Fixing the "BOOTMGR is missing" error isn't too hard; here's how.
The day before yesterday I was testing out a program with several system utilities built in. One of its components left my computer in a bit of a mess – no icons anywhere and other assorted woes. I had set a system restore point before I ran the program, so I thought I’d do a system restore. System restore gave me a message that it couldn’t restore my files. I decided to restore a disc image I had made a short while back. When I booted up the computer I got a message:BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart
I stared at it the white letters on the black background for a few minutes, while the cursor blinked back at me. After some searching (on another computer) I had some solutions.
Barring any hardware errors, here’s how to fix that error:
- Insert your Windows Vista or Windows 7 disk into your DVD player and restart your computer.
- The next screen you see should have the Language, Time and Currency and Keyboard boxes.
- In the lower left side there are two options: “What to know before installing Windows” and “Repair your computer.”
- Click on “Repair your computer”
- Windows will then try to find the installation directory for Vista or Windows 7, depending on what you have.
- Next up is a screen with a box called Recovery Options. Click the first option, Startup Repair.
- You’ll see a Startup Repair box with the message “Startup Repair is checking your system for problems…”
- When it’s done, it will prompt you to reboot. If there is more than one problem it may reboot again to continue repairing.
- At this point, you can remove the DVD, reboot and everything should be working.
If the method outlined above doesn't work, try Solution #2 at the cyberstorm link.
Oh, restoring the disc image went fine and all is well. All my data was backed up (somewhere other than the hard drive Windows is on) so that was one thing I didn't need to worry about. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are the only Windows operating systems where this message appears; XP users don't have to worry about this one.
Causes of BOOTMGR Errors
There are a number of possible causes for BOOTMGR errors, including the most common "BOOTMGR is missing" error message.
The most common reasons for BOOTMGR errors include corrupt and misconfigured files, hard drive and operating system upgrade issues, corrupt hard drive sectors, an outdated BIOS, and damaged or loose IDE cables.
Another reason you might see BOOTMGR errors is if your PC is trying to boot from a hard drive or flash drive that is not properly configured to be booted from. In other words, it's trying to boot from a non-bootable source. This also would apply to media on an optical drive or floppy drive that you're trying to boot from.
Fixes for BOOTMGR Errors
- Restart the PC. The BOOTMGR error could be a fluke.
- Check your optical drives, USB ports, and floppy drives for media. Often times, the "BOOTMGR is Missing" error will appear if your PC is trying to boot to a non-bootable disc, external drive, or floppy disk.
Note: If you find that this is the cause of your issue and it's happening regularly, you might want to consider changing the boot order in BIOS so the hard drive is listed as the first boot device.
- Perform a Startup Repair of Windows. This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files, including BOOTMGR.
Even though a Startup Repair is a common solution for BOOTMGR problems, don't worry if it doesn't fix your problem. Just continue troubleshooting - something will work.
- Write a new partition boot sector to the Windows system partition to correct any possible corruption, configuration problem, or other damage.
- The partition boot sector is an important piece in the boot process so if there's any issue with it, you'll see problems like "BOOTMGR is Missing" errors.
- Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD). Similar to the partition boot sector, a corrupted or incorrectly configured BCD could cause BOOTMGR error messages.
Important: The following troubleshooting steps are much less likely to help fix your BOOTMGR problem. If you've skipped any of the above ideas then you may have overlooked a very likely solution to this problem!
- Check the hard drive and other drive settings in BIOS and ensure they are correct. The BIOS configuration tells the computer how to use a drive so incorrect settings can cause problems, including BOOTMGR errors.
Note: There's usually an Auto setting in BIOS for hard disk and optical drive configurations which is usually a safe bet if you're not sure what to do.
- Reseat all internal data and power cables. BOOTMGR error messages could be caused by loose or malfunctioning power or controller cables.
Try replacing the PATA or SATA cable if you suspect it might be faulty.
- Update your motherboard's BIOS. An outdated BIOS version can sometimes cause the "BOOTMGR is Missing" error.
- Perform a clean installation of Windows. This type of installation will completely remove Windows from your PC and install it again from scratch. While this will almost certainly resolve any BOOTMGR errors, it's a time consuming process due to the fact that all of your data must be backed up and then later restored.
If you can't gain access to your files to back them up, please understand that you will lose them all if you continue with a clean installation of Windows!
- Replace the hard drive and then install a new copy of Windows. If all else has failed, including the clean installation from the last step, you're most likely facing a hardware issue with your hard drive.
BOOTMGR Errors Apply To
BOOTMGR issues apply to Windows 7 and Windows Vista operating systems only. Windows XP does not utilize BOOTMGR. The equivalent function in Windows XP is NTLDR.Still Having BOOTMGR Issues?
Let a community of PC support enthusiasts help out! Post the details of your problem in thePC Support Forum. Be sure to let us know what steps you've already taken to resolve the "BOOTMGR is missing" issue. - The partition boot sector is an important piece in the boot process so if there's any issue with it, you'll see problems like "BOOTMGR is Missing" errors.
Error: Bootmgr is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart when starting Windows
Ans: This message usually indicates that the boot sector is damaged or missing. The boot sector is a region of your hard disk that contains information that is used to load your operating system. If a boot failure is detected when your PC is starting, you may receive this error message.
To resolve this issue, use the steps in the following KB article:You receive Error message: “Bootmgr is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart” when starting Windows
2nd Solution
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There are a number of possible causes for BOOTMGR errors, including the most common "BOOTMGR is missing" error message.
The most common reasons for BOOTMGR errors include corrupt and misconfigured files, hard drive and operating system upgrade issues, corrupt hard drive sectors, an outdated BIOS, and damaged or loose IDE cables.
Anothe reason you might see BOOTMGR errors is if your PC is trying to boot from a hard drive or flash drive that is not properly configured to be booted from. In other words, it's trying to boot from a non-bootable source. This also would apply to media on an optical drive or floppy drive that you're trying to boot from. Fixes for BOOTMGR Errors
- Restart the PC. The BOOTMGR error could be a fluke.
- Perform a startup repair of Windows. This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files, including BOOTMGR. Continue troubleshooting if this does not resolve the issue.
- Check your floppy and optical drives for media. Often times, the "BOOTMGR is Missing" error will appear if your PC is trying to boot to a non-bootable floppy disk or CD/DVD.
Note: If you find that this is the cause of your issue and it's happening regularly, you might want to consider changing the boot order in BIOS so the hard drive is listed as the first boot device.
- Check the hard drive and other drive settings in BIOS and ensure they are correct. The BIOS configuration tells the computer how to use a drive so incorrect settings can cause problems, including BOOTMGR errors.
Note: There's usually an Auto setting in BIOS for hard disk and optical drive configurations which is usually a safe bet if you're not sure what to do.
- Reseat all internal data and power cables. BOOTMGR error messages could be caused by loose or malfunctioning power or controller cables.
Try replacing the PATA or SATA cable if you suspect it might be faulty.
- Update your motherboard's BIOS. An outdated BIOS version can sometimes cause the "BOOTMGR is Missing" error.
- Perform a clean installation of Windows. This type of installation will completely remove Windows from your PC and install it again from scratch. While this will almost certainly resolve any BOOTMGR errors, it's a time consuming process due to the fact that all of your data must be backed up and then later restored.
If you can't gain access to your files to back them up, please understand that you will lose them all if you continue with a clean installation of Windows!
- Replace the hard drive and then install a new copy of Windows. If all else has failed, including the clean installation from the last step, you're most likely facing a hardware issue with your hard drive.
