For the average user system that does not start is usually a frightening experience, especially if important information is stored on the harddisks. If you happen to see the error “NTLDR is missing” and the boot process does not continue do not panic, as it is usually not a sign of hardware failure. It means that Windows cannot find one of the crucial files needed to startup normally you may be able to easily fix it in few short steps and return your system to normal health. Still if you have important information, it always advisable to back it up if errors of any type begin to happen.

Most common cause of the crash

Error in the bootup process, saying “NTLDR is missing” almost always happens if you try to bot up from USB flash drive or CD. It happens unintentionally, as for the most of the time the flash drive is not connected, and everything is normal. Just remove CD or DVD from the drive, disconnect all USB memory devices and try to reboot. Chances are error will be gone and Windows will load normally. This happens because your computer is set up to try to first boot from device different than your primary harddisk. If you do not want to mess up with the BIOS, leave it that way. It guarantees you will be able to reinstall Windows, if you wish to do so, as the process requires bootup from the DVD.

Minor hardware issues

“NTLDR is missing” error can also be caused by a loose connector or bad connecting cables between your primary HDD and the system motherboard. With modern day SATA devices the contact is not so firm as with the old fashioned IDE drives, so a quick reconnection of all SATA cables may fix the issue very fast too. If you do not feel competent enough, leave to a professional though, as you may easily create bigger mess while you try to find the cable and unplug it to reconnect it. Still, it is a quick fix worth mentioning, and may help you if your knowledge on computer hardware is just above average.

If the NTLDR file is really missing

Malware applications exist that might cause the “NTLDR is missing” error. Some viruses that want to prevent access to you system will actually delete the file, stalling the next boot up process, making normal Windows load impossible. You can still easily recover your Windows installation and keep your information with a little trick. Put in your original Windows CD or DVD and boot up from it. When presented with the options to start, select “Recovery Console” to get to the DOS prompt. Then (in the example disk C: is accepted to be your installed Windows HDD, and D: is your CD or DVD drive, change these accordingly) type in the following commands, which will copy the original files from your Windows CD or DVD to your HDD:

Copy d:\i386\NTDETECT.COM c:\
Copy d:\i386\NTLDR c:\

Then remove the disk from the CD or DVD drive and reboot.

If the error continues, consider taking your system to a qualified service technician for more thorough examination. State that you have important information to prevent him from reformatting your HDD and losing it.