reformatted and trying to reinstall...instead I get ntldr is miss

I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.

Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
+Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
be acknowleding it either.

I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).

Thank you in advance. Mary

http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173

or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375


"Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
>I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
> would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
> to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>
> Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
> +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
> restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
> doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
> be acknowleding it either.
>
> I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
> Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>
> Thank you in advance. Mary

Thank you Brian for the reply.

Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where I
followed the directions to do it.

My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would probably
be good to go if I could get past this message.

I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer from
a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.

Thank you, Mary

"Brian A." wrote:

> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
>
> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
>
> --
>
> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
> Conflicts start where information lacks.
> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>
> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
>
>
> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
> >
> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
> > be acknowleding it either.
> >
> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
> >
> > Thank you in advance. Mary
>
>

>
>>
>> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
>>
>>
>> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
>> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall
>> >xp. It
>> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was
>> > finished
>> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>> >
>> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl +
>> > Alt
>> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys,
>> > it
>> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
>> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't
>> > seem to
>> > be acknowleding it either.
>> >
>> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
>> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>> >
>> > Thank you in advance. Mary


> "Brian A." wrote:
>
>> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
>>
>> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
>>
>> --
>>
>> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
>> Conflicts start where information lacks.
>> http://basconotw.mvps.org/


"Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A23EB44B-EBA1-4CF1-AB51-7E7EB0F46D0D@microsoft.com...
> Thank you Brian for the reply.
>
> Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
> posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where
> I
> followed the directions to do it.
>
> My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
> microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would
> probably
> be good to go if I could get past this message.
>
> I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
> Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer
> from
> a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
> can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
>
> Thank you, Mary


Mary:
Assuming you've tried the "fixes" detailed on the MS links that Brian
pointed you to and they were of no help, your best bet at this juncture is
to try a Repair install of the XP OS.

Assuming you have a non-OEM-branded XP installation CD at your disposal and
not merely an OEM recovery CD or recovery partition situation you might
consider running a Repair install of the XP OS at this point in time in view
of your other futile attempts to get the system up & running.

I assume you've never done this before so here's some general info on the
process...

Undertaking a Repair install of the OS is a relatively straightforward
process. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS, but
in nearly every case your existing programs & user-created data would be
retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would be a rather rare situation
where data would be lost or corrupted as a result of the Repair install, and
as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.

So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate their loss, then I
would strongly suggest that before undertaking this Repair install operation
that you first either make a "clone" of your existing HDD (using a disk
imaging program) or, if that's not practical, install the HDD in another
machine as a secondary HDD so that you can pull off whatever data you want
onto some removable media, e.g., flash drive, CD, etc.

Again, it's a relatively rare event that a loss or corruption of data will
occur even when the Repair install is unsuccessful, but it *can* happen. So
I want you to be aware of this.

There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult
process and not terribly time-consuming. It's roughly similar to making a
fresh install of the XP OS. If you do a Google search on "XP repair
install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a few...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XP...install.htm#RI
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm

Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program
to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will
need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm
assuming that if you undertake this Repair install of the XP OS, you will be
doing so with a XP installation CD that contains SP2). That, of course, is
one of the downsides re undertaking a Repair install in that it's usually an
onerous task to download all the Critical Updates from MS especially if you
have a dialup phone connection rather than broadband.

Anyway, give this some thought if you can't get your system back to a
functional state any other way.

Just one other thing...
It's conceivable that you're dealing with some hardware-type problem here
and not just a corruption of the OS. Where a hardware-type problem is the
culprit in cases like the one you describe, it's usually the HDD that's
defective although it's entirely possible some other major component of your
system may be at the root of the problem you're experiencing. In any event,
It's possible that you may be dealing with a defective HDD so it probably
would be wise at this point to check out the HDD with a HDD diagnostic
utility you can (usually) download from the website of the disk's
manufacturer. It's very easy to use - the downloaded program allows you to
create either as a bootable floppy disk or bootable CD containing the HDD
diagnostic program. So give that some consideration.
Anna

Hi Anna and thank you. First off, I didn't understand what the "OEM" meant
when you were speaking about the cd. Could you eplain?

"Anna" wrote:

>
> >
> >>
> >> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> >> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
> >>
> >>
> >> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
> >> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall
> >> >xp. It
> >> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was
> >> > finished
> >> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
> >> >
> >> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl +
> >> > Alt
> >> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys,
> >> > it
> >> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
> >> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't
> >> > seem to
> >> > be acknowleding it either.
> >> >
> >> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
> >> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
> >> >
> >> > Thank you in advance. Mary
>
>
> > "Brian A." wrote:
> >
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
> >>
> >> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
> >> Conflicts start where information lacks.
> >> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>
>
> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:A23EB44B-EBA1-4CF1-AB51-7E7EB0F46D0D@microsoft.com...
> > Thank you Brian for the reply.
> >
> > Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
> > posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where
> > I
> > followed the directions to do it.
> >
> > My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
> > microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would
> > probably
> > be good to go if I could get past this message.
> >
> > I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
> > Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer
> > from
> > a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
> > can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
> >
> > Thank you, Mary
>
>
> Mary:
> Assuming you've tried the "fixes" detailed on the MS links that Brian
> pointed you to and they were of no help, your best bet at this juncture is
> to try a Repair install of the XP OS.
>
> Assuming you have a non-OEM-branded XP installation CD at your disposal and
> not merely an OEM recovery CD or recovery partition situation you might
> consider running a Repair install of the XP OS at this point in time in view
> of your other futile attempts to get the system up & running.
>
> I assume you've never done this before so here's some general info on the
> process...
>
> Undertaking a Repair install of the OS is a relatively straightforward
> process. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS, but
> in nearly every case your existing programs & user-created data would be
> retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would be a rather rare situation
> where data would be lost or corrupted as a result of the Repair install, and
> as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.
>
> So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
> are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate their loss, then I
> would strongly suggest that before undertaking this Repair install operation
> that you first either make a "clone" of your existing HDD (using a disk
> imaging program) or, if that's not practical, install the HDD in another
> machine as a secondary HDD so that you can pull off whatever data you want
> onto some removable media, e.g., flash drive, CD, etc.
>
> Again, it's a relatively rare event that a loss or corruption of data will
> occur even when the Repair install is unsuccessful, but it *can* happen. So
> I want you to be aware of this.
>
> There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
> undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult
> process and not terribly time-consuming. It's roughly similar to making a
> fresh install of the XP OS. If you do a Google search on "XP repair
> install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a few...
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XP...install.htm#RI
> http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
> http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
> http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm
>
> Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program
> to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will
> need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm
> assuming that if you undertake this Repair install of the XP OS, you will be
> doing so with a XP installation CD that contains SP2). That, of course, is
> one of the downsides re undertaking a Repair install in that it's usually an
> onerous task to download all the Critical Updates from MS especially if you
> have a dialup phone connection rather than broadband.
>
> Anyway, give this some thought if you can't get your system back to a
> functional state any other way.
>
> Just one other thing...
> It's conceivable that you're dealing with some hardware-type problem here
> and not just a corruption of the OS. Where a hardware-type problem is the
> culprit in cases like the one you describe, it's usually the HDD that's
> defective although it's entirely possible some other major component of your
> system may be at the root of the problem you're experiencing. In any event,
> It's possible that you may be dealing with a defective HDD so it probably
> would be wise at this point to check out the HDD with a HDD diagnostic
> utility you can (usually) download from the website of the disk's
> manufacturer. It's very easy to use - the downloaded program allows you to
> create either as a bootable floppy disk or bootable CD containing the HDD
> diagnostic program. So give that some consideration.
> Anna
>
>
>

Mary:
It's just an acronym for Original Equipment Manufacturer. The problem here
is that many of these OEMs, e.g., Dell, Gateway, eMachines, etc. - generally
the kind of PC one would buy in a mass-merchandise store, e.g., Best Buy,
Circuit City, the "Office" stores, etc. - frequently do not provide a CD
with the "full" version of the XP OS (as you would get should you purchase a
full retail or non-branded version of the XP OS). Rather they provide a
so-called recovery or restore type of XP CD and in most cases this type of
XP CD will not provide for a "Repair" type of installation of the XP OS as I
have described.

(If you do a Google search for "OEM" you'll be pointed to more detailed
information on this).

Since you mentioned in one of your posts that your PC is a "custom made PC"
I'm hoping that you have a "full" version of the XP OS installation CD which
would allow you to undertake the Repair install.
Anna


"Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A89FC085-0069-4512-9E0A-E8B5D917687E@microsoft.com...
> Hi Anna and thank you. First off, I didn't understand what the "OEM"
> meant
> when you were speaking about the cd. Could you eplain?

>> >> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
>> >> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall
>> >> >xp. It
>> >> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was
>> >> > finished
>> >> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>> >> >
>> >> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl
>> >> > +
>> >> > Alt
>> >> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the
>> >> > keys,
>> >> > it
>> >> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart,
>> >> > it
>> >> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it
>> >> > doesn't
>> >> > seem to
>> >> > be acknowleding it either.
>> >> >
>> >> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the
>> >> > message.
>> >> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>> >> >
>> >> > Thank you in advance. Mary


>> > "Brian A." wrote:
>> >
>> >> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
>> >>
>> >> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
>> >> --
>> >>
>> >> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
>> >> Conflicts start where information lacks.
>> >> http://basconotw.mvps.org/


>> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:A23EB44B-EBA1-4CF1-AB51-7E7EB0F46D0D@microsoft.com...
>> > Thank you Brian for the reply.
>> >
>> > Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before
>> > I
>> > posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly
>> > where
>> > I
>> > followed the directions to do it.
>> >
>> > My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
>> > microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would
>> > probably
>> > be good to go if I could get past this message.
>> >
>> > I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
>> > Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made
>> > computer
>> > from
>> > a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck.
>> > I
>> > can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
>> >
>> > Thank you, Mary


> "Anna" wrote:
>> Mary:
>> Assuming you've tried the "fixes" detailed on the MS links that Brian
>> pointed you to and they were of no help, your best bet at this juncture
>> is
>> to try a Repair install of the XP OS.
>>
>> Assuming you have a non-OEM-branded XP installation CD at your disposal
>> and
>> not merely an OEM recovery CD or recovery partition situation you might
>> consider running a Repair install of the XP OS at this point in time in
>> view
>> of your other futile attempts to get the system up & running.
>>
>> I assume you've never done this before so here's some general info on the
>> process...
>>
>> Undertaking a Repair install of the OS is a relatively straightforward
>> process. It would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS,
>> but
>> in nearly every case your existing programs & user-created data would be
>> retained. Notice I said "nearly". While it would be a rather rare
>> situation
>> where data would be lost or corrupted as a result of the Repair install,
>> and
>> as unlikely as it may be, it *could* happen.
>>
>> So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that
>> are absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate their loss, then
>> I
>> would strongly suggest that before undertaking this Repair install
>> operation
>> that you first either make a "clone" of your existing HDD (using a disk
>> imaging program) or, if that's not practical, install the HDD in another
>> machine as a secondary HDD so that you can pull off whatever data you
>> want
>> onto some removable media, e.g., flash drive, CD, etc.
>>
>> Again, it's a relatively rare event that a loss or corruption of data
>> will
>> occur even when the Repair install is unsuccessful, but it *can* happen.
>> So
>> I want you to be aware of this.
>>
>> There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
>> undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult
>> process and not terribly time-consuming. It's roughly similar to making a
>> fresh install of the XP OS. If you do a Google search on "XP repair
>> install", you'll be pointed to many of these sites. Here are a few...
>> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XP...install.htm#RI
>> http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
>> http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
>> http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm
>>
>> Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V
>> program
>> to immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you
>> will
>> need to download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm
>> assuming that if you undertake this Repair install of the XP OS, you will
>> be
>> doing so with a XP installation CD that contains SP2). That, of course,
>> is
>> one of the downsides re undertaking a Repair install in that it's usually
>> an
>> onerous task to download all the Critical Updates from MS especially if
>> you
>> have a dialup phone connection rather than broadband.
>>
>> Anyway, give this some thought if you can't get your system back to a
>> functional state any other way.
>>
>> Just one other thing...
>> It's conceivable that you're dealing with some hardware-type problem here
>> and not just a corruption of the OS. Where a hardware-type problem is the
>> culprit in cases like the one you describe, it's usually the HDD that's
>> defective although it's entirely possible some other major component of
>> your
>> system may be at the root of the problem you're experiencing. In any
>> event,
>> It's possible that you may be dealing with a defective HDD so it probably
>> would be wise at this point to check out the HDD with a HDD diagnostic
>> utility you can (usually) download from the website of the disk's
>> manufacturer. It's very easy to use - the downloaded program allows you
>> to
>> create either as a bootable floppy disk or bootable CD containing the HDD
>> diagnostic program. So give that some consideration.
>> Anna

Thank you nesredep egrob,

"I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer from
a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there"

Once again, I cannot get into bios. Tried repeatedly for hours and tried
every key I could think of. No luck.

Thank you, can you think of anything else? Much appreciated.
"Mary" wrote:

> Thank you Brian for the reply.
>
> Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
> posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where I
> followed the directions to do it.
>
> My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
> microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would probably
> be good to go if I could get past this message.
>
> I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
> Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer from
> a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
> can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
>
> Thank you, Mary
>
> "Brian A." wrote:
>
> > http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
> >
> > or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
> >
> > --
> >
> > Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
> > Conflicts start where information lacks.
> > http://basconotw.mvps.org/
> >
> > Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> > How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
> >
> >
> > "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
> > >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
> > > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
> > > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
> > >
> > > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
> > > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
> > > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
> > > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
> > > be acknowleding it either.
> > >
> > > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
> > > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
> > >
> > > Thank you in advance. Mary
> >
> >

On Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:45:00 -0800, Mary <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
>would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
>to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>
>Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
>+Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
>restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
>doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
>be acknowleding it either.
>
>I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
>Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>
>Thank you in advance. Mary

Go into Bios - that is press Del or F2 depending on your computer and then
adjust the boot process for it to see the CD as the first choice. When done -
don't forget to put it back where it was, booting off the hard disk.

Borge in sunny Perth, Australia

"Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:%237qar5iVIHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>
>>
>>>
>>> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>>> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
>>>
>>>
>>> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
>>> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
>>> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
>>> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>>> >
>>> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
>>> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
>>> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
>>> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
>>> > be acknowleding it either.
>>> >
>>> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
>>> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>>> >
>>> > Thank you in advance. Mary
>
>
>> "Brian A." wrote:
>>
>>> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
>>>
>>> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
>>> Conflicts start where information lacks.
>>> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>
>
> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:A23EB44B-EBA1-4CF1-AB51-7E7EB0F46D0D@microsoft.com...
>> Thank you Brian for the reply.
>>
>> Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
>> posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where I
>> followed the directions to do it.
>>
>> My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
>> microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would probably
>> be good to go if I could get past this message.
>>
>> I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
>> Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer from
>> a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
>> can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
>>
>> Thank you, Mary
>
>
> Mary:
> Assuming you've tried the "fixes" detailed on the MS links that Brian pointed you
> to and they were of no help, your best bet at this juncture is to try a Repair
> install of the XP OS.
>
> Assuming you have a non-OEM-branded XP installation CD at your disposal and
> not merely an OEM recovery CD or recovery partition situation you might consider
> running a Repair install of the XP OS at this point in time in view of your other
> futile attempts to get the system up & running.
>
> I assume you've never done this before so here's some general info on the
> process...
>
> Undertaking a Repair install of the OS is a relatively straightforward process. It
> would be roughly akin to making a fresh install of the OS, but in nearly every case
> your existing programs & user-created data would be retained. Notice I said
> "nearly". While it would be a rather rare situation where data would be lost or
> corrupted as a result of the Repair install, and as unlikely as it may be, it
> *could* happen.
>
> So if there are any programs and/or other data on your present drive that are
> absolutely crucial to you and you could not tolerate their loss, then I would
> strongly suggest that before undertaking this Repair install operation that you
> first either make a "clone" of your existing HDD (using a disk imaging program) or,
> if that's not practical, install the HDD in another machine as a secondary HDD so
> that you can pull off whatever data you want onto some removable media, e.g., flash
> drive, CD, etc.
>
> Again, it's a relatively rare event that a loss or corruption of data will occur
> even when the Repair install is unsuccessful, but it *can* happen. So I want you to
> be aware of this.
>
> There are a number of websites that contain step-by-step instructions for
> undertaking a Repair install. Let me assure you that it's not a difficult process
> and not terribly time-consuming. It's roughly similar to making a fresh install of
> the XP OS. If you do a Google search on "XP repair install", you'll be pointed to
> many of these sites. Here are a few...
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XP...install.htm#RI
> http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
> http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138
> http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winx...exfullpage.htm
>
> Assuming the Repair install is successful, you should use your A-V program to
> immediately check out your PC for any virus infestation. Also, you will need to
> download/install *all* the MS critical updates since SP2. (I'm assuming that if you
> undertake this Repair install of the XP OS, you will be doing so with a XP
> installation CD that contains SP2). That, of course, is one of the downsides re
> undertaking a Repair install in that it's usually an onerous task to download all
> the Critical Updates from MS especially if you have a dialup phone connection
> rather than broadband.
>
> Anyway, give this some thought if you can't get your system back to a functional
> state any other way.
>
> Just one other thing...
> It's conceivable that you're dealing with some hardware-type problem here and not
> just a corruption of the OS. Where a hardware-type problem is the culprit in cases
> like the one you describe, it's usually the HDD that's defective although it's
> entirely possible some other major component of your system may be at the root of
> the problem you're experiencing. In any event, It's possible that you may be
> dealing with a defective HDD so it probably would be wise at this point to check
> out the HDD with a HDD diagnostic utility you can (usually) download from the
> website of the disk's manufacturer. It's very easy to use - the downloaded program
> allows you to create either as a bootable floppy disk or bootable CD containing the
> HDD diagnostic program. So give that some consideration.
> Anna
>


Anna, unless I'm missing something, a repair install will not work. Mary did state
in her original post that she had reformatted the hard drive.

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

Mary,
How and from where exactly did you reformat the hard drive?
What exactly is your "custom made computer" manufacturer/make/model?
If it's self/friend built, what is the motherboard manufacturer/make/model?
Do you know what BIOS is used, AMI, AWARD, etc.?
Some keys to try to enter the BIOS are: ESC, DEL, F1, F2, F10 or F11.
Which version of XP was installed?

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375


"Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A23EB44B-EBA1-4CF1-AB51-7E7EB0F46D0D@microsoft.com...
> Thank you Brian for the reply.
>
> Unfortunately, I had been to this page at least a hundred times before I
> posted here. As I stated, I made a boot floppy, and this is exactly where I
> followed the directions to do it.
>
> My problem seems to be that the computer is not reading anything, and
> microsoft is giving me directions for it to read something. I would probably
> be good to go if I could get past this message.
>
> I may be able to get it to boot from floppy if I could get into bios.
> Unfortunately again, I am having no luck. It was a custom made computer from
> a few yrs back and have tried everything to get into bios with no luck. I
> can't seem to figure out the right key to get me in there.
>
> Thank you, Mary
>
> "Brian A." wrote:
>
>> http://support.microsoft.com/search/...mm=1&spid=1173
>>
>> or if the link wraps/breaks: http://tinyurl.com/2mj4nt
>>
>> --
>>
>> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
>> Conflicts start where information lacks.
>> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>>
>> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
>>
>>
>> "Mary" <Mary@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:E0ADAF59-7CE7-4B28-8755-7F71E9BDE56D@microsoft.com...
>> >I reformatted to get rid of old junk. It is my intention to reinstall xp. It
>> > would appear that the reformatting went well. It stated when it was finished
>> > to type exit and hit enter. It would restart.
>> >
>> > Well, It did restart with this message "NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl + Alt
>> > +Del to restart". Of course nothing happens when you press the keys, it
>> > restarts with the same message. I have the xp cd in when I restart, it
>> > doesn't seem to be reading it. I made a floppy boot disk, it doesn't seem to
>> > be acknowleding it either.
>> >
>> > I cannot get it to do anything. It will only restart with the message.
>> > Please help me before I am bald, (I don't own any wigs).
>> >
>> > Thank you in advance. Mary
>>
>>