Can't install Windows XP on new machine, NTLDR Missing, please HELP!!!!

[guyuoft]

I had 2 HDD in my "old" machine (XP 1800+ and NF7-S), WD 40G (master) NTFS and WD 80G (Slave) FAT32. Now i've built a new machine with P4 3.2c and P4P800 DLX, I plan to only use the WD 80G in my new machine. I took it out from the old one and popped in the new one, then I proceeded to boot from the Windows XP CD to install Win XP on the drive.
IT wouldn't even boot from the installation CD, when it's supposed to enter the installation program of Windows XP, instead it just shows the msg "NTLDR Missing, Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"

This drive is Fat32, I got 60G of data on it so I don't want to reformat it, but it shouldn't be a problem installing Win XP on a Fat.

Any Ideas?

 

[MrChad]

Did you set the boot order in your BIOS to boot from the CD first?

 

[guyuoft]

Yep, from the beginning.

 

[Sianath]

Did you press a key to boot from cd? NTLDR is used during the boot process, not the install process.

 

[guyuoft]

the thing is that wiht my HDD installed, it no longer says "press any key to boot from CD...."
if I unplug the HDD, it says that msg and boots to WINXP CD fine.

 

[spyordie007]

So the problem is that you cant get the system to boot off the CD-ROM drive.

I'd start playing around with your boot order in the bios, if you've got it set to boot off cd first and hd second you could try removing the hd alltogether from the boot order so that it will *only* boot from the CD. Than once it completes the first part of the install process you could just set it back to boot from the hd.

-Erik

 

[Sianath]

What kind of CD is it as well? MSDN CD's aren't bootable (custom CD's could also have this problem), and if that's the case, you'll automatically jump past it and go to the next item in the boot order.

 

[spyordie007]

The CD has to be bootable, he said that if he disconnects the HD than it boots from the CD. From what he's said it looks like the problem is that it just isnt booting from the CD and just starting on the HD.

BTW all the MSDN OS CDs I've used are bootable.

-Erik

 

[superHARD]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
The CD has to be bootable, he said that if he disconnects the HD than it boots from the CD. From what he's said it looks like the problem is that it just isnt booting from the CD and just starting on the HD.

BTW all the MSDN OS CDs I've used are bootable.

-Erik

But it does boot off cd without hd connected...if it won't boot off cd with hd connected you are having a mobo problem...if YOU are able to correctly set up the boot order

 

[Kelemvor]

Just go here and download the XP Boot/Setup disks. BOot from them, have the CD in the drive, and it should go through and install just fine. That's what I did when I had problems with Win2k and it worked like a charm...

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm