How to fix ntldr missing in a Windows 7 PC?

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As of this moment, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”

—Thomas J. Watson

NT Loader or NTLDR for short is a boot loader for Windows NT operating systems up to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. It is run from your primary hard drive but can also be run from other storage devices like a CD-ROM, floppy disk or USB. Furthermore, it can load an operating system which is not NT-based if it has the correct boot sector file.

NTLDR requires 3 major files for it to run properly:

• Ntldr, which is the boot loader itself.
• NTDETECT. COM, it detects the hardware information which is required for successfully booting an NT-based operating system.
• Boot.ini, which contains boot configuration.

This error should normally not occur in Windows 7 because it does not have NTLDR. This file has been replaced by BOOTMGR and winload.exe. The only logical reason for this error is that you upgraded your operating system from Windows XP to Windows 7 and there is a faulty dual boot setup. Users may encounter this error due to various reasons:

• An extra hard disk that has been recently added to your system to your system
• Boot from a non-bootable drive
• A wrongly setup hard drive in BIOS
• A missing boot.ini file due to a corrupted boot sector

In this article, I am going to show you how to fix ‘ntldr is missing in windows 7’.

Firstly, we will conduct a system repair, using a Windows 7 installation disc or USB. This procedure requires you to create a Windows 7 bootable CD or USB. Once you have created it, insert the installation CD or drive and restart your PC:

• Press F8 or F12 on your keyboard (it depends on the manufacturer of your computer) to open the boot menu. Now set CD/DVD or USB as the first device on the list.
• Press any key on the keyboard to boot from your installation media.
• In the next window, choose your language and input method and click Next to continue.
• Click Repair your computer.
• Click Next to open System Recovery options.
• Select Startup Repair to begin repairing NTLDR issues

Alternatively, you can also fix MBR. To do this, use the following steps:

• Insert the installation CD or drive and restart your PC:
• Press F8 or F12 on your keyboard (it depends on the manufacturer of your computer) to open the boot menu. Now set CD/DVD or USB as the first device on the list.
• Press any key to boot from your installation media.
• In the next window, choose your language and input method and click Next to continue.
• Click Repair your computer.
• Click Next to open System Recovery options.
• Select Command Prompt. Input the following commands:

v bootrec /FixMbr

v Bootrec /FixBoot

v Bootrec /RebuildBcd

It is advisable to also check your hard disk for errors. Do this, using the following command: chkdsk c: /f/r

Windows will check your hard disk for errors and try to repair them.

Another easy way to solve this problem is to download Auslogics Registry Cleaner. This tool is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. It will clean, optimize and repair your Windows registry to avoid and eliminate crashes and startup errors. Furthermore, it will restore the smooth and stable operation of your PC. It is 100% free.

I hope that this article has solved your ntldr missing error in Windows 7. Share it with others who encounter similar problems.

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