Bootmgr is missing, Win 7 DVD not exactly working?

[plitoast11]

I'm actually none too sure if this is the right place to post this (and excuse my computer illiteracy) but I'm running a Windows 7 Home premium 64 Dell laptop and for the past few days I've been facing a lot of lag and programs hanging. Because that was nothing new I brushed it aside. At first it was just itunes but then the antimalware and firefox (which I deleted in an angry rage but then installed again later) stopped responding. Last night, I was able to get itunes and firefox working again and I ran a few scans with McAfee and my lagging malwarebytes but nothing turned up so I thought I just needed to clean up some files. This morning, I booted up, logged on and was preparing to do my daily computer scans when the whole thing froze. I couldn't open up the task manager, close any programs, nothing, so I forced it to shut down. When I went to restart, after the Dell logo came up, I was graced with a black screen and then the message: Bootmgr is missing, press ctrl+alt+dlt to reRECOVERY (and then there are some random symbols after that).

Like I usually do, I googled for some help and tried to boot from the installation disk but after the windows is loading files bar is filled, the starting microsoft screen comes up and then a black screen with a cursor and nothing else. So now I can't boot up and I've mentally prepared myself to lose all my files. I'm not sure what to do, or if I can do anything at all and I just made it worse, so I figured I'd give posting in a forum a try for help. Sorry for my lack of specifics and probably putting this in the wrong place. Typical newbie confusion. ?

 

[Britton30]

Welcome to Seven forums plitoast11, don't worry if you're in the wrong place, we'll move it if needed.
Try rebooting and pressing F8 madly until you get an Advanced boot options window. Click on startup repair and see if this works.

 

[arkhi]

Ugh I hate that mouse on a black screen problem. It was one of the nightmares I had to face on my teen days and it drove me nuts.

Have you meddled with secuirty permissions on your laptop, by any chance? And how old is that laptop exactly? It can be anything for now, but first two things that popped on my mind is that the problem is hardware related (i.e. Motherboard).

 

[plitoast11]

To Britton30, I tried that but startup repair is not one of the options listed. I took the disc out and tried but that didn't work either. It said it was the options for Windows Setup if that makes any difference.

And to my knowledge I have not meddled with any security anything. My laptop is reaching its 2 year mark soon, though.

 

[Britton30]

Try this:
Fixing "BOOTMGR is missing" Error While Trying to Boot Windows 7 or Vista - How-To Geek It is For 7 too.

 

[plitoast11]

Nope. Tried it earlier and again just now and after the starting windows screen (which sits for a minute or two and I'm not even sure is supposed to happen) the Win 7 prompt thing never comes up. Earlier I let it sit for a while but it didn't change. It always goes to a black screen with a cursor which I assume would be the prompt if only it wasn't covered in black. Suppose I should start scraping up money to send it somewhere.

 

[Britton30]

You are trying this with no install DVD, right?

 

[gregrocker]

Try booting into Safe Mode with Networking to install, update and run a full scan with Malwarebytes. If no Safe Mode, download, burn to CD or write to flash stick, boot and run a full scan with Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper

The choice you need on F8 Advanced Boot Options list is Repair My Computer, which will load WinRe, scan for an OS and offer Repair if needed. If not, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair anyway. Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

If no Repair console is on F8, then boot the DVD Repair console on second screen, or System Repair Disc - Create to do the above.

Startup Repair should automate System Restore and SFC, but if not run SysRestore from the Tools list manually, then open a Command Prompt there to run SFC -SCANNOW Run in Command Prompt at Boot.

Next test your HD using maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan, then test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Report back results and any questions for more steps, or you can copy out your files using DVD/Repair CD: Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console,
then run full Factory Recovery from its partition using hotkey given on first boot screen or Recovery Disks you've made or order from manufacturer Tech Support.

Or find a Win7 installation DVD to clean reinstall with Product Key on COA sticker using the steps in the link below for a Perfect Reinstall.

We solve many problems here by replacing MucAfee which absolutely no one recommends and replacing it with free MS Essentials or Avast 6 which almost all of us do.

 

[plitoast11]

To Britton30: No? I was under the impression I needed the disk to do the thing from How to Geek. I can try it without the disk if that's what I'm really supposed to be doing. Sorry, I guess I didn't understand.

And to both of you: But anything else will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[Britton30]

To Britton30: No? I was under the impression I needed the disk to do the thing from How to Geek. I can try it without the disk if that's what I'm really supposed to be doing. Sorry, I guess I didn't understand.

And to both of you: But anything else will have to wait until tomorrow.

My mistake and I appologize. Yes you do need the Win7 DVD disk to access the startup repair. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/681-startup-repair.html#post4166

 

[plitoast11]

To Britton: Well, I tried to go to the system repair by booting with my disk but as I said, after windows finishes loading files, the starting windows screen comes up and then the screen goes black with just a cursor.

To Gregrocker: I cannot go into safe mode as windows says it's loading files, presents me with a long list of /windows/system32/drivers/insertwhateverhere.sys and then proceeds to not do anything so I will try to make these disks but if I'm reading those guides correctly, I can't make a system repair disk (I'm alternating between my phone and a friend's XP) edit: I found someone else who I can make a repair disk from with 7.

 

[plitoast11]

Try booting into Safe Mode with Networking to install, update and run a full scan with Malwarebytes. If no Safe Mode, download, burn to CD or write to flash stick, boot and run a full scan with Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper

The choice you need on F8 Advanced Boot Options list is Repair My Computer, which will load WinRe, scan for an OS and offer Repair if needed. If not, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair anyway. Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

If no Repair console is on F8, then boot the DVD Repair console on second screen, or System Repair Disc - Create to do the above.

Startup Repair should automate System Restore and SFC, but if not run SysRestore from the Tools list manually, then open a Command Prompt there to run SFC -SCANNOW Run in Command Prompt at Boot.

Next test your HD using maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan, then test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+

Report back results and any questions for more steps, or you can copy out your files using DVD/Repair CD: Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console,
then run full Factory Recovery from its partition using hotkey given on first boot screen or Recovery Disks you've made or order from manufacturer Tech Support.

Or find a Win7 installation DVD to clean reinstall with Product Key on COA sticker using the steps in the link below for a Perfect Reinstall.

We solve many problems here by replacing MucAfee which absolutely no one recommends and replacing it with free MS Essentials or Avast 6 which almost all of us do.

So I made the disks needed to perform all of this but when I put in the disk for the System Sweeper all I got was the bootmgr is missing message again. I tried it a few times and received the same result each time. Putting in the system repair disk I made, after the files loaded I was once again brought to a black screen with a cursor and nothing else. I received this result each time also. After letting it sit for a while, just to see if anything else would load, nothing else happened. Because I have like 2% hope for this thing, I ran a preboot system assessment just to see what was technically wrong with it for myself (but I aborted it after it told me:

hard drive dst short test - fail - error code: 2000-0142

because I had something else to do)

Is there anything else you'd like me to try because I'm thinking about just buying a new hard drive?

 

[gregrocker]

There were a number of steps given which you have not replied to with the results or further questions about how to get them done. If you want this fixed, you need to be thorough and not skip any steps.

Next test your HD using maker's HD Diagnostic extended CD scan, then test your RAM - Test with Memtest86+

 

[plitoast11]

Sorry, my apologies. So I went to perform the HD Diagnostic Scan but after it started to load I received the message:

invalid opcode at 000B 0000 0402 086F 025D 0702 0702 0A83 0CEE 2132 0000 0000 0000

after saying MXS is loading. I'm not sure if that is a problem with the disk or with the computer itself. I tried it twice and received the same thing.

Then I tried the RAM test and I had got up to 10 passes but in between my going to class and coming back to check on it, it had been turned off so I am not sure how it ended. Should I redo the test? I only didn't because since it's a long test I don't want my computer to overheat or personally sit through a whole 12+ hours of a scan again.

Should I go on to that Factory Recovery thing that was next?

 

[gregrocker]

It's up to you whether to skip to Factory Recovery. If you're ready then go for it.

I'd want to know why HD diagnostics Extended CD scan is not working. Which one did you download, how did you burn the ISO to CD, did it boot up correctly before failing to load? You may need to burn another using ImgBurn at 4x speed.

I'd also want to know why the memtest86 CD test stopped running since it should run forever until you stop it. There is no sleep or hibernation in boot mode. Makes me wonder if it is overheating forcing BIOS to shutdown.

 

[plitoast11]

For the HD Diagnostics, I downloaded the ISO from Seagate because my harddrive was manufactured by dell and that is the one they seemed to push using and I used the ISO recorder listed on the site for step 3. It booted like it always does now, it went through the beginnig dell screen and afterwards the ISO started to try to load (all the copyright information is up and the name of the software) I suppose it failed in loading up all of it's components or something. Is that what you wanted to know?

And sorry again, I should have been more specific. I don't think it turned off on its own but someone came, I can't say if it finished or not because I wasn't home and they didn't tell me how it finished, and they turned it off so I didn't see how it ended.

 

[gregrocker]

Burn Seatools to CD using ImgBurn at 4x speed or Windows Image Burner, boot the CD, run Extended scan.

It sounds like you tried to run it from the OS?

Boot memtest86 to run at least 5-6 passes and keep track of the results.