How do I fix my DELL Inspiron 1150. It won't restart. Msg." NTLDR is missing".?

Question

Attempts to restart using "Ctrl+Alt+Del" take me back to the same message: "NTLDR is missing". I do not have the original system discs to restore.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, you will need the windows XP disc. You have some options on how to go about that. If you know anyone with a Dell computer that has the CD, you can ask them for it. Or you can either call Dell (800)- 822-8965 or go to support.dell.com to order a windows CD.

Once you've got the disc, follow these instrcutions:

Insert the Windows XP bootable CD into the computer.
When prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press any key.
Once in the Windows XP setup menu press the "R" key to repair Windows.
Log into your Windows installation by pressing the "1" key and pressing enter.
You will then be prompted for your administrator password, enter that password.
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:\


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

Answer 2

:-|

A number of causes spring to mind...
1) The disk drive is failing
2) The interface is failing
3) The NTLDR is really missing because of some reason (may be virus, may be other cause)
4) Cables or jumpers changed so the disk have swapped and the 'boot' disk isn't seen first and the BIOS is looking at a second disk drive.

Did you do anything that could have caused it or did it just happen with no changes on the PC?

Does the BIOS setup see the disk drive still? If it doesn't you're looking at a probable dead disk or dead interface.

If the disk is seen by the BIOS setup, you need the software install CD to recover the installation (well... any CD of the right version of the operating system would work). First off, try reinstalling the MBR. Second off try to recover the OS. If these don't work... can you run the disk drive in another PC to check if the drive is working? Can you run another disk drive in your inspiron?

Answer 3

http://www.wkjo.com/
Boot disks for Windows XP
The term "boot disk" can have several meanings. Personally, what I want is a disk that can read and write to the hard drive and that contains some functions that will help repair problems. This is not the type of disk described by the Microsoft literature. Their emphasis is on installing Windows XP rather than repairing it or on circumventing certain kinds of startup problems. This has given rise to some confusion in discussions that I see on the Web. There are at least four kinds of bootable disk described by Microsoft. To help sort things out, I list them below.

Startup disk (also called a boot disk by Microsoft)
This is the disk described in three Microsoft knowledge base articles given in the sidebar. The articles are quite similar and describe a disk whose purpose is to get Windows started if certain basic startup areas or files get corrupted. It consists of a blank diskette formatted in Windows XP (this formatting is essential, see last section below), to which have been added the system files NTLDR, ntdetect.com, and boot.ini. (also, bootsect.dos in dual-boot systems). These files must be added manually. There are no other functions on the disk and it is designed solely for the purpose of booting up the Windows operating system currently on your system.
How to fix: NTLDR is missing, press any key to restart
http://tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm

Answer 4

Odds are that you will need the installation CD to repair this, however, various other causes may not require it.

All info to diagnose & repair this issue is on this site :
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm

regards,
Philip T