EggXpert

My roommates computer is having the ntldr is missing issue.  I am trying to reinstall windows to fix this issue but when I have to select a drive to install it on, it can not detect any hard drives.  I checked in the bios and the drive is detected there.  I tried windows recovery but when I check the directory of c:\ there is nothing there.  when i do fixboot c: it says there is no drive.  Anyone have any idea why the drive is detected in the bios but not when i try to install?  It shouldn't be a driver issue as I did install the sata drivers from the floppy.

Do you have another PC you could move that drive to and try checking it or formatting there?

Here's some blogs that might help too:

http://www.eggxpert.com/blogs/rj_systems/archive/2008/03/12/bad-hard-drives-how-to-diagnose-clone-repair.aspx

 

http://www.eggxpert.com/blogs/rj_systems/archive/2008/03/11/taking-care-of-those-bad-hard-drives.aspx

Your Windows XP CD and/or troubleshooting Cd (BartPE/WinPE?) Do not have the proper SATA controller drivers to recognize the user's SATA hard drive.

For WinXP installer, slipstream (eww, work) drivers onto a fresh burn, OR hit F6 at start of XP install to install SATA controller drivers (downloadable from mobo or PC support site) from FLOPPY DISK (only options in XP). 

For Vista (eww new OS) you can BROWSE for drivers from HDD, CD, USB, or Floppy, but that won't help you for an XP repair.

For the BartPE/WinPE, your only option is to slipstream (turn a CD into an ISO, and modify the files on that ISO by editing .INI files and adding drivers, ADVANCED TECHIE TASK ONLY). 

Good point.  Most PCs / motherboards should come with driver disk.

The first link to RJ's blog  contains a link to the Hitachi tool....    http://www.majorgeeks.com/IBM_-_Hitachi_Drive_Fitness_Test_d2828.html        if you still have issues.   

Sorry I am so late:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555304/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320397/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057/en-us 

But for NTFS or Windows XP, here are the steps:

• Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
• At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
• Press the number to choose the location for the installation of Windows you want to repair.
• Typically this will be #1 unless you have dual-boot.
• Type in the administrator password. (If no password, just press Enter)
• Enter in the following commands (X: is drive letter of CDROM drive)
• COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C\:
• COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\
• Take out the CD ROM and type exit

Source : Microsoft

 

so we moved it to another pc.  we able to format it, install windows xp and boot from it on another pc.

i'm thinking motherboard issue, but still unsure.

PapaHomer:

Do you have another PC you could move that drive to and try checking it or formatting there?

Here's some blogs that might help too:

http://www.eggxpert.com/blogs/rj_systems/archive/2008/03/12/bad-hard-drives-how-to-diagnose-clone-repair.aspx

 

http://www.eggxpert.com/blogs/rj_systems/archive/2008/03/11/taking-care-of-those-bad-hard-drives.aspx

IMO, there's a number of things that can cause the ntldr to get corrupted.   FacistNation's suggestions are the first thing you should try. 

Once you start down other paths, that ship has probably sailed.

So....stick it back in the PC and give it a shot....first get into the BIOS setup and see if your BIOS is recognizing the drive.  You could also download the tool...I believe that you burn it to a CD and boot to that to test the HD.

If your BIOS doesn't recognize the drive there's probably other problems.

after the format and reinstall we don't get a ntldr error anymore.  It now gets as far as the windows loading screen and then the computer just restarts.  Trying to reinstall windows on the original pc still doesn't work.  It still can't recognize the hard drive.  I'm going to download a tool to test the hd.

PapaHomer:

IMO, there's a number of things that can cause the ntldr to get corrupted.   FacistNation's suggestions are the first thing you should try. 

Once you start down other paths, that ship has probably sailed.

So....stick it back in the PC and give it a shot....first get into the BIOS setup and see if your BIOS is recognizing the drive.  You could also download the tool...I believe that you burn it to a CD and boot to that to test the HD.

If your BIOS doesn't recognize the drive there's probably other problems.

ignore/delete

I seemed to have double posted.

I did the hitachi drive fitness test and the hard drive seems to be perfectly fine.  My next guess is the motherboard at this point.  Unless there is a possibility that it is the power supply?

PapaHomer:

Good point.  Most PCs / motherboards should come with driver disk.

The first link to RJ's blog  contains a link to the Hitachi tool....    http://www.majorgeeks.com/IBM_-_Hitachi_Drive_Fitness_Test_d2828.html        if you still have issues.   

Gosh, I'm not sure at this point.  One would think that you have what you need if you ran the tool on the PC in question...because it has to use the interface on the board.

So this is a SATA....  Do you have another drive installed?   Can you swap it to another SATA port?  another power connector?

If you installed windows on another PC...you might have to reinstall to get the right drivers for your board.  In general, you can't take an installed hard drive and move it from one system to another because windows needs the right drivers and HAL dll etc.

PapaHomer:

If you installed windows on another PC...you might have to reinstall to get the right drivers for your board.  In general, you can't take an installed hard drive and move it from one system to another because windows needs the right drivers and HAL dll etc.

Agreed, but there IS no "if" here. 

"so we moved it to another pc.  we able to format it, install windows xp and boot from it on another pc."

lanthar: you need to do a "repair" installation on this PC.  You procede as if you are starting-over, but after you press [F8] it will search for previous installations.  If it detects the one you did already, (which it should,) then you will be given the option to "repair this installation".  Do that.

Tallon41

I tried doing the repair option but it won't recognize the drive.  I tried changing sata ports as well as the power connectors.  It's really baffling me at this point.  We took it to a local computer shop and they swear up and down that the hard drive is bad.  They used a program called pc doctor to test it. (this was before the hd test I did).  I'm fairly clueless at this point.  I'm tempted to take everything out and put it together one piece at a time.  We tried a different sata hd as well and had the same issues.

Tallon41:

PapaHomer:

If you installed windows on another PC...you might have to reinstall to get the right drivers for your board.  In general, you can't take an installed hard drive and move it from one system to another because windows needs the right drivers and HAL dll etc.

Agreed, but there IS no "if" here. 

"so we moved it to another pc.  we able to format it, install windows xp and boot from it on another pc."

lanthar: you need to do a "repair" installation on this PC.  You procede as if you are starting-over, but after you press [F8] it will search for previous installations.  If it detects the one you did already, (which it should,) then you will be given the option to "repair this installation".  Do that.

Tallon41

lanthar:

It's really baffling me at this point.  We took it to a local computer shop and they swear up and down that the hard drive is bad.

and this is the same drive you installed in a different PC and installed Windows on it without incident ?  They say is bad ?  When you "took it to a repair shop"  did you mean the whole Tower, or just the HDD ?  If they didn't remove the HDD and run the test on it from their own Test PC, then that was a miss-leading result.  If that drive tests good outside that Tower, then the problem is inside the Tower.

lanthar:

We tried a different sata hd as well and had the same issues.

Did you confirm that the mobo supports SATA150 or SATA300 ?  If you mobo only supports 150, then the drive needs to be jumpered to bump it down to that transfer speed.  What make/model mobo do you have?

Tallon41