Windows 7 Bootmgr is missing. Please help!

I

ibstar

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Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
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Hi all.

First timer, so please go easy.

Computer Spec:

Intel Quad Core 2.87Ghz
2 x 2GB DDR2 RAM
ASUS STRIKER II FORMULA ACPI BIOS REVISION 2402
1 64GB SSD drive (my C drive - operating system is installed on this)
2 x 1TB SATA hard drives.

Problem:

I've done a fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit. This is the 6th-7th time I've reinstalled due to the same problem.

Every time I boot up without the installation disc in, it comes up with BOOTMGR IS MISSING and instructs me to restart.

So far, the fixes I have tried are:

1) Startup repair - doesn't work. Does not detect problem.

2) RebuildBCD - does not detect any operating system. It says it has completed the operation successfully but above it it says "Operating Systems detected: 0"

3) Command Prompt:

D:
"copy bootmgr c:\"

then it says "The requested file cannot be found".

Still the same result, it won't let me boot without the installation disc in. It doesn't boot from the disc, it just uses the disc to get the file it needs (BOOTMGR) to boot the operating system. I didn't used to have this problem and then one time when I re-installed it just started. The hardware is all out of warranty now, so I'm hoping this is something that can be fixed without having to buy any new parts. I can use the computer - just not without the disc.

PLEASE somebody help me. There has to be a fix. I'd appreciate any help.

Thanking you in advance,

Ibrahim
 
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Solution
Your boot files are on the 1 TB drive, E in your case. They are always in an active partition and it says "System".

So you need to put the boot files on the SSD or the C partition, so boot into Windows, open and administrative command prompt, and type the following with enter after:

bcdboot C:\Windows /s C:

When you reboot, you should be able to boot normally.

Is there a reason you know of that made the other drives have Active partitions on them?

You can open an administrative command window by going to start menu, accessories, command prompt and right click and select "Run as Admin"

The fact your 1TB drive has a system partition means you should have been able to set it first in the bios and it would have booted also...
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Going to see if I can get our resident expert in these matters to take a look.
In the mean time can you please
click the start orb and type
disk management
and hit enter
maximize it and use the windows snipping tool (all programs, accessories, snipping tool) to capture an full window snip of the disk management utility.
See attachment.
 
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Hi

I'm not sure what you used to rebuild the Boot Manager but I've had very good luck using EasyBCD.
If will manage existing boot files and create new ones for the drive you select.

If it doesn't see your drive that won't help but it's free and it's worth a shot.
It's always worked for me.

EasyBCD, boot management utility

EasyBCD - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

It sounds like for some reason the computer is only looking at the boot file on the DVD and not creating one on the hard drive when you do the install.

As Trouble said it would be helpful to see you disk management window.

Mike
 
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As Trouble mentions, a disk management picture will probably help.

I have seen other folks that have had to have the Install DVD inserted to boot into their Windows install, but I have never been able to understand how that happens. I suppose for some reason an active is not created, but just guessing.

Do you show the SSD as the primary drive in the Bios (Boot Order)? I have no experience with an SSD, so if any special procedures were used to install to it, you might go through those. Is the SSD and SATA III drive?

The best thing for you to do is to disconnect the other drives until you get it straightened out. Having other drives can lead to the install being put in places you may not want. But during an install, the boot manager is supposed to be put in the active partition on the primary drive. It fools some folks and puts it on a drive they do not expect. But the active partition is very important for an MBR boot system.

I will assume you are not running an UEFI system, because if you were, you would need to check the bios and make sure the Windows Boot manager was listed first.
 
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Thank you Trouble, Mike & Saltgrass for your help so far. I appreciate your time.

Please find attached a screenshot of my disk management screen for all who have requested it.

If I disconnect the SATA drives and try and boot up off the SSD alone, it either gives me the option to boot from the disc or restart due to BOOTMGR being missing. Normally, I just turn it on and after about 5 seconds of it asking me if I want to boot from the disc, it automatically gets the BOOTMGR file from the disc and boots up the operating system as normal. When I disconnect the SATA drives, it no longer does this.

Link Removed
 
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Saltgrass,

I have now uploaded a disk management screen capture.

Regarding the SSD, there were no special procedures used to install it, just plug and go like the SATA drives. My boot priority order at the moment is 1. CD drive, 2. Hard disk. If I have it any other way, it doesn't boot up at all. I've tried disconnecting the other two drives and booting solely from the SSD but this doesn't seem to work (see my general reply for more details).

Do you recommend (another) fresh install with the two SATA drives disconnected and only the SSD connected? Perhaps that'll ensure it doesn't start saving any files/try to install any files to the wrong drive. I'm probably going to make you experts cringe here, but what is the deal with partitions? When I do the fresh install, I just format the SSD drive and select it as the drive I want to install Windows 7 on and press Next (without creating any partitions). It then goes ahead and installs the operating system without any issues. Should I be doing things differently?

Regarding your question about a UEFI system, I'm not sure what one is.. I've Wikipedia'd it and am still none the wiser. How would I know if I am running this kind of system?

Here was me thinking I was all technical building my own desktop computer..it's moments like these which make me realise I'm not at all technical and make me wish I'd just got a Dell! (Well, not really, I love the fact I built my own computer but it becomes a hindrance in situations like these where I'm out of my depth)
 
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Your boot files are on the 1 TB drive, E in your case. They are always in an active partition and it says "System".

So you need to put the boot files on the SSD or the C partition, so boot into Windows, open and administrative command prompt, and type the following with enter after:

bcdboot C:\Windows /s C:

When you reboot, you should be able to boot normally.

Is there a reason you know of that made the other drives have Active partitions on them?

You can open an administrative command window by going to start menu, accessories, command prompt and right click and select "Run as Admin"

The fact your 1TB drive has a system partition means you should have been able to set it first in the bios and it would have booted also, unless that install was not pointing to your SSD. Possibly the fact you have so many active partitions, it is confusing your system. You can make the partitions inactive using Diskpart, I am not sure if Disk Management will remove the active status. But make sure you are working on the correct partition.
 
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Solution
Hi Saltgrass,

The method you suggested didn't work. In the end, what I did was to disconnect the SATA drives and re-install windows with only the SSD connected. This worked and it no longer requires me to have the launch disc in.

I know it may be slightly cheeky, but could I pick your brains on a few other things while you're here?

If you have time, please help me on the following points:

1) I would like my SSD drive to have only my operating system on it and NOTHING else. However when I am trying to install all my programs after the fresh install, it will let some programs be installed to the E: or F: drives, but some only work if the directory it is being installed in is C: drive. Is there any way around this? I know you can re-assign drive letters in disk management, but will that actually do the job? If I just re-assign the letter C to one of my SATA drives and make the SSD drive into E: or F:? Will the computer automatically know to boot off the SSD even if it's not the C drive?

2) Having done my fresh install, I started installing programs into a folder I created in the F drive called Program Files. Now, when I try to create new folders within the Program Files folder, it says I do not have administrator permission. I am the one and only user on the computer and when I go into User Accounts, it has me as the administrator but won't let me do anything.

I'd appreciate any help you could offer.
 
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Hi

I'm not sure what software you are having problems with.
Off hand I can't remember any software that actually requires being installed on the C:\ drive.

I'm not saying that there aren't any but it's not common, most installers have a custom install installation option some where in the process. This is where you can change the install directory.

Some Microsoft components automatically install to C:\ but I'm pretty sure that even Microsoft Office can be installed to another drive.

If the program doesn't have an option to install elsewhere then it's likely that it won't run in another location, but some software doesn't even have to be installed.

For years I moved my Adobe Illustrator installation from one computer to another just by copying my installation to the new computer.

I have a friend who runs WOW from his external USB drive, from a copy made from my installation.

I have several other programs that will work no matter where you put them.

So there is a chance if a slim one that you can just copy the install folder to another drive and it will run.

You only have to invest the time to copy it and see if it will run from the .exe file in the new folder to find out.

2. Start by turning off the UAC.
Download and install, Grant Full Admin Control, and apply it to the Programs folder.
Don't apply it to the entire drive.

Grant Admin Full Control

Link Removed - Not Found

I've never had problems with making folders, but I have has a lot of trouble getting rid of them.



Mike
 
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ibstar said:
The method you suggested didn't work.
Click to expand...

Could you explain exactly what did not work? Was Diskpart not able to remove the active status from the 1TB drives? Was BCDBoot not able to replace the boot files?

Another Disk Management picture might explain?

ibstar said:
In the end, what I did was to disconnect the SATA drives and re-install windows with only the SSD connected. This worked and it no longer requires me to have the launch disc in.
Click to expand...
Reinstalling will work most of the time, but since you said you had tried that 6 or 7 times, there must have been something in you system messing it up, like as you now know, the other drives.

The Windows OS partition is always c: , except in certain cases where a drive has been cloned. Don't even try to change it. As far as where your programs are being installed, maybe Mike can help with that.

The install needs to be kept clean. You should be able to drop a folder in the there, but installing programs, may not be allowed.
 
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