BOOTMGR missing after OS restore

EXCellR8

Posts: 1,797   +1
I had to re-image my OS drive, with Win7 Ultimate, and now I can't get it to boot. I get the lovely "BOOTMGR is missing" etc etc. now this wouldn't be a huge deal normally but I can't access command prompt with my OS installation DVD! i just get an error that states it's the wrong version of the OS and that it's not a compatible DVD. i also noticed that under installed OS it reads "Windows 7 Ultimate (Restored)" or something like that. Is that why...?

So, is there any way i can fix the MBR and boot record without using the DVD/WinRE? I've been looking around for hours but all of what I've found seems to only work on XP and 32-bit. I basically just need to run the:

BootRec.exe /FixMbr
BootRec.exe /FixBoot

...but I can't without being able to use the DVD :(
 
the BOOT tools are usually in the Recovery Console, but if you can't get the system into Safe Mode or boot from the CD you may be up a creek.
 
You can get to the Command prompt without the disc.

Start tapping the F8 key immediately after starting the PC. This will take you to the "Advanced Boot Options". On some OEM machines hit the F8 key immediately after the logo dissapears.

Select "Repair Your Computer", answer the prompts and then the "System Recovery Options" menu will appear. From there you can select the Command Prompt. This microsoft guide gives the information to repair the MBR if Bootrec.exe does not work. It instructs you to boot from the disk to get to the Command Prompt but this should work just as well by using the F8 key without the disc.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-us

Why did you have to reinstall the OS? what was going wrong. Maybe your hard drive is failing which may explain the missing MBR after a clean install. (Or, do you have another OS installed as a dual boot). I would run this from the command prompt to check the hard drive for errors. chkdsk /r

"Windows 7 Ultimate (Restored)" Not sure how you got this unless you have somehow managed to use a Recovery partition instead of doing a clean install. Have you got a genuine licenced retail disc for Windows 7 or are you using a copy, or is it from the PC's manufacturer?
 
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