BOOTMGR is missing after re-enabling GRUB

[47_MasoN_47]

Here's my scenario. My laptop originally had a 40GB hard drive (it's a 2005 IBM Thinkpad G41), and that simply was too small so I bought a 160GB drive. I used partimage and backed up my Ubuntu partition to a USB hard drive, installed the new drive, and restored the partition. Then I setup 2 more partitions for Windows installs. Here's how it's laid out.

hd0,0 - Ubuntu 9.04
hd0,1 - Windows 2000 (for WoW only)
hd0,2 - Windows 7 RC

After copying the Ubuntu partition I installed Win2k, then Win7RC. With the MS bootloader I could boot Win2k and Win7RC without problem. I wanted to get my Ubuntu back, and prefer GRUB so I used the GrubHowTo in the Ubuntu docs to re-enable it. After enabling GRUB, Ubuntu boots fine (partimage is FTW) but when I try to boot Win7 it gives me the annoying error below:

BOOTMGR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart

I'd like to be able to use Win7 to test on our domain at work, and it actually runs quite well on this old laptop. Please offer some suggestions for how I can fix this!

[47_MasoN_47]

I booted up SuperGrubDisk, selected Windows, then selected boot Windows from 2nd Partition (Laptop) and the Windows bootloader started, allowing me to boot either Win2k or Win7RC.

So...since I know that this works, can someone please help me get it to work with the GRUB I have installed on my MBR so I don't have to boot from the CD every time I want to use Windows?

Thanks.

[47_MasoN_47]

Anybody have any ideas?

[Belboz99]

Hey,

I found your thread earlier when I was having this exact scenario earlier today.

Just now I realized that Win7 creates at least 2 partitions when you install it, even though you may have only one selected and formatted for it's use.

Basically, from what I gather there should be a partition of around 8MB just before or after the actual installation partition for 7.

So, all you have to do to fix this issue is change your target drive for the Win7 OS to the 8MB partition that sits somewhere near the Windows 7 partition.

Try checking our your GParted list of partitions, or if handy with a CLI, use fdisk to check out the list of partitions and their sizes. You should find one with a very small capacity formatted as NTFS.

In my case though, it was before Win7 install parition. So, I had done all this before-hand to determine the install partition, and of course pointing GRUB to this install partition yielded only "BOOTMGR not found".

For me, simply changing (hd0,3) to (hd0,2) resolved my problem.


Hope this helps,
Dan O.

[47_MasoN_47]

You are now my hero.

Thanks man, that's exactly what was going on with mine!

[ramzai]

And what is even worse, Win7 may put its bootloader to other existing FAT or NTFS partitions, even on the other hd, as it was in my case. I installed Win7 to (hd1,2) and then found bootmgr file on the (hd0,2) partition with music and video files. That is completely sick.

Belboz99, thanks for the tip.

[Swamprat2010]

I am having the same problem. My set-up is as show below. It does not seem to make any difference if I use root (hd0,4) then I get 'Invalid Device Selected' or root (hd0,3) then i get 'BOOTMGR' is missing '

Any Ideas how to fix this? If only I didn't need Visual Studio and Solid-works =((


GRUB

title Windows 7
root (hd0,4) OR root (hd0,3)
makeactive
chainloader +1

GPARTED:

/dev/sda1 /home
/dev/sda2 extended
/dev/sda5 linux-swap
/dev/sda6 /
/dev/sda3 ntfs System Reserved 100Mb
/dev/sda4 ntfs --boot

[confused57]

/dev/sda3 ntfs System Reserved 100Mb

This should probably be root (hd0,2), if you haven't
tried it already.

[Swamprat2010]

(hd0,4) = 'Invalid Device Selected'
(hd0,3) = 'BOOTMGR' is missing '

=(( any-idea how to fix the BOOTMGR. My guess is that (hd0,3) is the correct one but that something else needs tweaking.

Just to be clear Kubuntu works fine. I'm just trying to get Windows 7 on duel boot.

[Mark Phelps]

The partition labeled System Reserved is most probably the one you want to use to boot. So, have you tried the (hd0,2) as previously suggested?