NTLDR Is Missing in Dell Computer? –Solve It Quickly

► My Dell laptop says NTLDR is missing
► Possible causes
► Valid solutions
► Conclusion

My Dell laptop says NTLDR is missing

“Well, there is a problem with my Windows 7 Dell laptop. When I boot up it, a black screen with an error – NTLDR is missing Press Ctrl +Alt +Del to restart comes up. I have restarted my computer as the message prompts, but it is not helpful. What can I do to get rid of the error – NTLDR is missing in Dell computer? “

Possible causes

NTLDR, short for NT loader, is very important for Windows boot. It is applied in Windows XP and Windows 2003. But it is replaced with BOOTMGR in Windows Vista and Windows 7/8/10. If you encounter NTLDR is missing error in Windows 7/8/10, it is very likely that the current OS is originally upgraded from Windows XP. Generally, this error can happen out of the following factors:

• Wrong boot order

• Outdated BIOS

• Corrupted boot sector or MBR

• Boot volume issue

• Broken hard drive

• …

Four valid solutions

After realizing the possible elements that can account for the error, it is time to know how to fix it and valid and simple solutions will be offered in the following context.

✔ Change the boot order

When your dell laptop or desktop is connected with many external hard drives, misappropriate boot order might be the reason for this error. If so, restart your dell computer, press certain a proper key to enter BIOS whiling booting, and set the system hard drive as the first option. After that, check whether you can boot your computer normally.

✔Upgrade BIOS

When the BIOS is outdated, it is possible that you’ll get the error. At this time, check if the BIOS is the latest version. If not, you should upgrade it to the latest one.

Fix boot failure via Startup Repair

If a Windows installation CD/DVD is at hand, you can run Startup Repair to fix boot failure automatically. The steps are as follows:

1. Insert the installation disc to your computer and boot from it.

2. In the Install Now interface, click “Repair your computer” in the lower left corner.

3. In System Recovery Options window, click Startup Repair.

4. After that, remove the installation disc and boot from the system hard drive to see if the problem is resolved.

✔ Fix Master Boot Record

If corrupted MBR is the reason for the "NTLDR is missing" error, refer to the following methods to rebuild MBR, so that you can boot computer in a success.

Fix MBR with Windows installation CD/DVD

If you own Windows installation disc, follow the steps below:

1. Boot from Windows installation disc and go to Repair your computer> Command Prompt.

2. In Command Prompt, type these command lines and hit “Enter” after each command.

• bootrec /fixmbr

• bootrec /fxboot

• bootrec /rebuildbcd

3. After rebuilding MBR, turn down computer, remove the installation disc, and boot from the system disk.

Rebuild MBR using a third party MBR repair tool

If you are unfamiliar with Command Prompt or you have no opportunity to access Recovery Console, a third party MBR repair tool – AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is highly recommended. Let’s see how it works.

First of all, Free download AOMEI Partition Assistant, run and install it on a working Windows-based computer and Create a Windows PE bootable device via AOMEI Partition Assistant. Then, follow the steps below:

Step 1.Connect the bootable media created via AOMEI Partition Assistant to the unbootable computer and enter BIOS to boot from it.

PS.: You can unplug the hard drive that contains corrupted MBR and connect it to another working computer if you don’t want to create bootable media.

Step 2. Then, you will be in the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the hard drive whose MBR is corrupted and choose “Rebuild MBR”. 

Step 3. Select a proper MBR type and click “OK”.

Step 4.Check your operation and click “Apply” to commit it.

After that, unplug the bootable media and boot from the repaired hard drive.

PS.:

• “Rebuild MBR” won’t cause data loss. It can only solve problems caused by corrupted MBR and can’t fix issues out of bootable files or system files missing.

• It is also available to clone Windows hard drive to SSD/HDD, extend system partition without data loss, and so on via AOMEI Partition Assistant. And you can get more functions like converting MBR system disk into GPT if you upgrade to Professional edition.

Conclusion

If you are suffering from NTLDR is missing issue in Dell computer, don’t worry, you can get various ways to fix it from this article. If you don’t want to try solutions to fix your operating system and have no fear of installing and configuring Windows and applications, you can reinstall Windows operating system.