Boot mgr missing

Windows 7, boot mgr missing, no Win7 cd. F8 doesn't force the computer into recovery mode. What to do?
Keith

 

The W7 images are available, and you can burn a DVD with these images from digital river:

http://malwaretips.com/blogs/download-windows-7-sp1-iso/


Download the version you have, and using a free program such as ImgBurn, create a bootable disc from the .iso file. Make sure your burn speed is 4x, or less and verify the disc after burning. After you have completed this, you can run a "Startup Repair".

Of course, you will need the PC you are posting from to do it...

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm downloading the W7 image as I type. I'll let you know how it works out... unless I need more help, then I'll let you know I need more help...:-o
Keith

 

I downloaded the ISO... took 4 hours +/-. Extracted the files, burned the DVD. It works on my computer (this one), but now I can't get the laptop to boot from the DVD/CD player. I put the DVD/Cd player first in the boot-up list in setup, with LAN second and Floppy disk drive 3rd, with HD last. You can hear the DVD spin, but nothing happens... except I get the following message:

For Realtek RTL8101E/8102E(L) PCI-E Ethernet Controller v1.13 (081016)

((I think that at this point the computer has bypassed the DVD/CD drive and is trying to boot from the LAN, which it can't))

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM

((This is probably the computer failing to boot from floppy as it has no floppy drive))

BOOTMGR is missing
Press CTRL+ALT+DEl to restart

((the computer has reached the hard drive in the boot sequence and fails to find BOOTMGR and away we go))

If I disable the HD in the boot setup sequence then I get an endless loop as the computer cycles through the DVD/CD player (you can see the light come on as it looks at it), the LAN and the FDD. So I have to assume that the Win 7 disk I made doesn't boot automatically.

So now what?

Keith

 

How old is this laptop (make/model), and exactly what kind of DVD media did you use?

It is possible that it can't read the DVD, or that there is a problem with the drive. If it is the drive, you will have to hook one up externally to the laptop. You can use a tool like Apricorn's DriveWire, or the mSATA port if this laptop has one.

The PXE ROM is actually for remotely downloading an OS image from a server, via the ethernet adapter. If you don't have a floppy, disable the option.

 

It's a Toshiba Satellite L455D about 3 yrs old. The DVD disks are standard off-the-shelf Maxells. The burned DVD will run fine on my desktop, but I don't want install W7 on it. The DVD player in the laptop recognizes an old XP boot disk that I have, but won't install it--it crashes--and at one point the laptop did ask if I wanted to boot from disk, but then didn't. I was going to install XP then use the W7 to upgrade, but it didn't work.

 

The issue that I see with XP frequently is that it is native to IDE, not AHCI. So, when you are doing an XP installation you need to set the hard drive in BIOS to IDE instead of AHCI, even when it is SATA.

That may get you over the hump.

 

The laptop doesn't offer the choice of switching the HD from AHCI to IDE. It only gives you AHCI and "Compatibility." If you set it to Compatibility then it locks up the XP disk at the initial screen and doesn't proceed.

I'm beginning to think that I've got a permanently damaged hard drive...

 

OK, you want Win 7 on this laptop, correct?

What type of Win 7 license key do you have, Upgrade, Full, or OEM?

Can you create a bootable USB stick?

 

The Toshiba laptop came with WIN 7. Unfortunately you can't read most of the product key on the back any more (it's worn off of the paper sticker), but it's OEM. I took the Toshiba's hard drive out and put in the hard drive from an old Acer laptop (Vista). The Toshiba saw that hard drive and tried to boot to it but couldn't because of the differences. It offered me the opportunity to "repair" the Vista hard drive, but I declined as I didn't want two non-functioning laptops... But it saw it, so I know there's not a connectivity problem in the Toshiba. I put the Win 7 hard drive in the Vista computer and it wouldn't boot from it in that computer either. Well, duh, eh?

As for creating a bootable USB stick, I do have USB ports on this desktop, so, if I had an empty 8gig or bigger stick, and the appropriate software to create a bootable stick, I could probably do it. It'll have to wait until tomorrow though, when I can dig out of the snow and go to Wal Mart.

 

I would contact Toshiba, and request replacement software/license key if possible using your laptop's serial number. The same goes for the Acer.

If you don't have a valid product key, you will not be able to complete the installation.

If that W7 install still exists, you can try using the USB stick with a bootable image and do what is called a "Startup Repair". This will ordinarily fix the boot record.

 

Couple of questions: Why aren't the bootable DVDs I've made booting, and how can I make a bootable USB stick?

I have two DVDs that boot--an old XP cd, which won't load XP (probably because none of its drivers are SATA). But it boots and runs until it crashes--which is after it has loaded all the drivers etc., into memory and is trying to load the hard drive. Plus I have an ONTRACK Fix-It Utilities disk that boots and goes to menu but won't do anything once it's loaded. It doesn't see the hard drive.

I put a new hard drive in the computer to see what it would do. It doesn't give me the litany of errors anymore, but the computer still won't load XP, the Fix-It disk still doesn't see the hard drive, and the "bootable" Win7 DVD still won't boot.

Keith

 

Well! Progress. I changed the HD to "compatibility" and as we speak the old XP cd that I have is formatting the new hard drive. Next we'll see if it loads the OS, then if I can "upgrade" to WIN 7. Or maybe I should stick with XP... ?

 

It could be the DVD drive, or even the color of the DVD itself. I remember years ago I had an old Alpine deck that would only play music burned to a Data Disk, instead of regular "run of the mill" CDs.

There will still be XP support for quite some time, and if you don't have the W7 license key you most likely won't be able to install it.

As I mentioned in a previous post you should contact the laptop manufacturer for replacement software and the license key via the serial numbers of the laptops.

 

So, here I am replying ON the computer I'm repairing--or rather, obviously--have repaired. The XP upgrade to Win7 wasn't as simple as I'd hoped, but it was necessary. XP didn't even see all the USB ports, or the WiFi hardware. I had to "install" a plug-in WiFi adapter in the one USB port that XP could see, but once the update was done everything works as before. HooHah!
Keith

 

OK... here's a new problem associated with the repair of this computer. It no longer "sees" two of the three USB ports it has.
The only difference I can see in the BIOS is that the SATA controller mode is set on "compatibility" (which I had to do in order to load XP then upgrade to W7) instead of AHCI. Could this affect the USB ports? I tried putting it back on AHCI and the computer wouldn't boot any more.
How can I wake up these USB ports?
Keith

 

Ooops. Solved my own problem. Took the computer completely apart again and found that the USB cable that connected the two "missing" ports had worked its way loose on re-assembly. All fixed now.

Thanks to all you who helped with the fix on this computer. It's ready for my son to take to school now...

Keith

 

You're quite welcome.

And, as I often say, not having the machine before you makes things much more interesting. Well, so to speak...