1 Topic by Maleko48

  • Maleko48
  • New member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-10-15
  • Posts: 1

Topic: "BOOTMGR is missing" error, please help.

I have an MSI U210 Netbook (i.e. no CD drive) which I installed Windows 7 on first (via bootable USB), then made a dual boot system with Windows XP Pro. I then had to use EasyBCD to rewrite my MBR so that I could boot into the OS of my choice. I need to use GParted now and installed it two different times with UNetBootIn & LiveUSB and both times when I tried booting from my USB flash drive, it gives me the "BOOTMGR is missing" error. I havent tried anything other than GParted, but I suspect if I needed to boot something else (as I did when installing Win7) it will probably give me that error again. How do I make my computer able to boot from my flash drive again since my netbook doesn't have a CD drive? It is a must to have this option available to me, any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

2 Reply by cmdr (edited by cmdr 2009-10-16 15:06:29)

  • cmdr
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-07-30
  • Posts: 522

Re: "BOOTMGR is missing" error, please help.

Hello Maleko48,

Maleko48 wrote:

...
I installed Windows 7 on first (via bootable USB),
...
both times when I tried booting from my USB flash drive, it gives me the "BOOTMGR is missing" error.
...

1. possibility
via "bootable USB" = from "my USB flash drive" ? Identical device ? If so, your USB flash drive doesn't have a Linux bootmanager (syslinux/isolinux).  It has a Windows7 MasterBoot Record and Partition Boot Record ( the latter giving the fault message).

2. possibility
The BIOS is not able to recognize the USB stick in its present structure as bootable device.

3.possibility
The Boot sequence is set wrong ( Harddisk still boots first ).

For what do you need "GParted Live" ? Do you want to resize one of the existing partitions or create a new one on your netbook? You can't do much with "GParted", if one of the two Windows versions causes trouble. You should have a Windows repair console on your USB drive (free Vista Recovery version on USB drive would work for this purpose) . If it's really your booting USB flash drive, which gives the above fault message, you just have to "unpack" the Vista Recovery ISO image ( with a packer program like "IZArc2go" under Windows or by mounting the ISO file under Linux) and to copy all files and folders to the stick - ready !

The easiest way to a bootable USB flash drive with "GParted" ( result is a bootable removable harddisk) is to transfer the Live CD ISO file to the USB drive, just as sector-per-sector copy (you loose ALL other content !), since the image is "isohybrided", which means, that the image is made the same for both purposes. Look here, Alternative c) for a "how to". BE SURE TO USE LATEST STABLE RELEASE OF "GPARTED" !

Regards
cmdr