New HD OS install problems

[zwanhinder]

Alright my current HD crashed so I bought an 80 GB Western Digital HD. I setup the HD already and am now trying to install my OS on it. First I tried to use my PCs backup disks on it, but it tells me "NTLOADER is missing press ctrl+alt+del to reboot". So I reboot and it tells me this everytime.

So next I tried a Windows XP install disk I have from one of my other PCs and it says the exact same thing for it as well. Am i doing something incorrectly? If so what can I do to get past this problem?

 

[mechBgon]

If the drive is alone on its IDE cable, you probably just need to change its jumper setting to Single Drive, which you do by removing the jumper cap from the pins and leaving it off. Give that a try

 

[Uncle Bob]

NT Loader is missing is usually displayed when trying to boot from floppy discs formatted by Windows NT/2K and XP

Try booting your system off of a bootable Windows 9x or MSDOS floppy and then you may be able to access your backup discs

Failing that, the Windows XP cd should be bootable. Make sure that there are no floppy discs inserted and boot your PC. If your HD is no longer bootable, the CD should launch the Windows XP setup program.

If the XP CD won't boot, you might need to set something in your PC's BIOS (look for boot order or bootable devices)

Good Luck

 

[zwanhinder]

As for the jumper settings that is the way I already have it setup (with no shunt on at all) so yes it is the only HD on the cable.

As for the having a floppy disk in no I do not have a floppy disk drive on this machine at all. I also already have been to the BIOS and set it up for booting off the CD do to the HD having no OS on it yet. Though it still fails to boot off of the either set of CDs. I don't have any Windows 9x or MSDOS floppies around but like I said this system doesn't even have a floppy drive in it.

So after messing with it all day I still get the same errors no matter what I try, so if anyone has anymore ideas I'll be more than eager to try them.

 

[mechBgon]

Are you seeing the "Press any key to boot from CD..." prompt at any point in there?

 

[zwanhinder]

Yes but only when I use the offical windows XP install disk (which I purchased seperate from the PC I am working on).
It says something very close to this.


Bootable CD
No emulation


NTLOADER is missing
Press ctrl+alt+del to reboot

 

[mechBgon]

Did you press a key at that prompt? If you did, and it did not boot from the CD to begin Windows Setup, then double-check that your keyboard is plugged into the purple-ish port and not the green one (green's for PS/2 mice, purple for PS/2 keyboard).

 

[zwanhinder]

yes everything is plugged in correctly and as for hitting any keys during that time no i have not been hitting any keys to get that. It just boots up to a screen with some specs listed and then the disk spins and a few seconds later i get that error. If I hit the ctlr+alt+del to reboot it just keeps repeating the same error. I have even tried another new 80 GB drive and I get the exact same problem.

 

[mechBgon]

Try again, and when it prompts you to Press any key to boot from CD..., hit the Enter key. Windows Setup should begin.