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Can someone help me?
I bought a Compaq Deskpro PII, 450 MHz with no operating system. I got Win 95 CD, but I can't use the CD-ROM drive. I downloaded a Win 98 bootdisk, but I don't know what to do from there, I get this message: "NTLDR is missing". Help !!!
Thanks, Cornel
i have had this problem, and after reading tons of old dos stuff i finally figured it out. but it was like two years ago. that same cpu got messed up (the cd tray was out) and i steped on it coming down my attic now im in the same situation again. i bought a new cd drive and am trying to install it on that old cpu that used to have win 95 but is gone now. do you have a dos set up disk?
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Cornel,
Have you tried turning on the computer with the Win98 boot disk in the A: floppy drive?
Most computers default to trying the floppy drive first before accessing the hard drive, so the boot disk should work first. The message about the missing NTLDR is from the hard drive.
Let us know how you make out.
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Did you double click the file that you downloaded from Bootdisk.com?
Most of the BOOTDISK.com downloads are executable files that create the bootable 3.5" disk.
Copying the downloaded file directly to a 3.5" disk won't make it bootable.
Try again. Stick a formatted 3.5" disk in the A: drive, double click the downloaded file, the bootdisk will be made. In the case of a number of the bootdisks, your CD-ROM drive will be assigned the DRIVE letter "R".
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ardy- I do not have a DOS set up disk.
bob_c - I have tried turning the computer on with the disk in it and that's when I get the NTLDR message.
DR - I haven't done that. I didn't know I was supposed to. I will try it. Thank you very much !
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Quite possibly your pc does not have the means to access your cd-drive built into the bios, and therefore you cannot use the cd-drive to install any operating system.
The way around this is simple. You create a dos floppy boot disc, with a one line config.sys to load the cd driver (from the same floppy), and a one line auto-exec with MSCDEX to use that driver.
Then install Windows 98, it is better than W95.
I just had exactly the same problem.
Good luck, keep us posted.
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Hi Cornel, I'm assuming you're using a Windows NT based operating system (NT4, 2000 or XP). Your Windows98 bootdisk needs two things, one the files which you copied and two a dos bootsector rather then an nt bootsector. Windows NT likes to write NT bootsectors to floppies making them usless as DOS boot disks, so in My Computer right-click the floppy drive with a disk in it and choose Format and check "Create an MS-DOS startup disk". Now you have a DOS start-up disk, if you would rather use the one you downloaded all you need to do is delete everything off the A: (START > RUN and type DELTREE /Y A:\*.*) and copy the new files on. Be careful with the deltree command, it'll delete file regardless of their attributes (the line I gave you would only erase your floppy disk's files, but if you had C: in there instead of A: it'd erase your Hard-Disk).
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cornel as i understand it you have no mouse and no operating system correct? and if you start your computer (with a disk in drive a:. it says NTLDR.) check that disk on another computer because that sounds fReEeKy.
but here is what you need
os
cd
better os
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Ardy - just follow my instructions and it will work.
Boot with a floppy set up as I said, and it configures the pc to have a cd-drive.
Then use the W98 cd and enter install (or setup). This creates a bootable C: drive with W98 and its version of DOS.
Just a couple of weeks ago I had the same problem. Never did get around to finding why the bios let me down.
Good luck - keep us posted.
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hello mike, this is what i need to do but how do i create a dos floppy boot disc, with a one line config.sys to load the cd driver (from the same floppy), and a one line auto-exec with MSCDEX to use that driver.
I am still learning dos problems due to my old pc crashing and now i have this one im working on.
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First, make sure you are using a Windows startup disk that will boot in another computer. Then, if you still get the missing NTLDR error message, you have some kind of special problem such as a bios that requires Winsows NT to be present. Check that Drive A is selected first in the bios booting sequence. (The more I think about your problem the stranger it gets. You can or cannot boot to C: without CD-ROM support?) The problem involves either finding the correct driver or a special lockout in the BIOS. Good luck with it. Maybe Compac tech support can help?
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Ardy - I have just e-mailed you a dos boot disc with the necessary files to enable cd support.
As it is set up, it does not recognise the mouse and may not recognise the hdd, but this should be overcome, once you get into the windows installation.
Do a dir on the cd, to see the files and there should be either install or setup, which you enter to commence.
Good luck - keep us posted.
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ardy I was talking about the operating system used to format the disk. If the disk was formatted under NT then the disk will want to boot from ntldr not io.sys/msdos.sys.
Heck maybe copying NTLDR to it and making a boot.ini to direct it to another bootsector will help, but then you need to get a bootsector onto the disk anyway. If you have NT and you use a DOS bootdisk and you SYS C: then you'll find you can't boot off your harddisk because now it wants io.sys not ntldr, it's the same thing with his disk. When it's formatted in NT choose "make an MS-DOS startup disk" when you format it and it has to write a DOS bootsector.
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Boot from the CD drive.
Go in the BIOS and set the boot order
so it boots from CDROM first. Then Floppy
Then C:Put windows CD in CD drive and reset computer and boot up from the CD an install.
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