On start up - before windows even loads - i get 'NTLDR is missing' message, with a CTRL ALT DELETE restart option. Same message apperars on restart. No other options. I dont have a floppy drive. No USB's are connected. What's going on? Where did this come from? 2 days previously i removed an XP update which did not install correctly. This have anything to do with it?

Hi, try.... http://www.computing.net/windowsxp/wwwboard/forum/131154.html It might help you out.

If You have windows xp Bootable cd, boot through it ,You will see a blue screen,it will ask for reinstalltion ,or New installation and repair ,Press 'r' for repair select path (e.g:c:\windows)press 1 or 2 according to the display,enter password , you will get root directory where you can type fixboot command or restart the computer.

This happened to me and I ended up reformatting and getting really frustrated because the problem STILL did not go away. I finially fixed it by resetting the BIOS. Try that first!! resetting the BIOS will not make you lose any information and it is probably easier than anything else you could try. I recommend doing it before messing with your XP installation. -Cyclone Real Friends Stab You in the Front

you must have had the bios configured incorrectly in the first place.

reset the BIOS? how do i do that if i cant even get into the computer? ive got an XP disc coming in the post from a mate. hopefully that'll fix the problem

I had the same problem! booted to CD, copied NTLDR to C:\,...Nadda, still missing! did everything I could think of or find on the net! Wrote 0's to the drive, the whole drive, did a fresh install, started a backup, got BSOD rebooting too NTLDR not found AGAIN! tried reinstalling and several different backups,...all the same outcome! The only thing that stopped it was resetting the BIOS, and starting over! To reset BIOS on most machines you have to hit a key at a certain point EARLY in the boot, before windows or even NTLDR! On my machine its f8! GOOD LUCK!