NTLDR Missing

System Spec's

Gigabyte 8i915G Motherboard

Windows XP Pro

C Drive: Seagate 200GB IDE HDDrive with 20GB Partition for Windows and all programs.

E Drive: Remaining partition is used for Data.

F Drive: 2nd Seagate 200GB IDE HDDrive as backup for data


3 images taken using TI 8.0
1st with ONLY Windows fully up-to-date.
2nd with 99% of regular programs that I use, installed.
3rd taken this morning just prior to installing a new program.

All images verified OK.

Usually I can restore an image in about 3min, trying to restore the 3rd image this morning came up as 30min, at this point I knew something was wrong.

I have tried restoring multiple times throughout the day without success. I have tried formatting the 20GB partition as well as removing the partition.

Each time 30min is required to restore the image, and it doesn’t matter what image I try to restore.

Each time a message is produced after closing TI and having the system reboot: NTLDR missing.

What do I do now? ? ?

Cheers

 

if it's a two hdd system disconnect your second hdd and try again

 

Tried that several times, in fact after the 1st and 2nd failure to restart I unplugged the 2nd drive.

Cheers

 

Hello Blackspear,

Thank you for choosing Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/).

We are really sorry for the inconveniences.

First of all, please make sure you use the latest build, which is available on our web site at http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/support/updates/. To get access to updates you should register your software first at http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/registration/. Please disable any download managers, internet download/connection boosters, etc. before the download.

Could you please create Acronis Report with all disks plugged to your computer and send it to support@acronis.com along with the link to this thread? If you are unable to boot Windows on your computer please do the following:

- Download Acronis Report utility from http://www.acronis.com/files/support/AcronisReport.exe
- Run Acronis Report utility and select the "Create bootable floppy" option;
- Insert a blank floppy disk in the floppy drive and proceed with creating the bootable diskette;
- Boot the computer under consideration from this diskette and wait for report creation process to complete.

To get Acronis Report under Windows please see https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=55317

Acronis Support Team will certainly help you with the solution.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

When this happened to me, I believe I followed directions similar to those provided here. This isn't the precise link, but the general idea is there. May also need to copy NTDETECT over.

Blue

 

Thanks AS have just made a report and are sending it now.

Thanks Blue, taking a look at that link in a sec.

Cheers

 

No go Blue, thanks anyway, it comes up with the following error message:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll.

Please reinstall a copy of the above file.

Cheers

 

I'm using Windows 2000 Pro - assuming it is same for XP:
Check boot.ini for the active partition - the partition(n) must have n set to the correct partition number for the active partition being booted. You can use the Recovery Console to execute "map arc" to see the arc path for each partition. A wrong arc path (generally the wrong partition number) will cause the NTLDR error.
Check that the hardware configuration has not changed since that partition was last used by Windows - when restoring a partition it must be into exactly the same hardware configuration. I've seen the hal.dll error when the restored partition does not have the same hardware configuration as the current environment.

 

Hi Tachyon42, thanks for your reply.

How do I check boot.ini?

How do I do this?

No changes whatsoever to any hardware.

Cheers

 

Hi, Blackspear

Just done a quick search that might be of some help, just Ignore the title :- Re: True Image trashed my computer!

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Thanks TQ, tried that, this motherboard has 3 IDE channels, the 1st is for CDROM's (yes I know highly unusual, but this is according to the manuel), the 2nd is for Primary Master/Slave, the 3rd is for Secondary Master/Slave.

The recovery console cannot find and hard drives, even though they are shown in the BIOS.

Cheers

 

Hi, Blackspear

I just re-read your first post.

Does your Image inclued the E:\ Partition.

Becaue if not, you might be missing your MBR.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Hello Blackspear,

Have you received a reply from Acronis Support Team? If not please send me a PM with your Acronis request # which was sent to you in autoreply.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

Hi Ilya, nothing as of yet.

PM has been sent.

Cheers

 

No, I only image the C Drive.

Data is backed from E to 2nd drive using Replicator.

Cheers

 

Hi Blackspear,
I know it's not the symptom you're getting but there's some relevent info at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314503
as well as a link to:
307654 How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP
You could also do a search using "NTLDR" or "NTLDR XP" at left hand side of the Microsoft Support page: http://support.microsoft.com/ and you might find other useful info.

 

Thanks Tachyon42, when you receive the hal.dll missing error message Microsoft suggests a reinstall of Windows is required.

I have made the boot disk as per the links you provided, however upon boot (same when using the XP Disk) I receive the missing hal.dll file error message.

Cheers

 

I have slaved the drive off a running system and copied across all missing files into the main directory, including a copy of hal.dll, without any success, it still comes up telling me that hal.dll is corrupt or missing. So I guess I'll have to wait for AS to come back with a solution...

Cheers

 

Blackspear - The only time I've seen this hal.dll error was when I booted a partition (which happened to be a Windows XP Pro partition from a DELL machine) which I had incorrectly restored to the computer I use daily (not a DELL and having substantially different hardware).
The hal in hal.dll means Hardware Abstraction Layer - which is involved in relating the actual hardware to the device driver software (perhaps someone else can give a more technically correct explanation).

Here's another link which may help:http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314477
It comments that:
"This behavior can occur if any or some of the following conditions are true:
• The Default value in the [Boot Loader] section of the Boot.ini file is missing or invalid.
• Windows XP is not installed in the location specified in the Boot.ini file.
• The Ntoskrnl.exe file is missing or damaged.
• The partition path in the Boot.ini file is not set correctly.
• General hardware failure."

Can you successfully install Windows XP to a new partition on the disk?

Another thought - are you conforming to the 1024 cylinder (8GB) boundary limit?

 

Thanks Tachyon42, I have read through that article, tried allsorts, nothing has worked. Acronis Support think they should be able to resolve it.

I suspect it has to do with this new motherboard that has 3 IDE channels, and yes, it was installed with a FRESH copy of Windows XP Pro, then an image was taken, then all programs installed and a 2nd image taken.

All hardware functions perfectly, and can install another fresh copy of Windows, however I shouldn't have to, and should this issue arise again with this type of motherboard I would like to know the solution...

Cheers

 

Hello Blackspear,

I have sent you a letter so please check your inbox and if the solution works (it should) you may post it here if you wish.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

Thanks Ilya, trying it now, will know in about 45min, and will post the results.

Cheers

 

Hi Ilya, I have replied to your email with the following:

I found the 3 files were on the "Data" partition, so I transfered them across to the C Drive, opened boot.ini and changed the partitons from 2 to 1.

I still get:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.


Cheers

 

Hello Blackspear,

You shouldn't have transferred any files from your Data partition. Could you please tell the names of them?

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

boot.ini
NTDETECT.COM
ntldr

were on the Data drive and missing from the C Drive.

Cheers