Re: Cannot Boot Into any Option for Safe Mode

Make sure that there are no disks in any removable drives when you boot.

NTLDR is missing, why does it happen?

[[This problem may occur if the basic input/output system (BIOS) on your
computer is outdated, or if one or more of the following Windows boot files
are missing or damaged:
Ntldr
Ntdetect.com
Boot.ini ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid18728

[[Cause:
Computer is booting from a non-bootable source.
Computer hard disk drive is not properly setup in BIOS.
Corrupt NTLDR and/or NTDETECT.COM file.
Misconfiguration with the boot.ini file.
Attempting to upgrade from a Windows 95, 98, or ME computer that is using
FAT32.
New hard disk drive being added.
Corrupt boot sector / master boot record.
Seriously corrupted version of Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
Loose or Faulty IDE/EIDE hard disk drive cable. ]]
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000465.htm

[[For this problem to occur, all the following conditions must be true:
• The system/startup partition is formatted with the FAT32 file system.
• The computer starts by using INT-13 extensions. (This is a partition
larger than 7.8 GB with a System-ID type of 0C in the partition table).
• Because of the cloning procedure, the Heads (sides) value in the FAT32
BIOS Parameter Block (BPB) does not match the geometry of the physical
drive. ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057


Error Message When You Start Your Computer with a Non-System Disk
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;812492

Windows XP Does Not Start on a Computer That Is Configured for Dual Booting
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315233

You Receive an "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Start Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;320397

HOW TO: Troubleshoot the "NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;318728

Err Msg: Boot - Can't Find NTLDR, or Windows Could Not Start..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;101862

"NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Upgrade or Install Windows XP Over
Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314057

The Computer Does Not Start After You Change the Active Partition by Using
the Disk Management Tool
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315261

Cannot Start Windows XP After You Install Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283433

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:D85F1782-0754-46C1-8D8E-6C17113ABE68@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Dave A <DaveA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
About 1.5 years ago I added SP2 to Win XP Home and about the same time
decided to convert my NTFS C:\ drive to FAT 32 using PQ Magic 8 (only
third party will go that way I gather). Since then I cannot boot into
any option from the safe mode options after pressing F8. The screen goes
blue and the machine reboots. I recently did a repair installation of XP
and apart from confusing the OS with some hardware and having to
re-install a couple of programs the safe mode problem remains.

Before installing SP2 this time I tried to boot into safe mode and the
blue screen had a message that the "NTLDR is less than......". Once SP2
is added this blue screen message is not shown.

Do I have any options apart from backing up files and settings etc and
doing a clean install? Will upgrading to XP Pro sort this out with less
effort? I do not have XP recovery discs and I presume this would have
been sensible?

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cannot Boot Into any Option for Safe Mode
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