What Symptoms Lead To Occurrence of NTdetect Error?

NTdetect failed is an error that hits users on the Windows XP operating systems. As a startup error, it shows after you press the startup button, the Windows fails, and your screen displays an image as below.

Behind the scenes, NTDETECT is a boot loading file associated with Windows XP and Server 2003. It’s a pre-requisite that confirms hardware status before clearing Windows to start via NTLDR.

Any mishap with any hardware or software controlling them flags triggering the error indicated by the words- NTdetect failed on a black screen interface. When the error, occurs, do not panic yet, but brace yourself to inspect the cause and resolve it.

Main Reasons for the Occurrence of the NTdetect Error

Into finer details, NTdetect manifests due to the following reasons:

• Incompatibility with NTDETECT versions. Prior versions of the NTDETECT files conflict with NTFS filing systems for both initial installs and updates.
• A missing or corrupt NTDETECT file. The files reside in the root of the boot partitions. Any cases of having it moved to other locations or if it’s corrupt and unreadable cause the error. The effects of computer viruses and sudden power cuts are also part of the array of reasons that NTDETECT gets corrupt.
• Compressing of NTDETECT.COM file by third party soft wares and also the Fragmentation of NTDETECT.COM. Either way, storage of the file and the forms of storage get alterations, resulting in the error.

Solution 1: Restoring the File- NTDETECT.COM

If it occurs that the file: NTDETECT is corrupt or has any damages, the error is resolvable by a fresh install. Note also that confusion may arise when older versions that are incompatible may cause the same error, and the resolution is to install compatible versions of it.

You require using the setup CD for your Windows.

While doing so, pay attention to the following minor but critical details:

Use the correct service pack.

Use correct architecture. It’s either Windows 32 bit or 64-bit

The other extreme is a point where NTdetect file is entirely missing. Under such, you require a Windows XP OS disc to install it. Below is the process of doing it:

1. Insert the CD containing into your PC
2. Reboot PC and instruct the restart from the CD
3. Press any key on your keyboard to start from the CD
4. Press your “R” key to launch the Windows repair console from the menu.
5. Log in to your Windows by pressing 1 and provide the Admins’ password.
6. Here’s the command to instruct the PC to copy the files (NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM) from the CD into the operating system- as a replacement.

Copy D:\i386\ntdetect.com C:\

• D:\ refers to the path to the install CD.
• C:\ is the partition letter for the Windows XP Operating System in the PC

1. Once copying the files is done, remove the installation CD from the drive and reboot your PC.

Watch out for the completion of the file replacement process by referring to the image screen below:

After pressing on to reboot your PC, a successful replacement of the NTdetect file should adequately resolve the occurrence of NTdetect error. The PC should be able to launch a startup past it and startup normally.

Solution2: Defragmenting NTDETECT

Earlier on, we cited one of the causes of NTdetect error as the defragmentation of the file: NTDEDTECT.

Therefore, to resolve it, you can undo the defragmentation. Windows has an inbuilt utility to fix it by using the service known as contig utility. It’s free by Microsoft but was originally a development by Sysinternals). Start by downloading the utility. It comes in a zip file, and the next are the steps to undo the defragmentation—download contig.zip from Microsoft.

• 1. First, extract contig.exe file – from the zipper (contig.zip)
  2. Second, invoke the command prompt. From the start button, type run and in the dialog box type in cmd.exe and press enter key. When command prompt window is up, locate the folder into which you extracted the file contig.exe
  3. Third, run contig.exe against NTDETECT.COM file(that had defragmenting effects):
  • cd Downloads(N/b all downloads land into this default folder- unless it’s changed according to the PC settings)
  • contig.exe D:\ntdetect.com
  1. Allow time for the process to complete.

Below is an image of the PC interface as you defragment the file NTDETECT file within the PC.

Solution 3: Repair Your Files System via the CHKDSK

CHLDSK is a powerful utility for Windows and runs under the commands prompt interface. It helps run a scan, verifying data and repairing, partitions, bad sectors and system files for both FAT32 and NTFS. By the way, you can also recover lost files from the corrupted computer with Wondershare Recoverit.

Follow the steps below to launch and scan the system files using the CHLDSK utility:

1. Insert a Windows CD into the drive and reboot the PC.
2. Boot the PC using the CD. To do that, press on any key, and Windows will give you the startup choices. Select on the Choice- Boot from CD.”
3. Press the R key to trigger the Windows Recovery Console and go to its menu of options.
4. Provide the Admin passwords and hit enter to proceed
5. When the command prompt is okay, type in the command chkdsk /r and proceed to press the enter key.
6. Allow the chkdsk process to complete and then restart the PC. It’s a great step to always watch out for the first printouts if any after chkdsk has run.

Lookup for a console that is similar to the image below after you launch the command prompt. And run the chkdsk command.

Concluding Note – How to Fix NTdetect error

There are many Windows startup errors that users can resolve by themselves – without the need for massive investments in experience and tech-knowhow. And the NTdetect error falls among them.

Of most important is the part about figuring out why the error has occurred. Once one can establish the most probable cause, the solution is more comfortable to pick from the several suggestions above.