Windows 7: win7 clean install, boot mgr missing. hd already formatted. ran before

i upgraded to 4g of ram about 6 months ago so i purchased Windows 7 ultimate to install the 64 bit operating system. i installed it with no problems over xp media center 32 bit. just had to update an audio driver. ran it fine for last 6 months. someone suggested doing a clean install every 6 months or so. i ran the 64 bit disk and reformatted and deleted the hd. didnt back it up. figured i had the disk. mistake on my part.. it runs at 0% and say file missing or corrupt. went thru the bios no luck. on 1 ocaision i set to fail safe and it reached 36% and same warning. ive tried installing drivers i downloaded onto a flash drive it wont set them up. tried bootsec commands. heard of nlite havent tried it, as nothing gets loaded off of flash drive. can see the files but nothing happens. from what i can understand i need the driver that writes to the hd. i tried taking out some ram didnt work. all hardware is fine. i am quite savy with internet software firefox etc. but this problem is quite new to me and i could really use some help, if you could get back to me with some ideas it would be greatly appreciated. thanks. Sean.

Welcome to Windows Seven Forums.

My advice would be to initially revert to Windows XP by carrying out a clean install then install and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This will flag up any compatibility issues that need addressing.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows

Download and save to an external source any driver updates needed then carry out a clean install of Windows 7.

that was my first thought, i made a copy of xp media center on an external drive. my friend erased it and put movies on it. no xp disk. can i find the right driver and get it to load?

Do you have a full retail Windows 7 DVD or the upgrade version?

If it is the former, just use it to wipe your hard drive and carry out a clean install of Windows 7.

If it is the latter, check this tutorial on how to clean install with the upgrade version.

Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Boot to the installation disk and choose the repair install option.

Select the Command Prompt
type each command seperatly

bootrec.exe /fixboot
bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

This should rebuild your MBR. You do not have to install XP again.

Note: Win 7 is much better than earlier versions at OS management. You should NOT have to reinstall every 6 months. I have a Win 7 installation on 3 separate PC's running well continuously since Win 7 came out. No reinstalls here.

You have a hang at 0% files loading after formatting the HD to clean reinstall Windows 7, correct?

You refer to "Bootmgr is missing" in title but nowhere in your post. If you receive this it means the DVD is not booting but trying to boot the HD which you have formatted so it cannot boot and errors such. So make sure you are booting the DVD correctly: How to Boot your Computer from a Bootable CD or DVD

Next write the DVD ISO to flash stick to try install, using Ultra ISO trial version: On File tab Open DVD or ISO, on Bootable tab Write Disk Image, Format, Write. Boot under USB, Removable or HD's.

Make sure you reset the CMOS correctly: Clear CMOS - 3 Ways to Clear the CMOS - Reset BIOS

While in BIOS setup, set SATA controller to AHCI to try install. Set DVD drive first to boot. Does HD register? Unplug all peripherals and other HD's.

Next try removing all but 2gb of RAM to try install. Swap RAM sticks. Test RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Follow these steps for clean Reinstalling Windows 7