windows 7 bootmgr is missing-- resolved using WinRE

Question

original title: windows 7 bootmgr is missing HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have a sony vaio laptop with no partitions no nothing just a hard disk with pre-installed windows 7 64 bit home premium. Yesterday i has installing some widgets to my desktop and after i have restarted the laptop windows coudn't start....it says bootmgr is missing. I tryied to use the recovery tools of vaio but the only option is toformat everything and install again windows 7 but i dont want this option. I have tried almost everything finding on net many answers about this problem but none of them it worked to me. I downloaded a bootable disk to repair the windows i tryied to do it manually from the prompt command but nothing....Its very strange though when i open the vaio recovery tools i can save all my files to an external drive but it appears a partition d: which before didnt exist

and have one folder called boot and inside contains a file called bootmgr. I would like if somebody have any idea what to do cause i have this laptop 1 month it it drives me crazy when i am thinking that i need to format everything

thanks

Answer 1

Hi darofossss,

Perform the following methods to resolve the issue: 

Method 1: Startup Repair from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

============================================

1. Insert the Windows 7 installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer. 
2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.
3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer. 
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next. 
6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on Repair your computer.
7. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
8. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Startup Repair.

Refer the following link for more information:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7

To know more about “Startup Repair” visit the following link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Startup-Repair-frequently-asked-questions

Method 2: Rebuild BCD using the Bootrec.exe tool

============================================

To run the Bootrec.exe tool, you must start Windows RE. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Put the Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when you are prompted. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then click Next.
3. Click Repair your computer.
4. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
6. Type Bootrec.exe, and then press ENTER.

Refer the following link for more information:

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

Method 3: Use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to run System Restore

============================================

1. Insert the Windows 7 installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer. 
2. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.
3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next. 
4. Click Repair your computer. 
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next
6. At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on System Restore.
7. Follow the System Restore Wizard instruction as usual and choose the appropriate restore point.
8. Click Finish to restore the system.

To know more about “System Restore” visit the following link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/System-Restore-frequently-asked-questions

If the above methods do not help, you may try to follow the methods mentioned in this article:

Error message when you start Windows Vista: "The Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing required information"

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391

Note: This article also applies to Windows 7 Operating system as well.

Regards,

Divya R – Microsoft Support.

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Answer 2

Hi,

To add a few options to the fine advice already given :

References to Vista also apply to Windows 7.

This is serious error and "may" not be repairable without professional tech support from

a real computer shop (not leeks and peeks at a BestBuy or other BigBox Stores) or your

System maker's Support.

Here are the troubleshooting methods to try to fix the issue :

Try Startup Repair - (If at ANY point you gain some but not full access to Windows come

back and try Startup Repair again.)

How to Boot to the System Recovery Options in Windows 7

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/668-system-recovery-options.html

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/What-are-the-system-recovery-options-in-Windows-7

Try StartUp Repair from Recovery Options or Windows 7 disk.

How to Run a Startup Repair in Windows 7

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html

Recovering the Vista or Windows 7 Bootloader from the DVD

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Recovering+the+Vista+Bootloader+from+the+DVD

Recovering the Vista Bootloader with EasyBCD (Windows 7)

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Recovering+the+Vista+Bootloader+with+EasyBCD

Repairing the Windows Vista Bootloader (Windows 7)

http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/EBCD/Repairing+the+Windows+Vista+Bootloader

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Unable to boot in windows vista- windows boot configuration data file is missing required

information - Repair Corrupt Boot Manager (Windows 7)

http://www.troublefixers.com/unable-to-boot-in-windows-vista-windows-boot-configuration-data-file-is-missing-required-information/

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and

repair startup issues in Windows Vista (Windows 7)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

How to fix "BOOTMGR is missing" in Windows Vista (Windows 7)

http://cyberst0rm.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-fix-bootmgr-is-missing-in.html

Error message when you start Windows Vista: "The Windows Boot Configuration Data file is

missing required information"  (Windows 7)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927391

Vista Tip: Repair "BOOTMGR is missing" error - a quick how to (Windows 7)

http://lifehacker.com/251733/vista-tip--repair-bootmgr-is-missing-error

See this section here - To repair/rebuild the Boot Config Data Use the Bootrec.exe Tool (Windows 7)

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/163304-dual-boot-using-free-partitioning-software.html

=========================================

If you do not have a Windows 7 disk you can borrow a friends as they are not copy

protected. Your System maker will also sell the physical DVD cheap since you already

own Windows. Also you can make a repair disk on another computer.

**If you need to make repair disks - these help repair Windows not re-install.Often a Repair Disk will help when the Recovery Disk does not - Use OPTION 2 tomake the disk.**How to Create a Windows 7 System Repair Disc

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html

Hope this helps.

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Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

Answer 3

i have my recovery cd now..

it is onLy asking me for 2 options: start vaio recovery center or repair windows 7..what shouLd i choose?

Answer 4

Hi,

Its really best to start your own thread so more will see it.

How to ask a question

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

If these and the above do not solve your issue I would do that and be sure to contact Sony

Support.

---

Refer to Sony's on-line documentation however try Recovery first and if those do not help

try Repair.

Sony - Contacts

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/contact-land.pl

Sony - Drivers

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/select-system.pl

Sony - Support

http://esupport.sony.com/

Sony - Forum

https://forum.sel.sony.com/?XID=M:showcase:esupport

Hope this helps.

---

Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right.

Answer 5

I Ok'd  a Windows 7 update a couple days ago  and the next time I booted my computer it said bootmgr missing . I thought my seagate 500gb harddrive had crashed (since it has happened to many people with that drive) so i went out and bought a 1.5TB Western digital hard drive and reinstalled Windows 7 on it  when it booted up it said the same thing again bootmgr missing , in recovery I noticed it had my windows files on D: then it moved them to F: i was frustrated  and chose to restore to an earlier time from my backup disk , it restored it to a month ago  so I checked in my computer and it list my drive as being 500gb period (not 1.5TB), but in device manager the correct drive and size is listed. I guess i will go to the dos prompt and check there next for what happened to the rest of the drive.I am going to be leary of giving an ok for future updates from Microsoft when stuff like this happens.