When the “BOOTMGR is missing” error message appear, how to repair missing boot manager in Windows 7? Here is a comprehensive guide to help you fix the issue.
BOOTMGR, or Windows Boot Manager, is a file that helps start your computer by reading the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) and executing "winload.exe," which loads essential drivers for the system. It was introduced in Windows Vista to replace the older NTLDR boot manager used in previous versions like Windows XP. Typically, BOOTMGR is stored in the System Reserved partition or, if that doesn’t exist, on the system’s main partition, usually the C drive. The file is read-only and cannot be modified.
When the error message "BOOTMGR is missing" appears, it can be caused by several issues, such as attempting to boot from an external USB device without a BOOTMGR file, a damaged or missing boot sector or MBR, outdated BIOS, or hardware upgrade problems. Common error messages include "Couldn't find BOOTMGR" or "BOOTMGR is missing, press any key to restart." Sometimes, you may encounter situations where BOOTMGR is missing after marking a partition as active.
When BOOTMGR is missing in Windows 7, you can try several solutions. Here are 5 common solutions for missing boot manager startup repair in Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11.
If the boot manager is missing in Windows 7, the Boot Repair tool in AOMEI Partition Assistant can quickly and efficiently resolve the system boot problem. This function focuses on fixing damaged or missing BCD files, providing a simple and efficient way to restore your computer's normal boot function.
It is useful in several situations, such as when the system fails to boot and displays errors like "Boot Configuration Data file is missing or corrupted" when the boot configuration is damaged after a system update or upgrade, when there are conflicts in multi-operating system setups, or when the boot sector is corrupted due to virus attacks or other issues.
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Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. In the Main Tab, please click the "Recover" tab and select "Boot Repair".
Step 2. The Boot Repair tool will pop up. Please click "Next" to start the system’s boot entries scan process.
Step 3. After the process is completed, it will display the scan result: system paths, system versions, and boot status. And, all repairable boot entries will be available to select.
Advanced Settings: Select a location to store the repaired boot entry.
Repair to the current disk: The system will boot from the current disk and ensure the boot files are complete and functioning properly. (By default)
Repair to another disk: This operation will repair the boot entry or create a new system boot entry to ensure the system can boot from the disk you select.
Step 4. Select one/multiple repairable boot entries you want to repair and click the "Repair" button to start the boot repair.
Step 5. Wait for the repair process to finish. Once it is finished, you can check the repair result. If it succeeds, you will get a "Repair Successfully" result.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on a working PC, click "Recovr"-"Boot Repair" and then click the "create a bootable disk" option to create a WinPE "Boot Repair" disk.
Step 2. Plug the bootable disk you created into the target computer you wish to repair the boot issue.
Step 3. Enter BIOS in your computer, choose the bootable disk as the boot drive to access AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Step 4. The PC that cannot boot into WinPE will automatically load the Boot Repair tool and start the boot entries scan process. All boot entries will be displayed. Then you can follow the same operations as the above shows.
BOOTMGR is missing, how to fix it? You can also try the Rebuild MBR feature in AOMEI Partition Assistant. Before fixing the "BOOTMGR is missing" error, you first need to create bootable media using the software. The steps are listed below.
Step 1. (Download the AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro demo version). Install and launch the software on another working computer. Connect an empty USB drive to it. On the central console, click "Tools" and select “Make Bootable Media” and follow the subsequent prompts to make a bootable USB drive.
Step 2. Connect the bootable USB device (it will contain the pre-installed AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional) to the computer with the “BOOTMGR is missing” error and boot the computer.
Step 3. Once booted into the system, the AOMEI Partition Assistant software will be running automatically. Select the system hard disk and choose “Rebuild MBR” in the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Select the MBR type for your Windows system, and hit “OK”.
Step 5. Click “Apply” > "Proceed" to rebuild MBR.
Another cause of missing boot manager startup in Windows 7 could be the bad sector on your system hard drive. To test your hard drive whether has an error on it or not, you can use the previous AOMEI Partition Assistant as well.
Step 1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant, on the main window, click "Test" and choose “Disk Surface Test” at the drop-down menu.
Step 2. Click “Start” to test errors.
Tip: you can tick “Quick Check” to test quickly. Press “Cancel” when the operation is done.
If you set wrong active partition, you may also encounter bootmgr is missing, press CTRL + ALT + DELETE to restart error. To repair boot manager missing in Windows 7, you can reconfigure the active partition with CMD.
Step 1. If you cannot start your PC normally, then, you should boot into Command Prompt from the Windows Troubleshoot menu or a recovery media.
Step 2. Type "diskpart" and hit "ENTER" after opening Command Prompt.
Step 3. Type "list disk" and hit “ENTER” to bring up all hard disks on your PC.
Step 4. Type "select disk X" and hit “ENTER” (X – the sequence number of the OS disk).
Step 5. Type "list partition" to make all partitions on the disk appear.
Step 6. Type "select partition" (Y – The sequence number of the bootloader partition that is usually 100, 400 or 500MB).
Step 7. Type "active" and hit "ENTER" to activate the partition.
Step 8. Type “Exit” and hit “ENTER” to quit cmd.
Now, you can reboot the computer and check whether everything goes normal.
The "BOOTMGR is missing" error can be caused by more than just incorrect partition activation; other system glitches can also trigger it. Here are some basic but effective solutions:
Restart your computer: When you see the message "BOOTMGR is missing," try restarting your PC as instructed. However, this usually doesn't resolve the issue on its own.
Remove all removable media: If your PC can't find the bootmgr, it may be trying to boot from a non-bootable device. In this case, unplug any external drives, like USB flash drives or portable hard drives, to ensure your computer boots from the correct source.
How to repair missing boot manager in Windows 7? This article introduces 5 methods for missing boot manager startup repair. As you can see, AOMEI Partition Assistant is a reliable tool that can offer many solutions for computer issues. It also helps to fix the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error in Windows computers, recover lost data after system crash, easily replace corrupted or damaged disk with its Clone Disk feature, and so on. For Windows Server users, please turn to AOMEI Partition Assistant Server edition.