How To Restore NTLDR
and Ntdetect.com From the Windows XP CD
The NTLDR and Ntdetect.com files are important
system files that are used by your computer to start the Windows XP operating system. These files can
become damaged, corrupted or deleted for a number of reasons and are usually
brought to your attention by the "NTLDR
is Missing" error message.
Time Required: Restoring the NTLDR
and Ntdetect.com files from the Windows XP CD usually takes less than 15
minutes
Here's How:
1.
Enter
Windows XP Recovery Console.
2.
When
you reach the command prompt (detailed inStep 6 in the link above), type the following
two commands, pressing Enter after each one:
3.copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\
4.copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
In the
command listed above, d represents the drive letter assigned
to the optical drive that your Windows XP CD is currently
in. While this is most often d,
your system could assign a different letter. Also, c:\ represents the root folder of the partition that Windows XP is currently
installed on. Again, this is most often the case but your system could be
different.
5. If you're prompted to overwrite either of
the two files, press Y.
6. Take out the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
Assuming that missing or
corrupt versions of the NTLDR and/or Ntdetect.com files were your only issues,
Windows XP should now start normally.
