How to Fix “NTLDR is Missing” Error (Windows XP, 10 and 11)

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Seeing “NTLDR is missing. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart” when you turn on your computer? It means the PC can’t find the Windows startup file it’s looking for. I got this error years ago on a Windows XP PC and fixed it without formatting the hard drive. Today the message usually has a much simpler cause, such as a USB drive left plugged in. Here’s how to fix NTLDR is missing errors in 2026, on old Windows XP machines and on Windows 10 and 11 PCs that show it unexpectedly.

NTLDR is missing error on boot

Quick answer: Remove all USB drives, memory cards and discs and restart. If the error stays, open your BIOS/UEFI setup and make sure your main Windows drive is first in the boot order. On Windows XP, copy the ntldr and ntdetect.com files back to C:\ from a Windows XP CD, or use Recovery Console with fixboot and fixmbr.

What is NTLDR?

NTLDR (NT Loader) is the boot loader used by Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003. When the computer starts, the BIOS loads the boot sector, which then looks for NTLDR to start Windows. If NTLDR can’t be found, you get the “NTLDR is missing” error.

Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 and 11 don’t use NTLDR. They use BOOTMGR (Windows Boot Manager). So if you see “NTLDR is missing” on a modern PC, the computer is almost certainly trying to boot from the wrong drive, often an old disk or USB stick with leftover XP-era boot code.

Common causes of NTLDR is missing

  • A USB flash drive, memory card, CD or DVD that isn’t bootable is set as the first boot device.
  • Wrong boot order in BIOS/UEFI, or the main drive isn’t detected.
  • Missing or corrupt ntldr, ntdetect.com or boot.ini files (Windows XP).
  • Damaged boot sector or MBR, or a loose or failing hard drive cable.
  • A failed upgrade or a cloned disk with the wrong partition set as active.

How to fix NTLDR is missing (all computers)

  1. Remove external media: unplug USB drives, card readers, external disks and eject any disc, then restart.
  2. Check boot order: press the setup key at startup (often F2, Del, F10 or F12) and set your Windows drive or Windows Boot Manager first.
  3. Check the drive is detected: if the BIOS doesn’t list your hard drive or SSD, reseat its cables (desktop) or get the drive tested. It may be failing.

How to fix NTLDR is missing on Windows XP

This is how I fixed it on my Windows XP PC. Since NTLDR was missing, I put a fresh copy back:

  1. Get ntldr and ntdetect.com from the i386 folder of a Windows XP CD, the PC’s recovery CD, or another PC with the same Windows version.
  2. Boot from a bootable disc or USB drive with a command prompt. (In my case the XP CD wouldn’t help, but a Windows 98 boot disc worked.)
  3. Copy both files to the root of the C: drive.
  4. Restart. My PC then let me run the manufacturer’s system recovery (F10 on that PC), which repaired Windows while keeping all my files.

Alternatively, boot from the Windows XP CD, press R for the Recovery Console, and run:

fixboot
fixmbr
bootcfg /rebuild

Computer Hope has more troubleshooting steps for XP-era systems.

Windows 10 and 11: fix BOOTMGR and boot errors

If your modern PC still won’t start after checking the boot order:

  1. Boot from a Windows installation USB (make one with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool on another PC).
  2. Choose Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Startup Repair.
  3. If that fails, open Command Prompt from the same menu and run:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd

On UEFI systems, bcdboot C:\Windows recreates the boot files. If you need to back up files from a PC that won’t boot, a Linux live USB or the recovery Command Prompt can copy them to an external drive. Our guide to formatting a USB flash drive helps prepare one.

Frequently asked questions

Does “NTLDR is missing” mean my hard drive is dead?

Usually not. Most cases are caused by boot order or missing boot files. But if the BIOS can’t see the drive at all, the drive may be failing.

Why do I get NTLDR is missing on Windows 10?

Windows 10 doesn’t use NTLDR, so the PC is booting from another drive, such as a USB stick or old disk. Remove it or fix the boot order.

Will fixing NTLDR delete my files?

No. Copying boot files, Startup Repair and bootrec commands don’t touch your documents. Avoid formatting or reinstalling until you’ve tried these steps.

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I am a geek, blogger and tech lover. Learning from my experiences in tech and running websites, I share tech tips, solve tech problems and help webmasters succeed. I have been writing QuickOnlineTips since 2004.

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125 Comments

  1. U can use any linux based OS that offer live cd
    like Ubuntu, Linx Mint and so on
    then copy the ntldr file from a normal computer with same os to a pendrive and then put in the c drive in the live OS in your computer
    that will do!

    Reply

  2. My computer was slow and hard to do anything with it. My cousin had this Dell she had abandoned and told me if I wanted it, have at it. Then my NTLDR is missing. Am using another set, not a whiz, 88yr old Army First Sergeant

    Reply

  3. Yes if you are receiving the NTDLR error message then your boot loader is most likey corrupted or damaged (possibly by a virus). The above link provides excellent information on how to repair the boot loader in windows vista via the installation disk. If all else has failed for you i would highly recommend it.

    Reply

  4. Anyone experiencing this error on windows vista or 7 i would HIGHLY recommend this link and do what the 2nd comment suggests by James. He explains EVERYTHING in simple terms and how he fixed the error which also worked for me aswell! heres the link: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/ntldr-is-missing-on-vista/9dbd22a3-5bc7-4a3b-b659-5a287ee4ba84?page=1&tm=1310802454645#footer

    Reply

  5. I had to restore my Windows Vista computer to original factory state using the recovery disc and after that was done I got the message ‘NTLDR is missing’ display as well. Never got that message before, didn’t even know what it meant, but after researching the meaning I knew exactly what the cause was. I had just recently installed a second hard drive and the computer was trying to boot from it, which of course had no operating system and thus the cause for the message. After changing the boot sequence to the main drive the problem was solved.

    Reply

  6. Quickest fix is to just remove the HDD and use a USB cable to connect it to a PC then with and using any old windows disc from any PC just search for then copy and paste the NTLDR file in a couple of different folders on the hdd, replace it and it will load as before. Never mind all that crap the so called experts tell you when you google it just do it this way and save a lot of time, Kind regards, Roy.

    Reply

  7. Is it possible that cleaning your CPU may reduce the chances of having computer errors?

    Reply

  8. i tried the mentioned steps but could nit store the ntldr how can i do it help me???????

    Reply

  10. after I convert FAT32 to NTFS.
    and after I restart my computer for complete setting
    a word “NTLDR is Missing” comes…
    I’ll try to troubleshoot by using “fdisk and scandisk” through win98.
    to recover my computer configuration. . .
    But those command did not work..
    I’ll tray also formatting and installing new windows.
    I don’t know is it contenously work after several hours or time.
    finally I got it…..
    but there is something happened…

    Reply

  11. I had this happen with my Vista…didn’t see any articles helping to fix it…but I figured it out on my own..even though I had to format my drive…not sure what caused it but basically I took the media direct cd and booted from that and allocated all available disk space to the c-drive….just because vista did not want to reinstall because it wasn’t reading my disc drives correctly…after it formatted my drive and put my computers files in the correct area I wa able to reinstall Vista….lesson learned back up your files :)

    Reply

  12. I had this error message when windows tried to boot from a usb flash drive, removing it solved the issue

    Reply

  13. I’d just like to say in reply to Ronalds post way back in( June 15, 2007). Good on ya mate! Good to see a simple unplug and plugging back in a power socket to IDE 0, to eliminate( NTLDR is missing) can get windows XP up and running still. Worked for me and beat hours of downloading and searching for or paying others to fix the problem. Cheers mate! Scott

    Reply

  14. Hi All,
    I was not able to start windows xp so i formatted all the drives of my HDD by connecting it with another working computer which is having windows xp.But now when i connected my HDD to my motherboard and trying to install windows xp from cd drive on it.It displays a message NTLDR is missing press ctrl+alt+del to restart.I have kept cd as the first boot device.
    Anybody please help me out to solve this problem.Please reply as soon as possible.

    Reply

    1. As happened with my computer try to allocate your drives to make more space. What could have happened is that somehow your computer decided that there were too many files threw a tantrum and spit out your information to unexeptable places and created clone drives…..Try your media disc if all else fails reformat and reinstall your XP and remove all unnecessary accesories from your computer..

  15. this happened to me right after i loaded up the windows xp home disk but i really don’t give a shit because i have like 10 hard drives but i just wanted to see what was the ntldr was, so then could i go on into my computer and get this C:i386ntldr C:i386ntdetect.com from there or do you get it off internet thanks people.

    Reply

  16. An install (Roxio Creator 2010) deleted NTLDR which left me with an unbootable machine. Acronis (F11 during boot-up) permitted the reload of an earlier back-up.
    The problem is that people who suffer this failure can’t get here to this site to search out a solution and rarely think of Googling the solution on a public library computer.
    At first this is a frightening problem. Hard to plan ahead for something you know nothing about.

    Reply