"NTLDR is Missing" Error Message - Can't Solve Please Help

[Sahrin]

I finished assembling my latest rig today. Specs:

Athlon 64 X2 4400+
2GB OCZ Gold DDR500
Asus A8N32 SLI Deluxe
Powercolor X1900XT
Aspire Dark Side 600W PSU
MaxLine III 300GB SATA II
Pioneer DVR-110D

I put everything together, linkup keyboard, monitor and press the round button. Post goes well, get the beep, then into Windows install. I format the drive using NTFS (non-quick), then copy install files. I walked away from the install and got a stop error (BSOD), and stupidly didn't note it's nature. Restart leads to the following message:

NTLDR is missing
Three Finger Salute to Restart

So I restart. Same message. Do that a couple more times before I get infuriated, and then I format the drive using MaxBlast. Try the install procedure again, without using the XP Setup format utility (using the drive clean formatted from MaxBlast). Same problem.

Off an on I will get a message that no boot device is detected, and I should insert bootable media and/or restart.

A problem I am unsure if is related to the aforementioned problems, XP Setup will have errors copying files during the file copying process. I hit "enter" to retry and it almost always ends up getting the file (after as many as 50 retries).

Every new attempt that results in getting the setup process to the "Copying Files" portion leads to a BSOD.

Are all of these problems related? Did I make idiotic hardware choices? I am getting very frustrated with this situation and would appreciate any help.

 

[markkleb]

First dont take this wrong, I know your not dumb but check the ez stuff first.

ReSet mobo battery first. Some times before I had this problem and when I switched memory it went away. Try using just 1 stick.

Make sure the cd is clean...

Your hardware is a dream system to 95% of us.

 

[NYTRIDR]

you are more than likely plugging the sata into the wrong channel. i would move it to one of the other slots on your mobo and restart.

 

[Ricemarine]

Ever tried manually setting the OCZ timings?.

Otherwise, although possibly unlikely, your PSU might not be able to support the power. Check your rails.

 

[L00PY]

1) Google for the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows.
2) Make yourself a disk.
3) Insert your copy of the UBCD.
4) Boot to it and run the memtests, hard drive tests, and stress tests.
5) Fix / replace the culprit.

 

[Jiggz]

If the copying of the files was completed but cannot find the NTLDR during the first reboot, then it could be that hdd is not selected as a boot device or the SATA driver was not installed (hitting F6) during installation. As for the files not being copied for the first try, it could be a scratched or dirty XP CD.

 

[AMCRambler]

Could be some crap in the master boot record of the drive. Try booting to a dos prompt and then running "fdisk /mbr" on the disk. This is supposed to restore your master boot record.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, Not 100% sure on this. Read that a dummy NTLDR (NT LOADER) will fool the install so that it continues instead of giving you the error. Empty file, no extension, NTLDR. Might put a couple of spaces and a CR in it. Worked for me once. Make it with Notepad. Good Luck, Jim


Edit: Happened to a friend a couple of days ago. Was going to try above, but found that NTLDR was actually on the drive! Restarted the install and all was well. Jim

 

[Sahrin]

Hey, sorry guys, thanks for your help. Just wanted to keep you interested ones in the loop, it was a bad stick of RAM from OCZ. RMA to the egg and we're set to jet. Great system and now paired with a Dell 2005FPW. I'm in heaven.