Fixing "BOOTMGR is missing" Error While Trying to Boot Windows Vista
If your Windows Vista computer has encountered the dreaded “BOOTMGR is missing” error, you aren’t alone. If the problem isn’t hardware related you can fix it with relative ease as long as you have a Windows Vista DVD handy.
If you don’t have one, you can create a Windows Vista repair disk using our guide.
Boot off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt:
You should see a link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”
The installation process will attempt to find your Vista installation directory. If there’s more than one in the list, select the correct one and then use the Next button again.
Click the first link for “Startup Repair”
The installation process will repair the system, and then prompt for you to reboot.
Alternatively you could have chosen the Command Prompt option instead, and use the following command to fix the boot options only:
bootrec /fixboot
At this point you should be able to reboot your computer, remove the DVD and everything should be working. If not, then head over to our forums and ask your question there. We’ve got some top-notch geeks over there!
Daily Email Updates
You can get our how-to articles in your inbox each day for free. Just enter your name and email below:
I don’t know why, but both times I’ve used the Startup Repair I had to run it twice. So if the first time doesn’t fix it, boot from the Vista DVD again and run it a second time.
u can use the “bcdedit” in command prompt ??
After I made a Windows Vista Repair Disc “using our guide”, I am happy to say this procedure worked.
i had the same problem the other day in the office with wind vista home premium but all i had was a windows xp pro disk i used that to load up windows filespopped out the disk and was able to start up in safe mode then go to system restore but first i tried dell’s restore drive to format and reinstall but that had a error after system restore i rebooted and bootmgr was gone and all was good
I don’t know how prevalent the problem is of Vista displaying the error message “BOOTMGR is missing. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart?,
i am getting the above problems but i have system recovery dvd i am able to recover, but the problem i have many necessary data and documents to save .as i am afraid to do that so could you kindly advice me the right solutiion to maintain the saving and recover it ?
After Booting off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt.
Then I click on the link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”
but at the System Recovery Options, the microsoft windows vista OS is not showing to continue by clicking on next.
Expect your reply.
Thank you
When I recover the vista a error mgg displayed in progress, that is “Error 0 x 400100 130000 1002.If the issue continues, plz contact HP support”. so what is the reason & help me….My notebook is Hp pavillion dv6560.
I’ve had this problem three times, twice I’ve used the vista repair option and they only worked for that boot-up, Its not a permanent fix. I have noticed however that my pc boots straight into windows with no probs if I leave the vista disk in my pc, very strange.
Maybe I should copy the bloody file off the cd and paste it somewhere, but where ?.
boingboing
have you used the command prompt choice there you can use the bootrec /fixboot
command
good luck
hey the disc couldnt find any operating system what can i do???
i also try to find it by load, and opening each folder, but theres no operating system
bald006, I’m actually having the same problem as we speak. I think somehow windows got entirely dumped. Maybe it was a virus or something? I’m not very computer savvy so I really have no idea but I think we need to reinstall vista completely. If anyone can answer bald006’s question you’ll also be answering mine, so please do. Thanks.
If I/we do need to completely reinstall windows how can we go about it if we don’t have the disk, without buying it again or downloading a torrent.
have this Vista Home Basic COmpaq laptop, when I system recover because it, it says “BOOTMGR is missing”.. I already tried the iso, it worked; BUT I cannot complete the process because my laptop cannot locate the Windows Vista set up in its partition. I just bought this laptop yesterday. Please answer me… Thanks.
April, try a System Restore. (To an earlier date.)
hey colin and bald006, i wish i could help but too badi have the same problem. I click the repair button and there is no operating system listed and i load the thing and all the folders are empty! so anyone who can help or knows PLEASE do help!!thank!! sorry im doing this for the thrid time i just keep forgeting to check the “notify me of followup comments via e-mail”
hi there i have a sony vaio which i tried installing vista ultimate but when i stated installation it only displys the above error (Bootmgr is missing) can any one helps me please………..
so i tried doing what this said, but it did not work, it just goes back to that same old annoying circle of repairs, what could i do???? this is a new laptop, and i dont want it to be broken already…..
also, after following those directions, it just pops up that “startup repair cannot repair this computer automatically”
THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS i dont know much computer stuff.
Hey when I boot up off the disc i follow the steps and when i get to the screen where you select what operating system i want to repair, theres nothing there!
Will this work while doing a fresh install
if you get the “BOOTMGR” is missing error upon startup and your tried to do a system repair, but no drive was located with an OS, try this -
1. try to hit the ‘DEL’ button upon startup and then try going into safe mode (so the necessary drivers are loaded)
2. disconnect SATA cables (if any)
3. disconnect IDE cables
4. re-connect everything
when i re-connected everything back up, i was able to re-boot without any problems, and actually didn’t have to do a system repair with the DVD. however, it took me hours to figure out what to do and was ready to lose my files just to do a fresh install. glad it didn’t go that way.
An old thread but feel like posting as this site come up as top ranked when googled, so heres my 2 cents for those who stumble accross this thread while searching for a solution.
Had same issue today as many, atempted repair using vista disk but OS was detected, but clicked next anyway and the process started, and to my suprise it made a succesfull repair, while it rebooted a few times, from doing some research i found out that it doesn’t allways work but there is a way around that also, select install instead of repair and it will detect your drive, select cancel and go back to the repair section, your OS will show up now.
Cause of the BootMGR missing, most times virus or failing hdd, so if your system is behaving a little bit strange and slow get yourself a new hdd and clone the old one.
In my case it was a virus which gave my system a BSD, unaware as I was out, traced back to an ebay competitors email lol, and thought kaspersky was good.
I’m having the same problem however, when use the Vista disk, it hangs at that message and doesn’t go into the 1st Install page to enable me to follow the procedure above. Any suggestions?
i turned my laptop on today and it said “BOOTMGR” is missing error upon startup. i have tried to do a system repair, but no drive was located. please please please can someone help me.
if it fails to boot due to this message (bootmgr missing) unplug all external drive and ipods. it might boot right up
i made recovery CD, and it starts through recovery CD now and don’t give me any more the BOOTmgr missing MSG any more,
But when it starts and i want to repair it, it doesn’t show me any Drive there,..i can see there C d and E: etcetra but all drives are empty..
what shall i do, .. will be happy with quick responce..
thanx bye
i had this problem and finaly i solve it
goto :
repair
command prompt
if your h.d.d has 3 drive like c:,d,e you most type :
f:
cd boot
bootsect /nt60 c:
“f:” is a drive after your last drive
“c:” is your drive that vista installed
thanks
I installed Vista Ultimate but when I am trying to install windows XP, it doesn’t let me do that. The error message is bootmgr missing. Can anybody help me to fix this problem so that i could install windows xp again.
everytime i turn on my laptop computer it says bootmgr is missing press ctrl+alt+del to restart. it will not boot up in safe mode. I have a recovery disk in the DVD rom drive and it will not boot up. please help me.
Thankx a lot man.. I successfully solved the problem..
You must first remove all usb attached to the system and follow the above steps to solve the problem successfully….
Hey! I have the same problem, when I start my computer it says, bootmgr is missing, press ctrl+alt+del, but my problem is I cannot boot from anything to be able to do anything you guys suggested. I cannot boot from my vista DVD nor from my hard disk. PLEASE HELP! ANY HELP IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED!
THANKS!
@Super: You should post your question on the forums. More people with see it there and be able to help you.
You can even press the f12 button in 1st bios screen
with vista cd in disc-drive and startup will be fixed
Thanks. That worked. But I had to follow the steps twice.
I have to say i been looking up on how to fix this and i could not fine out how to do until i look on this site and i reaaly have to say great job and all i need to do was go into the command prompt and it worked great job thanks thanks thanks
I’m not sure who wrote the main article here, but there’s something he completely left out. I experienced the same problem with the “BOOTMGR is missing”. I got this message when a blank, unformatted and unpartioned hard drive is installed. I attempted to repair or reinstall the OS, but the system will not boot the optical drive. Now don’t insult my intelligence by telling me I needed to set the BIOS up to boot to the optical drive – I did that. I’ve been working on computers for 9 years now. I tried different optical drives, different hard drive, different jumper settings on the hard drives, IDE, SATA, and nothing worked. I tried ASUS tech support, researched online, and no one has the correct answer. It just keeps stating “BOOTMGR is missing”. I had no choice but to temporarily install a floppy drive and install the OS that way booting from floppies. Then it worked. When I was finished and WinXP was installed, just for the hell of it, I set the BIOS to boot to the optical drive again. Although I did not get the “BOOTMGR is missing” message, I did get a new message stating “Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device”. Again, the system will not boot to the optical drive. I should be getting the “No OS found” message (optical drive) or it should skip the optical drive since it can’t boot and go to the installed OS on the hard drive. My only guess after hours of messing around with this problem is there is something wrong with the motherboard or it’s BIOS. It’s an older ASUS A8S-X socket 939 board.
Gary- I am having the same problem. Brand new FoxConn motherboard, socket AM2+ running a Phenom 9850 Black Edition. I booted with a windows XP disk in the drive, and started that install, but it couldn’t complete(there was a scratch on the disk). I restarted with a different XP disk, and it wouldn’t let me install it. I took the drive out, did a quick format, and now I can’t get it to boot from a CD, I just get the bootmgr message. So I took the drive out again, and did a complete format, and I’m still just getting bootmgr is missing. Kind of stumped here.
Sam,
I’ll be the first to admit if I don’t know the answer FOR SURE and I don’t know for sure how to fix this problem – and I’ve been working on computers for 9 years!!
Anyway, I have two suggestions:
1. Don’t install a partitioned and formatted drive. If you can put your drive into a USB enclosure and connect it to another computer with XP or Vista, just delete the partition so the drive is NOT partitioned and not formatted. (Right click “My Computer” > Manage > choose “Disk Management” in the left pane.) Then re-install it into your system and see if you can boot to the WinXP disc and do the install. Let the installation program do the partitioning and formatting.
2. If that doesn’t work, then you’ll have to use your floppy drive or temporarily install a floppy drive to do this. Create the six WinXP boot discs from your WinXP CD or download them from here:
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
After you have created the six boot discs, set-up your MB BIOS to boot from the floppy drive first and do the install that way. That’s what I was forced to do – but it worked! My computer is now back up and running with WinXP in it.
Get this, just for the hell of it, after WinXP was reinstalled with SP3, I set-up the BIOS to boot to the optical drive again. I put my WinXP disc in the drive and rebooted. Guess what? It said the BOOKMGR was missing – AGAIN!! Makes no sense to me. So I set the BIOS to boot to the hard drive first and left it alone. I got sick of working on it…….
ok help would be nice, i did a system recovery on my desk top to restore original factory settings and the “BOOTMGR is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart” came up on start up and i dont have a back up disk. can any one explain the process, step by step would be great. thanx in advance
Thank you except once i get up to choosing your driver it lists none, but because it says Load Drivers on the bottom, can you tell me where to look for my driver?
is it possible to solve this error using an XP instead of a vista disk?
@Kalmin: No, you can’t use a Windows XP disc. You can however download and burn a Windows Vista repair disc if you are missing a Windows Vista disc to do this.
See http://www.howtogeek.com/howto.....-have-one/ for how to do so.
Interesting response jd2066. However, my problem started with WinXP, not Vista. Once I received the “BOOT MGR is missing” message the computer would not boot to any OS CD. I tried them all. I tried a brand new drive that had never been formatted and partitioned. I tried a used drive that had been formatted and partitioned. I also tried both IDE and SATA hard drives. Nothing worked.
What you’re not understanding is how can the Boot Manager be missing on a fresh installation – a blank hard drive? Makes no sense. The Boot Mgr is missing message cannot be coming from the Windows installation because my hard drives have no OS on them. So you’re little repair trick with the Vista DVD does not work. The only thing that worked was booting from floppies, and installing WinXP that way.
If you read my message above you will see that even after I installed WinXP using the boot floppies, I rebooted to the CD drive with the WinXP disc in the tray and I got the Boot Mgr message again! So it has to be something with the motherboard BIOS, not the OS. Something is preventing the computer from booting to the CD-drive. Think about it. I can boot to the floppies to install WinXP. I can boot to WinXP on the hard drive after it’s installed. But no matter what I do, the computer will not boot to the optical drive. Therefore, the problem is the motherboard/optical drive communication.
Any ideas from anyone would be appreciated.
@Gary: My response was to Kalmin only, not to you so there was no misunderstanding on my part. If I knew the answer to your problem to would have answered you too but I do not.
My answer still applies to anyone though.
bootmgr is the Windows Vista boot loader that is started by the Windows Vista MBR boot code. It’s quite possible that the MBR boot code is also used by the Windows Vista disc so you get that error when you can’t load the Windows Vista disc.
If you get this error without the Windows Vista disc being in the drive then I would say either Windows Vista installed the MBR boot code without asking or the hard drive came with the Windows Vista MBR boot code preinstalled.
Now, I have no idea why either of those two things would happen but I’ve seen far stranger things happen with computers.
i have done this many times. i made the CD and i followed the instructions EXACTLY as it says on the top of the page but it keeps saying that my bootmgr is missing.
i hate stupid bootmgr.
i did both the CD, and then “repair your computer….” and also the “command prompt” a bunch of times but it keeps telling me that my bootmgr is missing. and i need my laptop to work by tomorow!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks
Natasha,
The only way I know to get around this problem is to create the boot floppies for WinXP (6 of them) and boot to a floppy drive to begin the installation of WinXP that way. It will install then. I’ve done it. I don’t know what’s causing this Boot Mgr error as I’ve tried to install WinXP with a new hard drive both un-partitioned and un-formatted and also partitioned and formatted. I tried a used hard drive too. Doesn’t matter. Once this happens, you computer will not load WinXP from the CD drive until you first boot from the floppy drive. If your laptop does not have a floppy drive, try a USB attached floppy drive and tell the motherboard BIOS to boot to external USB as the first boot device.
its simple ,you have 2 drives that are both measured as the master drives for the system and one has to be changed to work as the master.once you turn on the pc, press contantly on delete bottom until bios comes up with the hard drives configrations,disable all of them except the c drive and press enter,then you have a pc working again.
> “i hate stupid bootmgr.”
That is misdirected hate.
bootmgr is not the problem.
It’s the Master Boot Record (MBR) code loaded by Windows Vista that shows this error message. bootmgr is there in almost all cases, the MBR code just cannot find it for various reasons.
The MBR is only 512 bytes long, so it can’t be smart enough to handle all cases of failure.
The same thing can happen with any Operating System loaded on an IBM compatible PC.
The 512 bytes limitation is one of the many problems with the legacy BIOS firmware interface used by all older IBM compatible PCs.
Apple hardware uses UEFI which handles things like this better.
Some newer IBM compatible PCs do support UEFI but not all do. The 64-bit version of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 adds support for UEFI to Windows.
Now could the Windows Vista repair function fix more cases of problems that prevent bootmgr from being found?
Yes it could. I have no idea why the Windows repair functions are so limited in comparison to Linux.
when it goes to the drivers part it doesnt show anything for example in the picture above it says “Microsoft Windows Vista 45050mb free” mine doesnt show anything there can someone help me please?
i formatted my computer which was running windows vista home premium. Wen i formatted my computer i relised that i did not have the vista required to install windows just the upgrade of home premium, i have a xp disc but wen i try to boot it its says “boot mgr missing” any tips on how i might fix this? remembering my computer has no OS at the moment.
Thanks for such a thorough and well-done walkthrough. It helped me immensely and saved me hours of frustration.
hi i been having this problem since last nite i had tried to follow the steps above but when i insert the disk the click where it says repair the disc couldnt find any operating system what can i do? Oh and i also try to find it by load, and opening each folder, but all folders are empy..plz any one help me..what should u do???
Thank you.
Lenovo Blue Button does not hhelp but this sure did!
I just borght a new Lenovo notebook, and the MGR problem shown up… I tried to install XP and blue screen came out, I uesd the Recover Key and hoped to make the computer back to its frist like, and I did it, But MGR still came out… I really need to use computer.. MGR kills me..
After Booting off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt.
Then I click on the link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”
but at the System Recovery Options, the microsoft windows vista OS is not showing to continue by clicking on next
hey all
this is my first experience of BOOTMGR is missing of a thing!
just forgot my password then backup the my datas to a new hard drive and format the one on my system. after formating, i try to install xp on it again. the message i got was BOOTMGR is missing. dont know what to do.any body with an idear should help me pls
great work.
I ow you one
I had this issue and vista boot repair couldn’t fix it so here is what i ended up doing but it should be as a last resort. Assuming that the primary drive can be removed, hook it up to a another computer and back up all your data, then format it. I would recommend using gparted which is freely available on any ubuntu live cd. This is the crucial part, make sure that the first partition of the drive has enough space for installing windows. My problem was that there was a small 1mb partition at the beginning of my drive which had been created by a failed suse installation. After that install vista and ur problem is gone.
i know what to do ,i did explained before,it has to do with net frame or the booting from your driver.
i cannot remenber what i did,but i think that i restarted my pc pressing the delete bottom contantly and then when the bios came in i changed the driver master from hard drive to dvd driver to become my priority rebbot master,then i placed i shuted the pc off,then started again placing the original windows disc in the driver or for who doesnt have one,the service pack 2 or 3,it can reboot from there as well,once it starts running from the dvd driver and the disc that you placed inside you will open the windows normally or in safe mode and delete the net frame from windows and hadd a new net frame update download from the internet.once you did that,you have to shut pc again and retart using the delete bottom,f8,f2,or f8 for some other computers to go to bios again,once you there you take off the primary rebbot from your cd and had your c driver as master priority reboot driver,then turn the pc off and on again and it should open it normally after pc tries to find the clusters and normalize it.if this helps then a thanks will be fine,if it doesnt,then buy a new pc or start going to internet cafes.
i have same problem like Segun Adekeye’s as the below.
After Booting off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt.
Then I click on the link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”
but at the System Recovery Options, the microsoft windows vista OS is not showing to continue by clicking on next.
Expect your reply.
Thank you
i know ,you need to change the driver master and start from your cd instead
I have the same bootmgr missing, press Alt+Ctrl+Del to restart, i have downloaded the recovery cd and trying all the options people are saying here, but when its get to the system Recovery Options the computer doesn’t reconigned any operating system, what can i do now, i have tried to click next and it would tell me it can not repair automatically, as am not suprised because i did not find any operating system so i shouldn’t have press the next, please can you help me, with any idea?
i have same problem, bootmgr missing press Alt+Ctrl+Del to reatrt, i have downloaded the recovery cd and tried what the ever the direction is and when its get to the system recovery options the computer doesn’t reconigsed any operating system so what do i do?can you help me please, the computer was pre install vista so the company never add any windows vista to the pack when i bought it, can you help me please?
99%-proof solutions: using either EasyBCD (XP and Vista) and freeware, and/or using VistaBootPro (Vista) and payware. Google for both names. I’d recommend starting with EasyBCD: works fairly all of the time. If not, spend a few bucks on VistaBootPro.
Best of luck (you’ll manage, I’m sure).
Thank you How-to -geek
I have downloaded the file, made it into a dvd and Run the process.
The problem is while i can see there is windows on My computer, I can not get past the recovery page.
It seems like i am half way there.
How can i get past the start-up message
shite,i have to tell everything again.you dont get past the recovery options because there is non,yes is true,the boot is missing because your computer is not starting from your operating system,there is non because your pc is getting started from nowwhere but the operative system,there is why you have to go to bios and change the way your pc will start once in on again,that is why that you should plcae a cd recovery,or the operative system or a simple service pack 1,2 or 3 might do the job.for that you need to change the bios into your drive cd for your pc to start picking up information from your cd.that si why you need to change your primary master to drive,for that you need to press f8 or control and delete but it varies from pc to pc.once you see that your pc is strting from somewhere but not you c drive,then you change into dvd drive or cd drive and place your cd,once it start ups with that cd,you turn off the pc and start again and once it opens again youi press control and delete to go to bios and chance from dvd drive into master cd primary drive.
any further assistance ,ask god to help you
dont forget top leave at c drive at the end
Thanks for the help! I tried another site but it didn’t work. Sure enough I just started the utility and done! I subscribed because I need help like this sometimes and I now know I can trust this site. =)
CAN I RUN IT FROM AN EXTERNAL HARDDISK?
its great ,
thanks team
When I click repair my computer, there is nothing in the system recovery options. What do I do?
Thank You Bro
mmmm Guys ! , bootrec /fix boot Seems to Work for me, but when i get access to my Windows i get activate windows Now, but any ways i by pass it , i use an Activator , when i restart my pc i get the Error again………….. Bootmgr is missing, i don’t want the Cd inside my dvd every time i startup !!!, is there any way i UN compress this Boomgr file ? or copy it ? i have tried to search for it in the system files, looks like there are alot of files … Help please , thanks in Advance
Guys it fixes my BOOTMGR but just till i restart my pc and i get the error again
the reason that it starts again might be because when the pc starts,it actually go into another driver again,the one that doesnt have an operating system,there for you need to change to the driver that holds your operating system,usualy its the c driver that needs to be changed into primary master drive.sometimes the registry programs like fix it or reg cleaner are to be blamed because they program your pc so start into a diferent driver
how can i do that ?? Thanks in Advance , and will it effect my Pc Performance ?
the only issue that is making your pc not to work ,is because it goes into blank mode since it doesnt have any operating system from where it starts,of course it doesnt affect anything on your pc because you want your pc to recognize where the actually operating system is.if your pc goes contantly to the Messed up blank driver,tthen you have to somehow stick a cd after you press f8 to go into bios system,once you there you need to change into c drive as a primary master drive,and if it doesnt start,is because it did not recognize the operating system over there,then you place a original,copy or fake windows cd,or service pack 1,2 or 3,if you dont have the windows one,inti the cd drive,for that you need to tell your pc that your master drive will be for that time only the cd drive to recognine the windows operating sytem in the bios mode.once you start the pc and he recognizes the operating system from the cd drive and you see all the programs and a desk top finally,then it means that your c drive did regonize the program as well,all you have to do is to change the bios again but this time to your c drive as a primary master,shut the pc and retart and automatically it will recogize the operating sytem.i would like to know if anyone followed my intructions and if it did work on their pc,or i am the only one?
I tried to set my computer up for dual boot and now have an error message “bootmgr missing”
I’ve changed the boot sequence to cd/dvd and get other error messages but it won’t boot.
Can anyone help me
Bill
My computer shows BOOTMGR image is corrupt, Will this still work for it?
first of all,since i changed from vista to xp,oi stopped having problems,if you changed your bios into a dvd/cd/driver that holds your operating system and you placed the info on your bios to open them as primary master driver and it still says the same thing that the boot is missing,that means that your operating system doesnt get started because something is sending the wrong information to your pc to start your pc whwre it shouldnt because there is no operating system on it or it flew away for ever and there for you need another operating system.i i am amezed that microsoft cannot even respond to their costumers in termos of their problems and that 80 per cent of their problemas are somehow fixed by private people that doesnt have anything to do with microsoft.
hi i have bootmrg on my windows vista computer yer load disk in to computer reinstill windows and it cant find my hard drive iv been trying for so long to make it work but it will not its 400 tbs i think the hard drive is more then brokeing dont know never worked with hard drives thaxs for reeding
read my other sujestions,change the bios
I used the Startup Repair and had to run it twice. So if the first time doesn’t fix it, boot from the Vista DVD again and run it a second time. No problems now.
Thanks
Hello , Whoever wrote this I just want to say thank you so much for your time in making this , Without you I wouldn’t have been able to get onto my computer anymore , anyways I really apreciate your help! have a nice day you made mine!
ok. i had the same problem. missing bootmgr…….
the symptoms included:
missing bootmgr
press ctrl + alt + del to reboot
i tried to do the F11 (HP system recovery) – this started the recovery process (shows the HP system revoery window) but this finished in less than 45 seconds (so i know that this had not worked)
i then popped in a vista installation disk (this can be any vista disk – for example… this disk was for my main computer… its an OME copy). popped in the language – pressed next – then selected repair my computer (i think that what it was – on the same page that gives you the optoin to install)…. i then noticed that there was no opperating system listed to repair???? strange i thought. so i tried to repair the computer using the optoins within the windows repair applicaiotn but non of the optoins worked.
i then booted from the installation DVD again… this time i used the command prompt option.
i then took a look at what was on the disk… used a program called “diskpart” (look it up in google). this showed 4 volumes…..
C
D HP_recovery
E OS_tools
F LRMCXFRE
the C volume was not listed….. i then changed the drive letter…to C….. then i dir the drive…. this listed all the files that i would have expected to see if the vista installation was installed onto that drive….. i then decided to used diskpart to format the c volume… did this then started the HP recovery again by pressing F11. this started up the HP recovery program and then i picked the optoin to recover the computer to its original condition…. this then took 30-40 mins (WOOT – its working). restarted the computer at the end of the recovery and now i have a working HP opperating system on my computer!!!! woot woot!
so… to sumarise on what you need to do and if you nee to follow these instructions….
only try this if you have tried to repair the bootmgr using a windows installation disk, you have the two partitions intact (OS_TOOLS and HP_RECOVERY) and finally if you have the c drive partion and this has data on it.
what i did. simple…. i just formatted my c volume/partition using diskpart(again…look on google). and restarted the F11 recovery.
warning: you need to understand diskpart. putting in the wrong command could result in you deleting the wrong partition/volume.
i hope that this helps.
thanks
Paul
when iam formatting the system
iam getting bootmgr missing problem
i tried all u r suggested solutions still iam unable to fix it
it is not identifing installed windows
can any one help me asap
my laptop toshiba L300 show the bootmgr is missing after i reformat the hard disk. when i enter the window disc and boot it from cd-rom but the error still comr out. How to fix it?
hi guys.
i need some more info from both of you…..
David first….
when you say that “when i enter the window disc and boot it from cd-rom”… does the recovery start or does it do the same if the disk is in or out? have you set your computer to boot from CD-ROM first?
next chan405…… you say “it is not identifing installed windows”… how do you know this? have you entered in the vista repair disk and this is where you say that nothing is there? if so then you need load the disk again and then goto “command prompt” in the system recovery optoins window. once you get command prompt open, you then need to use diskpart. to do this just type in the following…
if not then go through the disks… disk by disk) to select a disk to the following…..
diskpart (this will start diskpart) you should then see the diskpart prompt as below
DISKPART>
you then need to type in the folllowing…..
DISKPART> list disk (this should give you a list of disks that you have in your system) you need to selcet the disk that has the opperating system on…(if you have one disk then its that one
DISKPART> select disk 0 (the disk will be number from 0 onwards)
you should now get a message that disk 0 has been selected. now that you have selected the disk… you can list the volumes/partitions. to do this use the following commands
DISKPART> list volumes
if the disk has been broken up into partions/volumes then you will see a list… for example i saw the following…..
C
D HP_recovery
E OS_tools
F LRMCXFRE
i know that D is tyhe recovery image, E is the Opperating System Tools, F…. i dunno and C is the windows partition…. to confirm that a partition/volume is the operating system you will need to select itand list the directory.
to do this you need to select the volume…. again as below..
DISKPART> select volume 0 (you will see that each volume is listed from 0… upwards)
you should get a message saying that volume 0 has been selected… you now need to dir the volume to see if this has windows files in it… if it has then you should see a directory called Windows.
if you are unsure then please post here and i will try to answer as soon as posible.
if you see the windows folder then you know that this is the volume that you need to format. if not then you need to look for it. the volume should have a volume label and drive letter…. when you find the right volume you need to remember the volume drive letter… mine would be “C”
you then need to type the following command
DISKPART> select volume 0 (the volume that you need will be listed from 0 upwards – you need to choose the correct one for your volume list)
you should get a confimation that the volume has been selected
once you have selected the volume you then need to format the volume by doing the following….
DISKPART> format
this should then format the volume. once this is done then you can try the recovery again.
if you need help then please post as much info as posible. would be nice if you could lisk the disks and volumes from diskpart.
conclusion: when “BOOTMGR is missing” error occures then this suggests that the opperating system is still present on the hard drive and that the boot manager is missing. if you restore/reboot/recover the computer and this message is still showing then this means that the recovery did not take/work. that the computer could not wipe the old installation off and when ever you boot the computer the error appairs because the recovery progam was unable to remove the previous installation. to fix this problem you need to firstly try the tips given at the top of this artical. if this does not work then follow these instructions. if you are unsure then please post here and i.we will try to help.
thanks
Paul
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415 (diskpart info)
there is no recovery system, when the disc is in and out also the same. one thing is my local C is empty.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! You fixed my problem!
Txz for saving my life!
hi david,
need more info if you want help. the reason why your getting BOOTMGR is missing is because windows is still installed on your hard drive somewhere. BOOTMGR is a windows app/exe so its looking for that file. only windows will load/look for this file. the computer would just complete the POST (Power On Seft Test) if you did not have any opperating system on your hard drive and display an error message like “MISSING OPPERATING SYSTEM” or “NO OPPERATING SYSTEM”.
i/we need you to post what is displayed when you use the DISKPART utility by following my last post.
also if you dont have a recovery disk then you will not be able to install windows.
you said…. “there is no recovery system, when the disc is in and out also the same.” what does this mean?
1, do you have the recovery CD disk for the computer?
2, is it a home built pc with a windows installaton CD or is it a manufactured recovery CD….like COMPAQ, HP and so on?
3, “there is no recovery system”? does this mean that when you use diskpart that you cannot see the recovery system (would be better if you listed everything that diskpart outputs)?
you also said “one thing is my local C is empty.
1, again is this from diskpart?
2, please show us all commands that you enter and the output from diskpart.
if you dont display all commands and ouputs from diskpart then i cannot see this problem being resolved until 2199… thats if your lucky….
regards,
Paul
thanks from your help. my laptop already worked, it because of my cd-rom caused problem.
in future i would love who ever comes into this site in search of help to at least be greatfull in naming the persons name that you want to thank too.at least would help people to pinpoint which advise was the right one.
Ok I will admit that I am at my wits end. Cotts73, after going through your directions I felt that my problem of bootmgr is missing was closest to yours.The only difference was that your pc was starting the recovery process whereas mine was not even doing that. However I did use and diskpart and formatted c which was the partition for vista. The Presario recovery partition D seemed intact and shows healthy in diskpart. But like you said that the recovery will start with F11, it is not happening. So now I have a hp lappy with c formatted, one cd with vista recovery which is not able to do much, and no OEM recovery cds. I have a sinking feeling, hope you get back and do let me know how to resolve this without burning my pockets. thanx
Hi jaspal, aslong as you have your recovery partition (with information in it i.e.3423MB or some kind of size) all should be ok….i think.
i think we need to use my old friend…. DISKPART. we need to make the recovery partition “active”!
so go into command prompt and type:
DISKPART
…..
from there you should now be in diskpart.. type:
DISKPART> list disk
##note: you should then see the following (i only have one disk (Disk 0))….
Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt
——– ———- ——- ——- — —
* Disk 0 Online 75 GB 1081 KB
DISKPART> select disk 0
Disk 0 is now the selected disk.
## once you have selected the disk that contains the recovery partition you need to find it by doing the following command…
DISKPART> list partition
Partition ### Type Size Offset
————- —————- ——- ——-
Partition 1 Primary 37 GB 1024 KB
Partition 2 Primary 37 GB 37 GB
## i have a duel booting opperating system (vista/xp) and nolonger have a recovery partition but still have two partitions… only one partition can be active at any one time and i know that partition 1 is currently active…. so i need to make the 2nd partition active by doing the following.
DISKPART> select partition 2
Partition 2 is now the selected partition.
##have a look to see if the disk is inactive
DISKPART> detail partition
Partition 2
Type : 07
Hidden: No
Active: No
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
———- — ———– —– ———- ——- ——— ——–
* Volume 2 D NTFS Partition 37 GB Healthy
##as you can see above the partition is not marked as active… since we already have the partition selected we just need to type “active”.
DISKPART> active
DiskPart marked the current partition as active.
## have a look at the partition again and we can see that the partition is now active…..
DISKPART> detail partition
Partition 2
Type : 07
Hidden: No
Active: Yes
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
———- — ———– —– ———- ——- ——— ——–
* Volume 2 D NTFS Partition 37 GB Healthy
DISKPART> exit
one other thing needs to be brought up…. if you look at the details in the last command you will see “hidden”. if i can remember correctly this is used to hide the partition from the operating system…. this attribute may need to be changed aswell….
but just try rebooting the system now and see if the computer starts recovering and let us know.
other commands that may been needed are “attribute volume clear hidden” or somehting like that?
goodluck
thanks
Paul
Wow you are good cotts73/John!! Ok done everything to the letter T and the system recovery is back but the low side is that in the initial stage itself the system says error 1002. Any solution for that ? Thanx a lot.
hi jaspal, couple of questions…..
1, when restarting the computer…. do you need to press F11/F10 to start the recovery or does this start by its self?
2, what happens…. does the computer go into the recovery screen. do you have any optoins to choose from? is there an advanced option to choose from?
3, can you choose the partition to install the opperating system onto?
4,what is the exact error…. “error 1002. contact hp support”?
5, can you please show me/us the output for the diskpart output “list partitions”?
6, finally…. i take it that you dont have a recovery CD or the computer is out of warranty?
speak to ya soon….
Paul
hi Paul,
sorry for posting this. am out of Bangalore and right now in Houston. will be in San Francisco by day after. so in case i am little late in posting in future do excuse in advance. Ok back to your questions —-
1. when restarting it goes into recovery console by itself, i don’t have to press F10/F11.
2. yes it does have advanced option to choose from.
3. i can choose the c: thru diskpart
4. yes error shown is — error 1002 contact hp support
5. the laptop is in bangalore and i am in houston so cant really tell u what is the output of list partitions. what i remember is that it showed partion c: which has been formatted with no name and partition d: with something like Presario_RP
6. absolutely right, don’t have recovery cd and compu is out of warranty.
thanx Jaspal
hi jaspal,
okay…. if my memory is correct…. then i think that it will be one of two things.
1, maybe the recovery program dont recognise the type of partition that is on c drive…. its the wrong File system… e.g. FAT32 or NTFS and that is why you are getting the error message. this one is quite easy to resolve…. you need to change what ever the partition is at the moment…. if its NTFS then change it to FAT32…. if its FAT32 then change it to NTFS. i cant remember which one it should be but i think that it should be FAT32….. but i could be wrong. ; )
2, most manufacturers must protect the opperating system from copy right infringment. to do this they do something called a “tattoo” (this is what Packard Bell call the process protect the backup image). the process is quite simple to explain but only the manufactures can fix this kind of problem. the process involves 2 pieces of hardware… the motherboad and the harddrive and the recovery image/recovery CD/recovery partition.
all of the above have a number/code entered into them somewhere. the motherboard has a chip that stores this information called the DMI. the harddrive has the number TATTOOed on the MBR (masterboot recold) and finally the recovery image has the same number somewhere. all the numbers must match or be on the system for the recovery to work. if anyone of these are missing then you could have the error that you stated above. if the DMI or MBR has been wipped/reset or hdd/motherboard been replaced then this could be a problem that i could not help you with but the good news is that you should know if any of the above has been effected.
(this is for referance only – to explain the tattoo process – this should only be used if you have a PB computer – and you dont) http://www.programfiles.co.uk/support/tattoo.php
im sure that it will be the problem with the wrong partition. if it is then to change the file format over to a differnet type you need to use diskpart again.
so you need to start diskpart…. select the c partition… then type…
FORMAT FS=NTFS quick
or
FORMAT FS=FAT32 quick
try both of them…. then if one of them works then once this goes through you need to make the C partition “ACTIVE”.
if it dont work then you need to let me know what you have in the advanced options…
let us know how you get on.
thanks
thx, this really helped
Thank you so much!!!
Hi I have been trying to reboot my computor and I keep getting the bootmgr is missing ctrl alt del to restart.
I have done this several times and it still isnt working. What can be wrong it isnt even reading my 2nd reboot disk.
HELP
Thank You
Hi Paul,
all the information needed should be here on this page.
The reason for getting this error is because of the following process…
you turn your computer on. it performs a POST (Power On Self Test) that tests the hardware on your computer. then your computer reads the master boot record (MBR). The (MBR) is like a database that contains the content of your harddrive. it would contain a list of files need to be read to start the opperating system. one of the files is the BOOTMGR. This means that either the file is missing or corrupt.
if you have a vista disk then follow the start of this page. if you dont have a disk then look at this page and it will have a link for a program that you can download and use. if that dont work then follow my steps that i have wrote.
if they dont work then list what you have done and what computer you have also the diskpart information is good to have.
regards,
Paul
PEOPLE!!!! i had the same problem as most of you just, unplug all your extra crap like usb and external hd my comp booted up on the first try after that
“PEOPLE!!!! i had the same problem as most of you just, unplug all your extra crap like usb and external hd my comp booted up on the first try after that”
i think that that error message would be “missing opperating system” and not “bootmgr is missing or corrupt” but hey why not try it ; )
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you cannot boot your CD. Somehow, you must go to BIOS Menu and find the Boot Menu. Boot the CD and it should load.
If that doesn’t work, I suppose you should purchase Windows Vista Installation Disc (Use for Recovery Disc!). It will boot automatically. Then read the on-screen instructions.
If Startup Repair does not work, retry about 5 times. If that doesn’t work, I would say to reformat.
With Sony VAIOS, you can use VAIO Recovery Center. (Press F11 When VAIO Logo appears)
Friend of mine had this problem, turns out the 100Mb system partition that all this stuff is on was on his second HD which he took out and formatted
so he was left with an unbootable hard disk with just a Windows 7 partition on it, no amount of command line thingys or recover processes is ever going to work in that case because the 100Mb partition Windows Vista and 7 create is MIA. But anyways we got it back by doing the following, with Paragon partition manager we reduced the size of the Windows 7 partition and moved it so we had 200Mb free at the start of the disk (just in case we need a bit more than 100Mb, probably does need to be at the start but I like things to be neat) we then got another hard disk with Windows 7 installed on it (out of my system) and copied the 100Mb system partition to the other hard disk, booted into the CD, did the repair option and he was then able to start up his O/S. A lot of stufing around but we got it back, I had the same problem when I was dual booting Vista and 7 and removed Vista. Hope this helps someone.
To correct my previous post, I believe Vista does not have this 100mb hidden system partition, only Windows 7.
“BOOTMGR is missing” I was watching movie on my PC then suddenly my computer restarts then I got this first message “Floppy Disk Fail(40)” after that when I press “F1 to continue” the second message was “BOOTMGR is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart” then my pc will hang up.
So what I did was I check the CMOS settings I saw that the Boot Up Floopy Drive was enabled that I think it must be disable(correct me if I’m wrong). Then after I restart my computer the “Floppy Disk Fail(40)” error gone. The only problem was “BOOTMGR is missing” see what I tried below.
Specs:
OS: Windows XP.
DVD-ROM
Desktop
What I tried:
– I changed the boot sequence to the BIOS changing “Boot Up Floppy Drive” [Enabled] to [Disabled] *I think Problem Solved*(correct me if I’m wrong)
– I already changed the boot sequence to the BIOS changing the “First Boot Device [Hard Disk]” to “First Boot Device [CDROM]“.
– I removed my other hard disk on my computer.
– I disconnect IDE cables then reconnect it
– I disconnect the wires on the Hard Disk and reconnect it.
Problem:
– I can’t boot from the Windows XP CD even if my First Boot Device was CD-ROM im getting the same error the message was –> “Press any key to boot from CD…..” then if I click any button nothing happens then after that the message “BOOTMGR is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart” then my pc will hang.
I read the forums but doesn’t solve my problem that to fix the “BOOTMGR is missing” error is you need enter “Enter Recovery Mode” or to the console type (caps on) bootcfg hit enter
3/ type (caps on) bootcfg /default etc etc….
Any help will be much apperciated.
hey guyz i hav a toshiba satelite l305-s5894 laptop and i too hav boot mgr missing problem but the thing is i boot up the recovery cd and click repair computer but i dont c any operating system and it says unknown wat to do plz help
I would like to thank every one in this web site for helping me and bring back the life to my notebook.
thank you
thank you
thank you
I have the same bootmgr missing, press Alt+Ctrl+Del to restart, i have downloaded the recovery cd and trying all the options people are saying here, but when its get to the system Recovery Options the computer doesn’t reconigned any operating system, what can i do now, i have tried to click next and it would tell me it can not repair automatically, as am not suprised because i did not find any operating system so i shouldn’t have press the next, please can you help me, with any idea?
Thanks this worked for me. Only thing I had to do it in the command prompt screen after tryin 3x. Thanks a million. Saved me $$$$ since I depend on my laptop to function
Thank u man you are the best
I love u!!!! This worked in w minute, well as soon as I found the recovery disk. Panic averted. Thank you soooo much. Very helpful, I will check ur site out! Thx again meg
i had da same problem…just try 2 restart da computer at instant press f11 very fast,,it will automatically go to recovery…
i got the error “bootmgr is missing, press Alt+Ctrl+Del to restart”..in my lenovo N500 laptop (vista OS).In lenovo they have lenovo care key, using that i tried and made restored..but all my personal data’s are not found..more over directory memory size has been interchanged…(Actual C:120gb,D:20gb but now C:20gb,D:120gb)….and furture more whenever restarting or power on my laptop..its coming back to same error “bootmgr is missing, press Alt+Ctrl+Del to restart”..Now i got my lost recovery cd which was given by lenovo…
Now all i need to know is, if i use recovery i will get back my data’s..or before doing that i need to remove my hard disk and recovery my personal data..but using some software or by giving that to some professional to recovery my personal data’s….
Hope i could get some useful information….
i am also getting the BOOTMGR is missing error, my big problem is, i am in the hospital and do not have access to another computer to get a boot disk, Is there anyway i can fix this issue without it and if yes, please advise.
joey
thank you very much******
I got the error “bootmgr is missing, press Alt+Ctrl+Del to restart”..
Thank you so much this works for me.
Hello cotts73
So I’ve been getting the same message as all the other folks on this site. At this point I’ve tried
everything, ie everything you have suggested so far for everyone else. The bootmrg message only started appearing after I added a new hardrive to my computer. I also had installed some new larger RAM, but that worked with everythin else just fine.
I’ll explaine my process so far.I booted off the windows vista CD the first time under the assumtion that I’d move all of my windows system files to that hard drive and format the current on that they were on. But when booting off the windows cd the new hardrive could not even be found. When entering the BIOS I can see the new HD. After checking in the BIOS, I could no longer even get to the point (when booting off the windows cd) of even entering my Windows Key. I thought maybe I screwed something up during the original install, and check out your recomendation for formating using the comand prompt. After that completed I restarted the computer, yet I’m still getting the same BOOTMRG missing message.
If you need the specs of my computer let my know, I should be able to get most of that info.
Thank you
Erik
ok i did all that but when i click repair computer and its searching for the OS, it cant find it. where can i find the Windows Vista OS file directly?
please help me i dont know what to do i have a emachine oo god god forgive me i need to check my everything everybody keep on saying we miss you is stuff
Thank you for this article. Some notes about my success:
If your OS does not show up, you may need to load drivers for your drive. Check your motherboard or computer manufacturers website for drivers that match the OS version, load them on a USB drive and load them via that screen where you select the OS to repair (on Win7 RC, there was a load drivers button on the bottom left corner). It’s a folder of driver files that contains a .inf file. Load the .inf file and take it form there. I had to do this since I have a Gigabyte SATA RAID.
First time I ran this, the Win7 RC disk said it had to fix something on my drive and then would reboot. I said ok, but I still had the same error when I rebooted.
Second time I ran this, I didn’t receive a popup about fixing my disk, so I tried the bootrec /fixboot method and rebooted, but it did not work for me.
The third time, I used the automatic repair option. That fixed it.
my laptop windows vista home premium ,bootmgr is missing error came ,iam not having a disc
Thanks so much!!!
my computer got bootmgr missing i dont know how to fix it need help
send me a email how to fix it
PLEASE ONE VITAL QUESTION HAS NOT REALLY BE ANSWERD IN THE QUEST TO SOLVE THIS
BOOTMGT MISSING ISSUE….THE QUESTION IS, ” After Booting off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt.
Then I click on the link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”
but at the System Recovery Options, the microsoft windows vista OS is not showing”, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MAKE IT SHOW??? OR SHOULD WE JUST GO AHEAD AND CLICK NEXT AND TRY REPAIR-WINDOWS???????????????? WILL IT WORK THAT WAY???
I got the missing BOOTMGR message under window 2008 R2.
I tried most of the above but to no avail.
Here was my solution in the end.
* Shutdown PC and add a new hard drive
* Install Vista or Win 7 or Win 2008 on this new hard drive (no need to activate OS)
* After installation you should have a dual boot system
* Boot into your problem OS
* Run BcdEdit from the command prompt and remove the newly installed OS’s boot option
* Use EcdEdit to set the boot timeout to zero
* Shutdown PC and detach the hard drive added in step 1
* Switch on, you should now be automatically booting into the problem OS
I know its a bit of a long workaround but i had no success with any of the other suggestions
Before i used to get message “BOOTMGR IS CORRUPTED.PRESS Ctrl+Alt+Del TO RESTART”.
But now I’m not able to start my laptop. Screen is blank.I have HP dv9000 vista home premium.
Had the bootmgr missing error couldnt fix it reinstalled vista home prem and all was ok then after installing SP1 the next day get BOOTMGR missing yet again. Startup repair does nothing except waste 10 min of my time in fact it claims there is nothing wrong with my computer?
I even thought maybe my HDD is on its way out but swapped it with another one of same size etc when reinstalled vista and unless both drives have had it its not that! Please could someone help withfore i go out of my mind.
Thanx
Thnx it worked.i have restored back my laptop
For me it was as simple as turning off an eternal USB disk I had set up to backup Windows 7. I think I have USB in front of HDD in the boot order so I have to remember to leave that off when starting my system.
Help pls . On my lap top was windows xp pro but I formatted the hard disk end I try to install vista home premium but after that Eroor code 0×80070017 now I have that 2 problems BootMGR ! what i have to do ?
i have this problem on my alienware and when i put in vista cd it doesnt start i just bought windows too. Could i restart it with that?
If you have a computer with two Hard Drives, then you will need to go into your Bios. Go to your boot menu and select hard drives and swap them by using the (-) or (+) on your Number Pad. This fixed my problem when I formatted my C drive and reinstalled vista and started getting this error.
Typically people do not set the jumper on hard drives to set primary and primary slave configurations so Bios will presume the hard drive in highest boot priority to have an OS and will not search the second “Primary” Hard Drive because there should only be one primary hard drive.
I know different people suggested the Bios as a solution to this problem, but I don’t know if anyone went into detail concerning the priority order of Hard Drives. So if you have two hard drives in your computer this is most likely your solution.
Cheers
i diddd itttt…. wwwoooooo hooooooooo…. fkin missing mgr … you js have to have a boot up cd… if you dont have it.. download off net.. which ever one you need… stick it in your “DVD” drive… n start your comp.. make sure youve set the boot process from hard drive to cd rom drive.. pressing f8 will give you options to repair computer.. n follow instructions.. im not a computer man but this problem pissd me off.. if you need further info js write.. ill try answer.. good luck..
Thank you very much your solution worked!!
hi, I have a problem in Activating my Windows vista ultimate 32-bit. After formating my system i installed a fresh copy of Windows Vista ult 32-bit and after installing the same i tried to activate the same and found that error that my key is already in use and asked me to enter another key or activate using the phone system. so please kindly help me. iam given 30 days to activate the same.
I downloaded and tried installing Windows Vista 32-bit – 64-bit recovery cd and still the only message that I am getting is BOOTMGR is missing.
I don’t think that there actually is a proper download to fix this problem…