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Topic: NTLDR is missing, Isnt this weird to get with linux?

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Andeplane

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Posts: 3
Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: Feb. 20 2006,12:04

I burned the image on a CD. I boot, and rightclick on the desktop -> Apps -> Install to USB-pendrive -> USB-HDD.
the options i use is: dsl vga toram dma

When I get to the computer, i get "NTLDR is missing"..and ofc, nothing more happens. Why do I get this message? Its not any Windows version installed on the system either.

What have i done WRONG?

Thanks for help

mikshaw

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Posts: 4856
Joined: July 2004

Posted: Feb. 20 2006,15:53

You probably had Windows installed at one time, and the master boot record is still intact. The MBR thinks Windows should be there, so it tries to boot it.

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http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/index.html

Andeplane

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Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: Mar. 20 2006,01:36

Thanks for answer, man, but;

this is on an arcademachine (a dancegame like Dance Dance Revolution) running linux. I can guarantee that there is,and it has never been any windows on it. Can this problem appear when I MAKE the usb-install?

Edit: I guess you meant that I have used it with windows, and thats true ;)

~thc

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Posts: 42
Joined: Dec. 2005

Posted: Mar. 20 2006,08:09

to be more specific, this message is shown by the boot record loader routine of a windows nt based boot sector (nt, 2000, xp) - it means your pen drive has at least once been formatted under such an os. this loader could be located in the master boot record (usb floppy mode) or the boot sector of the first partition on the pen drive (usb hdd mode).

the 'install to usb pendrive - usb-hdd' program _should_ have repartitioned and reformatted your pen drive (replacing the boot loaders in the mbr and the boot sector with the correct routines) - somehow the old boot loader survived that procedure ;).

when you boot from cd, your pen drive should be accessible via '/dev/sda' (depending on your machine - check it first). you may try 'blanking' it prior to installing dsl by opening a root shell and typing

dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=512

this will overwrite the first 512 sectors of your pen drive with null's and wipe any surviving boot loaders.

Andeplane

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Posts: 3
Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: Mar. 20 2006,15:27

Thx ;) This seems logical for me, so I'll try that!
I guess it'll work =)

4 replies since Feb. 20 2006,12:04

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