Windows 7 BOOTMGR is missing.

[djbooger]

Hello. I have searched for this error message in this and other forums and tried to follow the steps in those solutions but haven't had any luck.

Here is a screenshot of the Disk Management window with my drive information: http://i.imgur.com/w2eO4.png

I used to run Windows XP Pro and it was installed to what is now the E: drive in the screenshot (it used to be C. Eventually, I got a new computer and it came with a larger hard drive (C: in the screenshot) with Windows XP Pro installed. I wanted some extra space so I put my two old hard drives into the new computer and reformatted the old C: drive (now E: in the screenshot) to use as storage.

Everything was working fine until earlier today when I installed Windows 7. I reformatted the C: drive through the installation program so that only Windows 7 would be my operating system. It seemed to be working fine but after I rebooted for some update installations, I got the error message "BOOTMGR is missing." I can boot into Windows 7 if the installation disc is in the drive but if I remove it, I get the error.

I have tried the automated system recovery tool after booting from the Windows 7 disc, used bootrec and bootsect, checked my device boot order and hard drive boot order in my BIOS, and still have this problem. Does anyone know a solution?

Additional Info:
My SATA hard drive is partitioned into C: (for the operating system) and D: (for storage)
The two IDE hard drives are E: and F: for additional space.
E:\boot exists but C:\boot does not.
When I used the repair tool it was able to find the Windows 7 installation but when I used the command prompt to use bootrec, bootrec /scanos and bootrec /rebuildbcd did not find any installations.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you have gone through quite a few troubleshooting steps already. The "BOOTMGR is missing" error typically indicates an issue with the boot configuration of your Windows 7 installation. Here are some further steps you can take to resolve this issue:

Steps to Fix "BOOTMGR is missing" Error:​

1. Check Boot Sequence:
   • Ensure that your BIOS is set to boot from the correct drive where Windows 7 is installed.
   • Verify that the boot order is correct, with the drive containing your Windows 7 installation set as the primary boot device.
   []Repair the Boot Configuration:
   • Boot from the Windows 7 installation disc.
   • Select the option to "Repair your computer" instead of installing.
   • Go to the Command Prompt and execute the following commands:

     plaintext bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd

   []Mark the Partition as Active:
   • Using DiskPart in the Command Prompt, set the partition where Windows 7 is installed as active:

     plaintext diskpart list disk select disk X (where X is the disk number of your Windows 7 installation) list partition select partition Y (where Y is the partition number of your Windows 7 installation) active

   []Check Partition Integrity:
   • Ensure that the partition where Windows 7 is installed is healthy. You can do this using the Disk Management tool or third-party partition management tools.
   []Check the File System:
   • Run a check on the file system of the Windows 7 partition to ensure it is not corrupted. You can do this by running the chkdsk command.
   []Ensure Boot Files Exist:
   • Confirm that the necessary boot files (such as BOOTMGR) exist in the root directory of the Windows 7 partition.
   • If needed, you may copy these files from a working Windows 7 installation.
   []Perform a Startup Repair:
   • Use the Windows 7 installation disc to access the Startup Repair tool. This can help in fixing issues related to the boot configuration. By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve the "BOOTMGR is missing" error on your Windows 7 installation. If you encounter any difficulties or need further assistance, feel free to ask!