Really Weird - Can't Install Windows 7

ScreamingNugget said:

OK, I would like to start by admitting that I have no idea what I am doing.

I recently bought a 64GB SSD in hopes of putting my OS on it as a boot drive. My other hard drive is 1TB, and I had two partitions on it. I was stupid and thought that I could remove as much as possible from the boot partition (accidentally including system files) and then just clone the OS using a program onto the SSD. Long story short, I screwed up so I ended up completely wiping my 1TB drive with KillDisk. After that I tried setting the boot priority to the SSD first and tried to install Windows on it.

Now I am having various problems. The first had been the message "Reboot and select proper boot device or insert media into boot device and press any key." I did some research and ended up unplugging the 1TB drive.

Now here comes the wierd part - I thought that logically everything should be fine- I mean, I have a blank SSD, hardware that works, and an installation disc that I know works. But I still got the error. I try changing the storage configuration in the BIOS from IDE to AHCI and then boot to from the CD. The installation froze and I had to restart the computer. Then I get the error "BOOTMGR is missing." After looking this up, it seems as if the most common fix is to boot from the installation disc and enter recovery. In my case I figured that I would just try to install it again.

First, I try booting to the installation disc but it gives me he same error, even when booting from the CD drive. Then I tried switching the storage configuration in the BIOS to RAID. Now it will boot to the disc but during the installation it says that it can't find a hard drive, possibly because there is no mass storage driver, which I know is untrue because I was able to find/choose a hard drive earlier.

So where I am now:

- When setting the storage configuration/OnChip SATA Type to IDE or AHCI I will get the "BOOTMGR is missing" error trying to boot from either the SSD or the CD.

- When setting the storage configuration/OnChip SATA Type to RAID I get the "BOOTMGR is missing" error when booting from the SSD, and I had been able to get into the installation process when booting from the CD, but it wouldn't find a hard drive to install it to. However, after trying it recently, I got two different BSODs when attempting the installation from the CD. The first said something about an error with threading. The next said exactly: "STOP:c0000139 {Entry Point not found}. The procedure entry point RtlDeleteElementGenericTableAvl could not be located in the dynamic link library ntdll.dll." Now whenever I click on recovery on the main installation screen, the windows doesn't change. And when I click on "Install Now" I follow the steps but when "Custom (Advanced)" is clicked on the "type of installation" screen, I am sent back to the main install screen.

Now, the Storage Configuration, or "OnChip SATA Type" probably has nothing to do with solving it, but it's the only thing that is making changes. I also tried to restore the MBR through the command line in recovery w/RAID set, but it did nothing.

I am really sorry for such a long, post, I just wasn't sure what information people needed. Thanks a lot for reading, I really appreciate it.

Can anyone help?

Hi -- First, what kind of Win 7 CD do you have. Is it an OEM, Upgrade or Full Retail or possibly is it a recovery disk with your PC name on it? Also what version of Windows 7 is it, Home Premium, Pro, etc. == First off I would suggest going back into Bios and putting things back as they were when things were working OK. == I wouldn't worry about doing the recovery from the CD, I think you are at a point where a complete install is your only option. Just to be sure I understand, at this moment both of your HD are blank is that correct? Get back to me with that info and we will journey further. Thanks,

OK, I think I have the info correct. == You SSD has to be C: drive so when installing it will change the SSD to C: if it is not already. -- Be sure in your BIOS that your DVD is the first to boot, then your C: drive. If not that needs to be changed. -- While in your BIOS try to make sure you have changed everything back to like it was when the PC was working. == Insert your DVD and see what happens now. Here is a tutorial to follow. Clean Install Windows 7 If I have missed something, let me know.

I just noticed that you said you had Enterprise. This is a copy that is not sold to the public. ==

Windows 7 Enterprise
This edition targets the enterprise segment of the market and is sold through volume licensing to companies which have a Software Assurance contract with Microsoft.[15] Additional features include support for Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support.[15] Not available through retail or OEM channels, this edition is distributed through Microsoft Software Assurance (SA).[15] As a result it includes several SA-only benefits, including a license allowing the running of multiple virtual machines, and activation via VLK.[16] Like Professional, Microsoft will support this edition until 2020.

Where did you get your copy?

ScreamingNugget said:

I got Enterprise from where I work. Alright, I have tried booting from both optical drive options, and I still get the "BOOTMGR is missing" error.

Your DVD should have the Bootmgr in it. == Are you inserting your Win DVD in the drive, shut down your PC. Wait 30 seconds, start it back up and it should boot from the DVD. == Aside from which Optical Drive you use, is your Optical Drive the first in your boot sequence and your C: drive is the second?