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  #1  
Old 06-06-2011, 08:11 PM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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Default NLTDR missing

Googled this and found this link to the old forum (I assume because its not here).
http://www.techwarelabs.com/communit...ad.php?t=11400

What I have is a Toshiba Satellite A35 I bought for $10 at a yard sale.
My problem is that any CD I put in spins but the computer will not run the program. I can get into the bios and set it to boot up with the CD, but nothing I put in runs.
Except once. I put in a HD config CD and got it to format the HD, but now I still get the NTLDR missing message with any boot CD I try.
I even tore the thing apart to get to the CMOS battery and reset it.
I tried a different HD from another laptop I have (Averatec) and it started to boot, but flashed a BSOD and shut down. Not sure if the Toshiba HD are proprietary or not?
So, should I source another HD or keep working (futilely) on this one?
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  #2  
Old 06-08-2011, 04:59 AM
Ilya Ilya is offline
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Honestly I think you have bigger problem than a busted HDD.

Did you format the HDD, then ran a bootable CD and you still got that message? Basically you couldn't reinstall windows?


Try installing older systems and see how they handle. Win95 or Win98. Then flash BIOS.

Without an OS it can only be done with DrDos and a floppy disk. Haven't done it myself in years but if the laptop is that important to you it might worth a try.
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  #3  
Old 06-08-2011, 03:38 PM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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I formatted than used a boot CD with the same results. The drive would spin the CD, but after a minute it would stop and nothing happens.
The laptop doesnt have a floppy drive, so I would need to find one.
I'm beginning to think you are correct about bigger problems.
I like a challenge, but dont like being frustrated
Isnt a NTLDR error a software problem and not BIOS?
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  #4  
Old 06-08-2011, 04:26 PM
Ilya Ilya is offline
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Here's the thing. You are still booting from HDD. The message you are getting should NOT be present with clean HDD. The reason You had BSoD from another HDD is because SW on it is configured for different HW.

Here are my suggestions
1) Make sure your CD is set with higher priority to your HDD in BIOS (obviously) then press the keys that worked in BIOS(arrows, enter etc). Or simply put both your palms on the keyboard and press all buttons , just makes to do it quickly enough when "Press any key to boot from CD" prompts. If this doesn't work try plugging in a USB keyboard and set your BIOS to support USB input peripherals. This might not be available in older BIOS, but still give it a try even if it's not.

2) Get the HDD out of your 10$ comp put it in Averatec, and run from CD. See if that works. If it does, than maybe your keyboard is not functioning properly on the 10$ computer AND your HDD was not formatted properly. So format it on Averatec computer, do a thorough format.

3) Try using a different OS, download free Linux and burn an image. Again, try with different keyboard.


P.S. To answer your question. NTLDR is a software issue on OS side. I believe it's only required when OS is somehow detected on HDD. BIOS is software as well, it is what starts the OS amongst multiple other things. So by resetting CMOS you basically reset BIOS's memory which contains some OS data, time, date etc. However if the BIOS itself is old it might not matter if the CMOS is cleared or not.

Last edited by Ilya; 06-09-2011 at 08:15 PM.
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  #5  
Old 06-12-2011, 07:14 PM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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Thanks, I'll give the HDD swap a try and post back.
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  #6  
Old 06-14-2011, 12:51 AM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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Removed the Toshiba HDD, installed it in my Averatec and did a clean install of XP.
Installed it back in the Toshiba and the screen comes up with the "Windows did not start successfully".
If I try and start in any mode, it starts to boot into XP then flashes a bsod.
Its so fast I cant even read it.
Is all of Toshiba's stuff proprietary?
Do I need a recovery disc for this model?

Last edited by Turbone; 06-14-2011 at 12:59 AM.
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  #7  
Old 06-15-2011, 02:58 PM
Ilya Ilya is offline
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You missed a critical point .

You CANNOT install windows on one hardware and then move HDD to another, that's why you get BSoD. You should have formatted it with Averatec then install XP on Toshiba.

At least now you know that Averatec formats it good.

Last edited by Ilya; 06-15-2011 at 03:06 PM.
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  #8  
Old 06-16-2011, 04:20 PM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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Well, duh.
I'll give that a try today.
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  #9  
Old 06-16-2011, 08:11 PM
Turbone Turbone is offline
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Ok, I'm using XP Home CD to partition and right after it formats it goes to installing XP. How do I format it not using the XP CD?
Bear with me, I'm a hardware guy, not software.
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  #10  
Old 06-17-2011, 04:11 AM
Ilya Ilya is offline
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I think deleting partition is sufficient enough for it to be unrecognizable. However, I'm not sure if it's somehow restores them if you were to cancel right after you delete them with Windows XP.

So things to try:

Delete partition, then plug the HDD back into Toshiba. Install from there. If this doesn't work...

Try using Linux CD for formatting.
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