Troubleshooting boot errors in Windows NT

There are several error messages you can receive in Windows NT if you're having problems with corrupted boot files. Some of the common errors, their meaning, and possible solutions include:

"Couldn't find NTLDR." This message means that the NTLDR file is either missing or corrupt. You can resolve this problem by copying NTLDR to your hard drive. You can get a new copy of NTLDR from the Windows NT CD-ROM, from a boot disk, or from another Windows NT computer.

"I/O error accessing boot sector file...\\BOOTSECT.DOS." This message means that the BOOTSECT.DOS file is either missing or corrupt. You use this file to boot a Windows NT computer to DOS or Windows 9x. Because this file is specific to your computer, you must replace it by restoring it from a backup.

"NTDETECT failed." Your server is missing the NTDETECT.COM file. You should replace this file by copying it from the Windows NT CD-ROM, from another Windows NT computer, or from a boot disk.

Keep in mind that you can copy files to your C: drive outside of Windows NT only if you've formatted it to use the FAT file system. If you're using NTFS, you must perform an emergency repair to replace these damaged files.