NTDL is missing is associated with the boot process. The usual message is Couldn’t find NTDLR Please insert another disk. In which case their might be a floppy in your disk drive, The file is missing or corrupt.
The boot process in which NTDLR is included follows:
NTLDR is loaded in part 5 of the boot process.
NTLDR is in part 6 of the boot process it has the following functions:
· Switches processor to flat 32-bit memory model. This supports 4 GB RAM
· Start a mini-file system to allow Windows NT to be loaded from a different file systems.
· Reads BOOT.INI and displays the contents as the operating choice list.
NTLDR loads NTDETECT.Com if Windows NT is selected in part 7 of the boot process.
NTLDR is in the 9 part of the boot process it carries out the following:
· Locates and loads the kernal, NTOSKNL.EXE, but does not initialise it.
· Next, the boot loader loads the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System from %systemroot%\System32\Config\System.
At this point, the boot loader creates the control set it will use to initialise the computer. The value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Select subkey determines which control set in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System to use. The loader uses the control set identified by the default value, unless you are starting by using the Last Known Good Configuration. In this case, the value under LastKnownGood specifies the control set. Based on your selection and the value of the corresponding Select subkey, the loader determines which ControlSet00x to use. It sets the value of the Current in the Select subkey to the number of the control set it will use.
At this time, the boot loader scans all of the services in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services for device drivers with a Start value of 0x0, which indicates that they should be loaded but not initialised. Device drivers with these values are typically low-level hardware device drivers, such as hard disk device drivers. The Group value for each device driver determines the order in which the boot loader loads them. The Registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ServiceGroupOrder defines the loading order.
· Passes the hardware information to the kernal.