NTLDR Missing - 2000, XP and Server 2003

Have you ever run into the "NTLDR is missing; press any key to restart" error when you're booting up your computer?  First of all, NTLDR is short for

NT Loader. It's basically the boot loader for Windows NT, along with the later versions of 2000, XP and Server 2003.

The loader can be used from either a CD ROM, a USB flash drive or a primary hard disk. In order for it to run correctly, two specific files have to be set

up on the system. One is NTLDR, which functions as the main boot loader and the other other is boot.ini, which includes configuration options for a

boot menu. If you're using Windows NT, the file of ntdetect.com must also be present.

NTLDR also goes by several other names, such as SETUPLDR.BIN, I386/SETUPLDR.BIN and OSLOADER.EXE. So, if you're not able to find the actual NTLDR on your system, you may want to look for those other names. Also, just for your information, the NTLDR will not be able to function with Windows Vista, because the new operating system will divide its compatibility with the winload.exe and Windows Boot Manager components.

What happened? (How NTLDR works and why your PC can't find it)

When your computer starts, the BIOS attempts to find the primary hard drive's active partition to read the first sector for the MBR (Master Boot Record),

it uses that info to load the rest of the OS.  For Windows NT4/2k/XP the MBR is pointed to the NTLDR (New Technology Loader) and it takes it from there. 

If you get the "NTLDR is missing, press any key to restart" what's most likely going on is the BIOS either didn't look for the right drive, didn't find the right partition, it wasn't active, didn't find the MBR, or the MBR didn't list NTLDR in the right place,  the location of NTLDR changed, or you are looking at a

hardware failure situation (memory/cables/drive/motherboard/etc).

How to Repair This

Insert the Windows XP installation disk. Restart the computer. Press any key on your keyboard during the startup process to launch the installation setup screen. Press the "R" key on your keyboard when the Windows XP Setup screen appears. This launches the Windows XP Recovery Console program and a screen in which you can type command prompts.

Type "copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\" (without quotation marks) in the command prompt window, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Type "copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\" (without quotation marks), and press the Enter key again.

The Windows XP Setup software will detect and replace any NTLDR software files that may be missing or corrupt.

Press the "Y" key on your keyboard if the Windows XP Setup software asks for permission to rewrite and replace the files.

Type "exit" (without quotation marks) in the command prompt window to close the Setup software, then press the Enter key on your keyboard to

restart the PC. Windows XP will now launch without missing NTLDR errors.