard.
Figure 1. Click on the first section of the Partition Wizard. - Step 2 Now select or right click on active partition and select function "Set Inactive" on the left action bar or pop-up menu.
Figure 2. Select an active partition and give it the Set Inactive function. - Step 3 Select the target partition you want to set as active and then click on "Set Active".
Figure 3. Set the target partition to Set Active. - Step 4 In this window, you can view the target partition that has been marked as active. After that, you need to click on the button Apply in the top left corner and click Yes to perform the preview effect.
Figure 4 Preview the target section, then click the Apply button to apply all changes and proceed to the preview. - Step 5 Ready! Thus, we have eliminated the error related to NTLDR. Now your computer will boot as before.
Solution 5 – Update your motherboard BIOS
You may get an NTLDR related error even if the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) version is out of date on your computer.
So make sure latest version The BIOS is installed on the computer. If not, contact your computer manufacturer for information on how to obtain new version BIOS and then install Last update BIOS available for your computer.
Solution 6 – Replace all IDE cables
Error "NTLDR is missing" It can also appear if the IDE cables that go to the hard drives are damaged inside your computer. By doing so, replace the IDE cables if you suspect it may be defective.
Note. Before installing/replacing the IDE cable with a new one, you need to turn off the computer and the power supply to it, and then open the processor case.
Solution 7: Restoring the MBR boot record
The problem with NTLDR can also appear if the Master Boot Record (MBR) is corrupted. In this situation, the only solution is to restore the Master Boot Record (MBR).
- In the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard, select the disk whose MBR is corrupted, and then click "Rebuild MBR".
Figure 1. Right-click on the partition that has a corrupted MBR boot record, and then select Rebuild MBR. - Finally click the button Apply to perform MBR recovery. When the Partition Wizard completes all operations, exit the program and boot from your local hard drive again.
Solution 8: Reinstall Windows
If none of the solutions listed and described worked for you, it is safe to assume that the only solution that will fix the error "NTLDR is missing", is a complete reinstallation of Windows. This solution will almost certainly resolve any NTLDR errors, but it will delete the data. Therefore, before re- Windows installation It is recommended that you back up all necessary data. Function Reserve copy Disk Partition Wizard provided by MiniTool Partition Wizard will help you copy all partitions and data from one disk to another in several steps as shown below.
- Step 1. First, boot your computer using the MiniTool Partition Wizard boot disk.
- Step 2 Then, in the main interface, select the disk you need to copy and select the function "Copy Disk". In the image below we choose "Copy Disk" from the left action bar to show how to clone an MBR system disk to GPT.
Figure 1. Right-click on the desired hard drive, then select Copy Disk. - Step 3 Then select the drive that will keep a copy of the source drive as the destination drive, and then click Next.
Note: The destination drive must be large enough to contain all the content on the source drive, and you also need to back up any important data to that destination drive in advance as all data on it will be deleted.
Figure 2. Select the drive where you want to save the contents of the target partition, then click the Next button. - Step 4 Then select the appropriate copy method to determine the location of the target disk, and then click the button Next.
Figure 3. Select a copy method, and click Next. - Step 5 After that press the button Finish to return to the main interface.
- Step 6 Finally click the button Apply in the top left corner to complete the 7 pending operations.
Figure 4. Click on the Apply button to confirm all changes. Solution 9: Replacing the hard drive
If you are still getting the error "NTLDR is missing" after reinstalling Windows most likely you will encounter a hard drive hardware problem. In this situation the only way fix the error - install a new hard drive as a system one.
After reading our article, you will notice that many factors can lead to the problem " NTLDR is missing". And this article describes several methods that will help you resolve the error " NTLDR is missing". You can choose the appropriate option to fix this problem. Hopefully you can solve this error without any obstacle.
Advice. To avoid important data loss caused by various factors such as NTLDR errors, you'd better do backup this data to any of the external drives.
Moreover, if you have any questions or suggestions about the problem "NTLDR is missing" please leave comments below.
Video: How to fix the NTLDR is missing error?
Video: NTLDR is missing - What to do?
