NTLDR missing: tried re-copying, fixboot, fixmbr

One day I was online and all of a sudden things started acting screwy.

When I started internet explorer a window would pop up that said that there were files missing that were needed to install microsoft money. And then another window popped up that said some files were replaced and it needed to replace them to maintain system integrity so i needed to insert the windows cd.

I inserted the cd, and the windows went away, so I figured things were fine. Then I turned off the laptop and the next time I turned it on, I got the message "NTLDR missing"

So I tried doing the usual things... copying NTLDR and NDetect.com to the c drive... i tried running fixboot and fixmbr...

..but i still get the same message "NTLDR missing"

can someone help? I have some files on the computer that I need for school so I'd rather not use the system restore disks that came with the computer.