Windows 7 - Missing Boot Manager can't be repaired – How to, please.

I need help solving a dual boot case, please.
I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, please move it.

I have a Windows 7 / XP dual boot that has been working OK. Suddently, the monitor went black and the reboot button on the computer always On. After many unseccessful trials I could finally boot from the Windows 7 DVD and try the repair option. The operation window read that Bootmanager was missing, and to click to repair and reboot. On restarting, the Windows 7 option was not included on the boot menu, and instead there was another Windows XP; two similar entries for XP and none for 7. The first XP option does start with XP, but the second freezes on the following menu, the one with several choices like Safe mode, Start Windows normally, etc.

I found strange that during the repair operation with the Windows 7 DVD, the system found, Windows 7 (Recovered) was on a volume with a 0MB size!

On XP I opened VistaBootPRO and on the Manage OS Entries there is Windows 7 (recovered), but not any Windows XP entry! However, XP boots OK, but Windows 7 is not accessible. There may be also an error on XP's boot.ini, as the excerpt below. How can I correct it please?
"default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect"

I read Brink's tutotorial on these forum and also another on Bootmgr is missing - Vista Forums, and followed this one because it contains a similar problem. I get the same results as mattfree99, but not exactly, because the Windows 7 DVD tells me that Windows 7 (Recovered) is on a volume with a size of 0MB, and not ito him; also, I don't have his duplicate file case, but only what I mention here. If I again run repair from the Windows 7 DVD, it tells me that Boot Manager is missing again. For me this means there must be an error somewhere, but I don't know where.

I have three discs, one has Windows 7 alone; the other is a large one with two partitions, XP and the files from Windows 7 that can be relocated (music, pictures, video, documents, downloads, etc.); the third one has only backups of CD programs and OSs, so I have them handy. Further, looking from XP, everything is OK on the Windows 7 partition, all files are intact and can be opened.

Could someone please tell me how to fix this boot problem?

Hi Neophile,

Try using EasyBCD

Download EasyBCD 2.0.2 - NeoSmart Technologies

This might help How to repair MBR on Windows 7 | eHow.com
Also, read this .. it supports Win 7 too MBR Fix - Fix MBR problems
http://download.cnet.com/MbrFix/3000...?tag=mncol;lst

Thank you for replying. Before trying all your suggestions, I thought it would be better to check the disks because of how I described is happened. I forgot to say the BIOS too, went wrong, the computer did not start, and that was why the red light turned and stayed On. So I also had to clear the BIOS.

Checking the disks completely (disks and files on the boot disk) took several hours. There were lots and lots of repairs, but no bad sectors. I run it three times on the booting disk, and only on the third time it didn't find any more errors. Then I tried your suggestions, but without result.

There is a tutorial – BCDEDIT - How to Use. I started trying on XP, but it can't be run from there, XP doesn't recognize the commands.

It is strange that after trying to rebuild the BCD I keep getting the same answer at the commend pront, even after checking the discs:
Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 0
The operation completed successfully.

How come, if the installation is there and all files available?

So I'll have to try the tutorial after booting with the Windows 7 DVD, repair option, after printing the tutorial. As this will take me a few more hours, I have to leave it for tomorrow. I'll be back late to let you know. It is of no use trying to reinstall from the DVD on top of the present installation because it will exclude all the programs I have, they will not work again and it will take me many days to rebuild everything.

Thanks.

Boot the Windows 7 DVD, press Shift F10 at first screen to open a Command Line to mark Windows 7 partition Active using Diskpart commands given here: Partition - Mark as Active

Now close Command Line, open Repair console on second screen, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots until Windows 7 starts: Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

When Windows 7 starts, install EasyBCD 2.0. If XP appears in EasyBCD listings remove it first on Edit Boot Menu tab, then Add XP, accept offered boot files, autocompletes, Save, Restart.

If problems persist, post back a screenshot of your full Disk Mgmt drive map with listings, using Snipping Tool in Start Menu.

Hi,

I couldn't do the tutorial I mentioned on my last post for lack of time, because I followed some of gregrocke's suggestions.

I had already checked the partition, and it was Active on Computer Management, but I rechecked again and also on the command line. So I had nothing to change there. I did the Startup Repair as recommended and it was fixed, or it so seemed.

Windows 7 rebooted up to only after the growing and shrinking logo and then stooped. A notice popped up saying that file comctl32.dll was missing and that was all. I tried both Safe mode and Safe mode with command prompt, but it happened the same. This originated other troubles.

After repairing, the booting menu was gone. I tried sfc /scannow with the Windows 7 DVD, but got the answer There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again. I can't do this because of the missing file. Then I tried Startup Repair again. It said it was repaired and the log that Boot status indicates that OS booted successfully. It is like a loop. On a way it is recognised that a successful boot occured, and on another that the pending repair requires the reboot to complete.

To be able to look for the missing file I had to reinstall XP as a repair installation. This is not important because I just use it as a backup to help on possible situations such as this one. It is very easy, but time consuming. On XP I searched on Windows 7 partition and found lots of comctl32.dll.mui files for languages and also many others with long names starting by x86_ on the Windows\winsxs\Backup directory.
I found the following five comctl32.dll files with these versions, sizes, hash and locations:

• 5.81.4704.1100 -- 556 KB - 48863e7f68c0508d7f39fb11515d0f41 - Root
• 5.82.7600.16661 - 518 KB - d3ead1cf16ba729a7f7c9a5d94aa7c05 - Windows\System32
• 5.82.7600.16385 - 518 KB - b62aa1bb1f63839051441d2c6dd7b775 - Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft-windows-shell-comctl32-v5_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_39727524394b18eb
• 5.82.7600.16385 - 518 KB - .b62aa1bb1f63839051441d2c6dd7b775 - Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_5.82.7600.16385_none_ebf82fc36c758ad5
• 6.10.7600.16385 - 1,60 MB - b62aa1bb1f63839051441d2c6dd7b775 - Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.7600.16385_none_421189da2b7fabfc

Other files of the OS I checked (like regedit.exe) are version 6.1.7600.16385, also the product version. Will this be a version problem? Strange, I don't remember having seen that first file on the drive root before.

So I am stuck here and it would be extremely helpful if you could guide me on how to put an end on that Windows 7 "loop" and on how to replace the missing file.

Thanks for helping.

This is a situation where Windows 7 may not be reparable. If you need to copy out files, do it from XP or use this method with DVD: Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console

Since XP will repair, you might be best off repairing it to boot, then booting the Windows 7 DVD to clean reinstall Windows 7 over itself, choosing Custom Install to use Drive options to Delete,, create again and format its partition.

If you had Linux on the HD, all of this could be caused by the corruption of GRUB, so HD needs to be wiped first, as it does also if you suspect infection. SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

So you are sure I have to give up salvaging the Windows 7 installation? I know installations don't last forever, and the more you use them the shorter they live, but this one is only six months old and gave me a lot of work to build. Not the OS, of course, which is easily replaceable, but programs and settings. I don't loose any of my files because (as I said above) I have all my stuff in another drive as a precaution. The Upgrade option when installing is only possible when starting the DVD from the upgrading partition, and It is not possible to transfer settings from another partition...

I replaced those comctl32.dll files on on root and system32 with the 6.10.7600.16385 version from the computer (saving their copies), but I am not that sure I did the right thing. Well, it did not boot just the same, anyway.

Any possibility to force running sfc /scannow? No other possibility to get the OS back to boot, please?

Thank you for your time.

A need some light to try something else, please.

I know very little, and that is why I keep on searching for a solution if it exists. I found that sfc has two functions to run at boot, scanonce and scanboot. Because each trial makes me to make an easy but big time consuming repair install on XP, I would like to know if that boot scanning is made after or before the OS completes bootimg. Also, will it stop for the same reason it stopped before (There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.)? Is there any way to force an sfc scan from the DVD or else, as I asked before, please?

I replaced the comctl32.dll file on system32 with the right one from the Windows 7 install DVD. It is possible that other ones need to be replaced, not sure.

Thank you.

Try running sfc /scannow from DVD Command Line: Press Shift F10 to open Command line after booting DVD at first screen.

Can you post back a camera snap or screenshot of your Disk Mangement drive map from XP: Screenshot with Paint

Once you confirmed your Windows 7 partition is marked Active, how many times did you try running Startup Repair with reboots, regardless of what errors it posted or failed?

When you checked Windows 7 partition was marked Active, did you notice if you have the 100mb SYstem Reserved partition? Try marking it Active instead to run the Repairs x3. You may have Windows 7 on a Logical partition which won't mark Active. To check this out, see if there is a 100mb partition when you "List Disk" In Diskpart. If not, bring the Windows 7 partition into focus and "Detail Partition" to see if it is marked Active. Partition - Mark as Active

You can have a graphical Disk Management map to see all of this using free Partition Wizard bootable CD: http://www.partitionwizard.com/download.html Post back a camera snap if you can get one.