Windows 7 Windows 7 bootmgr is messed up? Need help fixing it!

Richard

New Member
Here is my boot manager info retrieved using the command line command: bcdedit
As you can see the upper {bootmgr} area is pointing to the wrong device - partition=L
I don't know why since this volume never had a OS installed? In windows 7 using computer management/disk management it shows the volume as (System, Active, Primary Partition) and on the volume there exists a Boot folder
all the BCD files and a bcdmgr file? I tried removing them from the volume and no matter how I arranged the permissions it would not let me move or edit the files. Hence I need some help!

If someone can tell me how to use this either at the command prompt or inside windows 7 computer management I would be most grateful. I am the sole user and administrator. I only have one log on as of yet.

I can only boot into windows 7 now by having the boot priority set to cd/dvdrom and having the win7 install dvd in the drive! I tried to figure this out using the help files from bcdedit command but I just couldn't figure out how to replace the entries I wanted to change. And not even though the device/partition is wrong the hex ID is the same? Very confusing!

Thanks vvvm for any assistance! :confused:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=L:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {668f8e44-ae48-11de-97fa-e42046b654bf}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 60
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {668f8e46-ae48-11de-97fa-e42046b654bf}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {668f8e44-ae48-11de-97fa-e42046b654bf}
nx OptIn
bootlog No
sos No
 
You can change it through the path you have chosen, (commen prompt), but the easiest way is to install Easybcd (free) and use that very efficient program to do it all for you. If you cannot fathom the workings of the program, come back and someone will run you through it.
 
Bootrec.exe /FixMbr
Bootrec.exe /FixBoot
Bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd

Since your bcd files are in your \boot folder you are running RC. ... not the final.. in the final they were relocated to \windows\boot\bla bla bla ...long path

Run this command to find them from \windows folder

attrib bcd /s

Please people... EVERYONE STOP NOW and BACK UP your bcd file... NO MATTER which version of Windows you are runing... RC or 7600 this command willl backup your bcd file:


bcdedit /export C:\SAVEDBCD

If you mess up, you can always undo changes by:

bcdedit /import c:\savedbcd

If you can't find bcdedit.exe it's way way deep in your windows folder.. not in your path.. so you have to dig it out

C:\Windows>attrib bcdedit.exe /s

A C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-b..iondat
bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_e41fee6cbedca6f2\bcdedit.exe

You can thank me later.. I'll give you my paypal info ...

NOW back to your problem... You apparently have a multi-boot menu.. because I see a time out. If you boot straight into your os I don't think there is a need for a time out. I'll check that later.

A similar thing happens to me all the time because I have several hard drives... in MY bios there is not ONLY a boot priority but there is also a HARD DRIVE menu that sets the hard drive priorities. When I put in or remove a hard drive I have to work on my Bios menu and fix the hard drive sequence.. NOT the boot sequence.. if the boot sequence says Hard DRIVE first... all I do is go to the hard drive menu and highlight the first one and set it to use my Segate drive.. because that's the one my primary OS is on.

It appears that when your bcd file was set up, it was done when you had other drives or was under a different operating system.. maybe the Win 7 install didn't get it right. What confuses me is that i have NO DRIVE letter under first section.. where it says Identifier {bootmanager} Here is my stuff:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
resumeobject {2c4f3112-aca9-11de-8b30-edb5244773bf}
displayorder {current}
{2c4f3116-aca9-11de-8b30-edb5244773bf}
{2c4f3117-aca9-11de-8b30-edb5244773bf}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {2c4f3114-aca9-11de-8b30-edb5244773bf}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {2c4f3112-aca9-11de-8b30-edb5244773bf}
nx OptIn


Good luck
 
You can change it through the path you have chosen, (commen prompt), but the easiest way is to install Easybcd (free) and use that very efficient program to do it all for you. If you cannot fathom the workings of the program, come back and someone will run you through it.

I've tried several times to get easybcd to set up my multi-boot menu so I can boot into my cloned backup drive... it never worked. It woudn't even put an entry that I could see when i ran MSCONFIG and went to the boot tab.

Have you used it successfully?

There is another utillity that you can install and if you right click on a .VHD file it wil add your vhd drive to your multi-boot menu without having to go through the bcdedit steps with the long guid numbers.
 
Sure. I have used it countless times, with up to quad boots. 100% success each go.
 
Sure. I have used it countless times, with up to quad boots. 100% success each go.

Oh well.. it definitely doesn't work here.. but it does bring up the menu and allows me to view my multi-boot menu, reset the delay time to boot into my primary drive and backs up my bcd file... so it's not a total waste of disk space.
 
Thank you for the quick responses!

I just returned home from work and was very pleasantly surprised to see responses to this post!

Thanks a ton! I'll update this thread after I try the steps and maybe the software.

I am glad to have found this forum as I"m very new to Win 7, was not involved in any of the beta testing.

Thanks again,

Richard
 
Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \bootmgr

Please post a screenshot of Disk Management window.

If L is the Active partition - that is where the boot critical files should be - irrespective of where the rest of the o/s is installed.

I can only boot into windows 7 now by having the boot priority set to cd/dvdrom and having the win7 install dvd in the drive!

Is that since you tried to move the boot critical files and change bcd entries - or did you need to do that before?


Since your bcd files are in your \boot folder you are running RC. ... not the final.. in the final they were relocated to \windows\boot\bla bla bla ...long path
???
 
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Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \bootmgr

Please post a screenshot of Disk Management window.

If L is the Active partition - that is where the boot critical files should be - irrespective of where the rest of the o/s is installed.


Here is an interesting experiment... if you have another hard drive... copy your bcd file and your bootmanager file to it... set your bios to boot into that drive and watch it load your primary drive... you can even disable your primary drive in your bios and if it is still plugged in.. the bootmanager files will take you right back to it. I suppose it's keying on the guid numbers. Drive letters seem to mean nothing to it. Anyway, if you have a backup drive and you back up your bcd bootmanager files to it and overwrite the ones there (from your primary drive).. you will NOT get into your backup drive until you restore / repair the bootmanager files. If you unplug the drive it's pointed to you'll only get a nasty message.
 
Thanks

Thanks to all of you for your input I got frustrated after I butchered my boot record trying to fix it with bcdedit and easybcd! I took out all the drives except the one I wanted to install on and did a new install then hooked up my other drives which I probably should have done long time ago!

I do have a new dilema if your interested!

Prolly just old age but, here goes! During my previous install I loaded up outlook and it imported all my folders and messages a piece of cake. I don't even remember if I used import but I must have cause it picked up all my folders and mail. Problem is on my second install this didn't happen? I choose import and it pops up a small wizard that doesn't ask for a location it just asks for the type of items I want to import so I have no idea where it is importing from and it gives me no opportunity to control this???? I can't find where Outlook stores it's mail folders? I figured I"d just copy my folders to the new location? They must exist somewhere?

I have hundreds of messages and prolly 30 - 40 folders other than the default that I need! Can anyone give me some ideas on this? I think they are in a win mail format but I'm not sure I had changed to Outlook before I decided to move on to Win 7. I would have thought Win7 would have a default email program but don't see that either. (Thought I might be able to import into that and export for Outlook?)
 
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