[RESOLVED] BOOTMGR is missing
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 32

Thread: [RESOLVED] BOOTMGR is missing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93

    Resolved [RESOLVED] BOOTMGR is missing

    I am trying to repair an HP Touchsmart 300 with Windows 7 that won't boot--The message "BOOTMGR is missing" appears very early in the process. The owner of the computer tried talking to HP customer support and told me that the Windows CD was in the drive. Well, of course, it was a Microsoft Office CD, and my guess is that it's a waste of time to try to chase down the original disks--either they don't exist or the owner doesn't know where to find them.
    My Windows systems are all XP and earlier, but I found that I could boot the computer with an Ubuntu Linux CD. This CD allows me to run a Linux demo and have access to the file system. Ubuntu says this computer has a 320 GB hard disk with 3 objects: The first is a 105 MB Filesystem that appears to be blank. The second is 306 GB Filesystem that has a folder named RMTemp. The third object is labeled FACTORY_IMAGE and has several folders, including boot, hp, preload, recovery, $recycle.bin, and system volume information. There is also a folder containing recent personal digital photos on the FACTORY_IMAGE object. And, there's a file called bootmgr on the root of the FACTORY_IMAGE object.
    I have these questions:
    1. Does anyone know if Ubuntu is showing me everything on the disk?
    2. Is there something better I could download to CD that would show me what's going on?
    3. Is there a chance I can fix the system by copying BOOTMGR from the FACTORY_IMAGE object to someplace where it belongs?
    4. Should I just tell the user her hard drive needs to be reformatted and Windows reinstalled?
    Thanks for any ideas.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    Download a recovery disk image from here:

    http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/window...-repair-discs/

    and burn it to CD. Then boot up with the CD, and choose "Startup Repair" from the menu.
    Nick.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    Thanks. I'll give that a shot.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    I downloaded and created the Windows 7 System Repair Disc. The computer boots from this disc, but Windows is not found. Using the Command Prompt, I see that the C: drive only has one folder: A hidden folder named Boot. In that folder is a file named BCD and a hidden file named BCD.LOG. The D: drive only has an empty folder named RMTEMP. And the E: drive has the label FACTORY_IMAGE and a bunch of folders that lead me to believe that it might be possible to recover the original copy of Windows 7 that the computer was shipped with. The E: drive also has a folder full of photos that the user probably saved there. Using the Ubuntu Linux CD, I was able to copy the photos onto a flash drive.
    I guess I have 2 questions:
    1. Is it worthwhile to try to recover documents from what may remain from a Windows image on the C: drive?
    2. Can I do something with that FACTORY_IMAGE partition to get Windows up and running?
    Thanks for your help!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    This is how to restore Windows on an HP:

    http://www.ehow.com/how_4479537_rest...-settings.html

    But without a recovery CD, I fear you will be out of luck, unless someone knows another way of accessing the recovery files.

    As for recovering documents, you could try booting up with the Linux CD and then installing and running TestDisk:

    http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

    If that can't find anything worthwhile, then I doubt there is anything left to recover.
    Nick.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    England
    Posts
    11
    Quote Originally Posted by richhufford View Post
    I downloaded and created the Windows 7 System Repair Disc. The computer boots from this disc, but Windows is not found.
    Did you boot with the correct 'bit' version of the Windows 7 repair disk ?
    A 32 bit repair disk won't see a 64 bit Windows installation.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    Wouldn't there be some more directories, even if I should have used a 64-bit system repair disc? Is there a way to tell the difference between a 32- and 64-bit version, or should I just download the 64-bit version and try that out?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    England
    Posts
    11
    Quote Originally Posted by richhufford View Post
    Wouldn't there be some more directories, even if I should have used a 64-bit system repair disc? Is there a way to tell the difference between a 32- and 64-bit version, or should I just download the 64-bit version and try that out?
    According to the HP site the HP Touchsmart 300 is preloaded with Windows Home Premium 64 bit.

    I don't think you can tell easily without booting into Windows.

    If you cannot source a 64 bit Win7 repair disk iso I can upload one if you want it.

    I have also some boot disks I created for repairing XP/Vista/Win7 installs, let me know if you want a download link.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    The link Super Sparks gave me at the beginning gave me a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Silly me, I chose 32. I'll give it another try!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    The 64-bit Windows system repair disc pretty much yielded the same results. However, it did create a Temp folder on the C: drive. Also, I notice that the Boot folder on the C: drive has very recent dates on it, so it must have been created by the 32-bit system repair disc. I guess I'll try out TestDisk to see if I can recover anything else and then either do some magic with the FACTORY_IMAGE partition or else see if the owner wants to buy HP disks.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    My results using TestDisk weren't as good as I had hoped. TestDisk contains 2 utilities: TestDisk_Win.exe and PhotoRec_Win.exe. TestDisk_Win.exe didn't find any files. PhotoRec_Win.exe found a lot of files, but with less than 10% of the disk recovered, it hangs. PhotoRec_Win.exe displays the partition number it is working on, and with about 1000 hours left, that number stopped changing. I changed the settings so that only .JPG, .MP3 and .ZIP files would be recovered (maybe a couple of others, too), and then the program ran a lot faster, but it still froze at about 10% of the disk, with about 72 hours left to go. (Actually, I probably shouldn't call it a hang, because I can stop the program by selecting Stop. The partition number does not change. I let it go overnight and the same partition number still showed.)
    Also, I've been looking up HP recovery disks, and the HP website says that no recovery disks are available for that computer. Is a Windows 7 computer already obsolete? It's a Touchsmart 300-1017.
    While I'm at it, I feel like grumbling--I just bought a new Compaq (HP) laptop, and during the setup there was no indication that I should make recovery disks. I had to go to Help screens for this information. I assume that my customer was also never advised to make recovery disks for her Touchsmart. That's not good.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    17,806
    Quote Originally Posted by richhufford View Post

    Also, I've been looking up HP recovery disks, and the HP website says that no recovery disks are available for that computer. Is a Windows 7 computer already obsolete? It's a Touchsmart 300-1017.
    hp.com > Software & Driver Downloads - HP TouchSmart 300-1017 Desktop PC
    Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit > Recovery Media (2) >
    English, French Windows 7 Premium 64b 94NAv6PrA1 + Supp 5 Recovery Kit 2010-02-11 , Version:N/A
    http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...t=4007366#N682

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Safford, AZ, USA
    Posts
    93
    Thanks! I don't know why I couldn't find that myself. The price is reasonable, too. These aren't the same Microsoft Windows 7 recovery disks I downloaded earlier, right?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    17,806
    Quote Originally Posted by richhufford View Post

    Thanks! I don't know why I couldn't find that myself. The price is reasonable, too.
    You're welcome.

    Quote Originally Posted by richhufford View Post

    These aren't the same Microsoft Windows 7 recovery disks I downloaded earlier, right?
    I'm afraid I don't know. It's a little hard to tell from here.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
    Location
    Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
    Posts
    18,063
    The HP recovery discs should contain the drivers for your system and any software that came with it, so they are not likely the ones you downloaded earlier.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •