# Acer Aspire 5670 recovery failed NTLDR is missing [Moved from XP]



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

Ok, it's been 5 months since my laptop broke down, well, I have found the 5 recovery discs, I have gone through the recovery process for about 30 min and it finishes up and ejects the disc, then it reboots and loads normally until before the Windows XP bootup screen, (Windows Logo with loading bar underneath) a small message appears; "NTLDR is missing, press any key to reboot." I've pressed a key and it goes to the same message, without rebooting, it just refreshes. So what is NTLDR and why is it missing? It shouldn't be..


----------



## Robertman (May 24, 2008)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Try here:

http://www.bestpricecomputers.ltd.uk/freehelp/ntldr_missing.htm


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Hi Verac !

What's the brand and model of the laptop ? What caused the problem 5 months ago ?

Unless you can access the recovery console by pressing some key at startup or by using the recovery disks, grab a retail XP CD (borrow one), boot the laptop on it and press 'R' at the first screen to get into the recovery console. If prompted to, select your installation and enter the admin password (leave blank if you didn't set any) until you are at a c:\windows\ command prompt. 

Type *chkdsk c: /R*. The computer will restart and scan the hard drive for errors. Tell us if it found any.

Once you know the drive is clean boot in the recovery console again and type *bootcfg /rebuild*. Follow these instructions from Microsoft :


> When the Windows installation is located, the following instructions are displayed:
> Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
> [Type Y in response to this message.]
> 
> ...


Report if you can get into Windows, we'll help you fix the boot.ini file for good.

If you still can't boot into windows then in the recovery console from the c:\windows\ command prompt type *CD ..* then from the c:\ prompt type *dir ntldr* then *dir ntdetect.com*. Check that both files exist.

See this link from ComputerHope for other possible causes of the "NTLDR is missing" error message : http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Alright, it is an Acer Aspire 5670, and the problem, we aren't sure,we believe it is either a game we installed, or the magnets in the TV next to it. And I know absolutely nobody with a XP disc, except, maybe my friend. I'll ask him once I get back to Ohio.


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

You'll need an XP CD to access the recovery console.

Here's a workaround that should work without the need for an XP CD if the problem is only with the boot.ini, ntldr or ntdetect.com files : 

Download and unzip fixntldriso.zip. You'll get a fixntldr.iso image file which you'll use to create a bootable CD. It's an image file that contains the files and structure of the CD so you can't just drag and drop it on a blank CD. You'll need to use the burn from .iso/image file feature of your burning software. If in doubt use isorecorder or imgburn.

Once you have created the CD insert it in your laptop, start the laptop and enter the BIOS (look for some message telling you to "press xx to enter setup", should be F1, F2 or CTRL+ALT+ESC). There set the boot order priority to CD-rom first, save and exit.

The computer will boot on the CD and you'll see a menu with different choices. Try the first one and see if you can get into Windows. If you get a disk error or an ntldr or hal.dll is missing error then try the next option. Refer to the readme.txt file that you'll find on the CD for more informations.

Source : http://www.tinyempire.com/notes/ntldrismissing.htm

If you can get into windows then report here and we'll provide the instructions to restore your boot.ini and ntldr files. If you get any other error message then give us the exact error message.


----------



## Guest (May 24, 2008)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

http://www.techsupportforum.com/content/Software/Tips/157.html

Read over my TSF Article on it. It's a full tutorial on how to fix those sort of issues :wink:


----------



## vladimirb (Mar 31, 2008)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Also try FIXMBR in Recovery Console when you come back to Ohio. Maybe that will help.
Cheers...


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

@ vladimirb : Fixmbr is not needed as long as there's no evidence that the master boot record is corrupt. Let's first see if fixing the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini files does the trick.


----------



## vladimirb (Mar 31, 2008)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*



justpassingby said:


> @ vladimirb : Fixmbr is not needed as long as there's no evidence that the master boot record is corrupt. Let's first see if fixing the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini files does the trick.


Sorry went to far... :grin:


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*



justpassingby said:


> You'll need an XP CD to access the recovery console.
> 
> Here's a workaround that should work without the need for an XP CD if the problem is only with the boot.ini, ntldr or ntdetect.com files :
> 
> ...


Ok, burned the disc using a built-in feature, and all the choices on the disc are duds. Now what? Because I can't do anything involoving a REAL xp disc. UNLESS, I can download a full ISO image.


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Downloading an XP CD would be illegal and according to the rules we can't provide instructions on how to do that here on TSF (hear my word : if you manage to get an XP CD I don't want to know how you got it and I'll continue to help you given the situation :wink.

Do you get the exact same error when you tried all the options ? 

Enter the BIOS at startup and see if there's some setting to disable "sata native mode", "native command queuing", "AHCI" or to set the hard drive to work as an IDE drive. Also check that it detects the hard drive properly. Retry the boot CD.

If you manage to get a retail XP CD first thing I'd do would be to run chkdsk c: /R on the drive. Then copy the ntldr and ntdetect.com files, check that they were copied correctly, type fixboot and bootcfg /rebuild and see if it detects you windows isntallation. Once it's added to the boot.ini file try to restart normally. If that didn't work then take the hard drive out (read below) and backup your files to stay on the safe side, then from the recovery console run fixmbr as vladimirb suggested and retry to boot normally.

If you have another computer at hands then another possibility would be to take the drive out of the laptop and hook it to another computer, either directly in a desktop computer with sata ports, or using a 2.5'' sata to USB enclosure (20-25$ on newegg). This will allow you to run chkdsk on the drive, get your files back and check that the ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini files are ok.

Note that if you were able to backup your stuff and can't seem to fix the system you can always reinstall from scratch using the recovery partition (look for some message at startup telling you to press some key to start recovery) or CD. If all your troubleshooting attemps fail I would run the HDD manufacturer's diagnostic utility (long/extended test from the dos bootable version) on the hard drive before reinstalling. You'll need to check the sticker that's on the hard drive itself to know what brand and model it is.


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Ok, I'm in the chkdsk process, I'll let you know what comes up.


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

Since the problem happened after you used the recovery disks to reinstall (just reread the beginning of your thread) there's probably some problem on the hard drive. Actually I'd run the manufacturer's HDD diagnostic on the drive anyway (you'll have to open the laptop drive bay to see what's the brand of the drive) followed by fixmbr. Don't know about Acer but some laptops also come with a diagnostic partition, see if there's some message at startup or in the BIOS telling you to press some key to test the drive or start diagnostics.

But let's see what chkdsk reports first.


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

No errors, and I've copied NTLDR, and NTDETECT.COM, but when I restart it says that hal.dll and boot.ini are corrupt.

Edit
I put in a new boot.ini from CD, so that is working ok, now the only problem is hal.dll, which I've tried copying, but I think I can't get it, I may need to put it onto a different directory than c:.


----------



## Rob 1 (Apr 2, 2008)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

If you ran the recovery discs and are still getting ntdlr missing, then it also could be that the hard drive has failed.


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

you need to copy hal.dll to c:\windows\system32 :
*expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll* (d being the CD drive letter)


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

GAHH! It won't work, it says it is incorrect when I try D, when I try E, it says it cannot be found, any other ways to copy?


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

*Re: NTLDR is missing?*

You're using the recovery console with a retail XP CD right ?

What's the exact error message you get when trying to boot normally ? Is it "hal.dll missing or corrupt" or is it something else ?

What's the error message you got when you tried to copy hal.dll ? To know which volume letter you need to use to access the Cd drive type dir d:, dir e: until you see hear the CD spinning in the drive or see the little light turn on. The files that are on the CD will be listed.

From the recovery console type bootcfg /rebuild and see if it detects your windows installation. If so refer to the instructions in post #3 to add it to the boot.ini file and restart the computer.

The problem with copying the ntldr, ntdetect and hal.dll files is that there are different versions of those files and I bet the retail versions aren't the same as the ones your OEM installation need. With OEM installations you're not supposed to repair the missing files by copying them over, your only option is often a destructive recovery that wipes the drive and reinstalls a default factory installation. It's just weird that it didn't work in your case.

Are you sure you did a destructive recovery ? Refer to the laptop's manual on how to start the recovery, you may have chosen the wrong options or booted on the wrong disk.

I have never performed a recovery on an Acer laptop and I can't find the manual for your model (can't access global.acer.com) so I'll move this thread to the laptop support section, the guys there may know more about the recovery options.

Edit : finally managed to access Acer's website. I'm downloading the manual to see if there's more about the recovery process.


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

Ok restoring from the backup disks doesn't reinstall the system from scratch. You need to press Alt+F10 at startup then select recovery actions and select restore factory default image (if the option is not there you may need to use the restore system from CD option with the system CD, not the backup CD's).

Note that this will erase the hard drive. If there are any files that you need you'll need to take the hard drive out and plug it to another computer to save your files before you restore the factory installation.

Acer Aspire 5670 user guide


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

There is no system CD for the computer, I have a retail XP Home SP1, I've installed that, and all the drivers that come with the computer are not with, I'm in the process of trying to get my WiFi card to be setup...

Edit
And when I mean drivers I mean no graphics, no sound, no built in recovery, no nothing but standard XP. As I've said, I have downloaded a program on THIS computer, put it on a CD and brought it over to my computer. The program needs internet access and it will get all drivers for my particular model.


----------



## Rob 1 (Apr 2, 2008)

Verac said:


> There is no system CD for the computer, I have a retail XP Home SP1, I've installed that, and all the drivers that come with the computer are not with, I'm in the process of trying to get my WiFi card to be setup...
> 
> Edit
> And when I mean drivers I mean no graphics, no sound, no built in recovery, no nothing but standard XP. As I've said, I have downloaded a program on THIS computer, put it on a CD and brought it over to my computer. The program needs internet access and it will get all drivers for my particular model.


You do not want to go online with SP1.

:4-thatsba

You're going to want to download SP2 onto the computer you're using right now, then burn it to disc, and install it on top of the XP SP1 disc.

SP1 had some huge holes in it that got exploited. Your computer can get infected just by being online, literally within minutes of logging on.


----------



## Guest (May 26, 2008)

Good work on that note Rob 1, but we usually recommend for people just to have SP1a before even starting because thats where the real holes were. SP1a was just a big security plug while SP2, though it had security updates, was more about reliability and interface. The major security item in SP2 was the installation of the Security Center for XP. SP3 he should still get but thats mostly about reliability, and functionality too.

Sorry for jumping in so quickly again. :grin:


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

@ Verac : what happens when you press Alt+F10 at startup ? Search for a restore factory default image option. Contact Acer to get the system disk, manufacturers usually ship it for a small fee.

You can use a retail XP CD to access the recovery partition and run a chkdsk scan but not to reinstall XP, unless you bought the CD and the product key. You won't be able to use your OEM product key to activate Windows and if you use a key that's already been used on another computer you won't be able to reactivate nor install updates.


----------



## Verac (Jul 26, 2007)

I've received my discs today from Acer. I used them, same damn problem! And my retail disc won't even start for some reason...


----------



## justpassingby (Mar 11, 2007)

You mean a destructive recovery using the recovery CD's didn't work ? Make sure you choosed the restore factory default/destructive recovery option that formats the drive before reinstalling. Did you get any errors when the files were copied to your drive ?

Test your hard drive with the manufacturer's diagnostic utility. You'll need to open the drive bay to check the brand and model of your drive. Then create the DOS bootable CD that corresponds to your drive, boot the computer with that CD and run the long/extended test on the drive.

If that didn't help then I'll leave it to the hardware guys. If the whole recovery process can be started from the bootable recovery CD then I'd wipe the drive with dban to have a clean start but don't do this until someone confirms that you don't need to access the recovery partition to start the recovery process.


----------

