# [SOLVED] BootMGR is missing.



## JohannS (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi,
I'm trying to do a clean install of XP with sp3 via USB, on a Netbook; ASUS eee1005HAB. It is actually a long story, but I will try to cut it short.

1. I used WinToFlash to get the installation on USB.
2. I used BartPE to try that pre-installation, but nothing.
3. I then tried various ways to get rid of Ubuntu's looming persistence.
4. I eventually decided to test a theory. "If I can install XP on another totally empty HDD in the same laptop, then I should be able to simply format the Ubuntu HDD as an external drive on my desktop computer, place it back into my laptop, and install XP. But a problem came up. With the clean HDD, at POST, I get the message: BootMGR is missing, Ctrl, Alt, Del to restart.​
Can anyone tell me please, where the problem lies?
1. Is it possible that the HDD (NTFS) is formatted incorrectly? 
2. Should it somehow contain an MBR? 
3. Or can I do a preinstallation on the laptop (via USB - the Netbook doesn't have an optical drive), with some other small portable utility?
4. Is it maybe the WinToFlash that gives issues on this type of installation?

Background:
Someone once installed Ubuntu on the machine and now it is no longer necessary. I tried reinstalling over the Ubuntu installation, but nothing worked. 
1. I tried Changing Disk Boot Order settings in BIOS, but the system just goes straight to Ubuntu.
2. I tried the terminal command: "sudo dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/sdX bs=446 count=1" ...no change.
3. I tried "sudo dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1" ...still nothing.
4. Not knowing much about Ubuntu and Linux, I am clueless.

I have tried this type of thing on a desktop PC before and never had a problem. But this type of thing has now happened to me on 2 laptops. Once, NTLDR was missing (an older laptop), and now BootMGR.

Any assistance would be welcome.

Thanks,
Johann


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

How to Remove Linux Boot Loader From Startup After Deleting Linux Partition on a Dual-Boot System? - Tweaking with Vishal

See if that fixes the issue. That's what I've always done.


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## JohannS (Feb 25, 2011)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

Hi JMPC,
I put the HDD back and tried the webpage instructions, but it did not work. Ubuntu still loads at startup.

I think one problem with the link you gave was that the instruction set is for a dual booting situation. I don't have dual booting setup on the Netbook. 

I have finally got the Netbook to not boot directly into the Ubuntu OS. But the problem is that it tries to. It gives me about 6 options for booting into; all Ubuntu. Even if I have the Windows USB boot connected. I even boot-prioritize the USB with the ESC. The USB light flickers, but then the Ubuntu choices come up. Once or twice it actually got as far as a Windows file-copying, and past the choices that lead me to the scree where I choose partitions. The problem is that the only partition that appears is the actual USB drive.

I am currently trying to look into booting from floppy. I have a USB floppy drive. But it seems now another problem jumps in my face. My desktop is a Windows 7 64-bit system. It seems that the XP's 6-floppy disc installation can only be prepared on a 32-bit computer. Bummer.

This morning I discovered a loose-lying DVD-drive and, after testing it as external dvd drive on my desktop, I connected it to the Netbook, with the XP SP2 cd. It does the right thing, but after about 3 minutes of file-copying, Bluescreen. Three times in a row. It must be either the DVD drive itself that has a problem, or the Linux system that has code written deeper into the system, that conflicts with the booting process.

So now I have:
1. USB drive - (method was Win2Flash [Beta] - might be a software issue?]
2. Floppy drive - (XP - 6 disks)
3. External DVD drive (XP Pro with SP2)

I have tried all three and came up against different obstacles.
1. USB - "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: 
<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll
2. Floppy - 64-bit problem
3. DVD - Bluescreen after a few minutes of file-copying.

Does anyone know of another way to use a floppy disk or USB for clean install?

Thanks,
Johann


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## rgsalinger (May 18, 2009)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

If you can remove the hard drive from your laptop and get it over to your desktop machine then you could simply perform a clean format on it.
If you can get a service manual for the machine I'd expect it to be reasonably straightforward to remove the HD.


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## JohannS (Feb 25, 2011)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

I didn't want to do that before testing the theory. So one of the first things I did was to put a newly formatted HDD into the Netbook and try install XP, but then BootMGR Missing, and NTLDR missing kept coming up. Trying to innstall an NTLDR with a utility didn't help either. It seems like some kind of a pre-installation environment has to already exist for a Netbook's system in order to boot the XP cd.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

clear the drive with killdisk then format and install

[email protected] Kill Disk. Hard Drives Eraser. Free Download.


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## JohannS (Feb 25, 2011)

*Re: BootMGR is missing.*

Fixed the problem.

Using Parted Magic on the "Ultimate Booting CD", (Ultimate Boot CD - Overview), I created an NTFS partition (just to have a backup plan an be able to boot into Ubuntu again if I might need to). I made the NTFS partition the first partition, as well as the primary.
I still got the BSOD after this and found a forum where someone mentioned a setting relating to the IDE and ATA configuration in the BIOS. I went there and saw that the ATA/IDE configuration was set on "Enhanced". I set it to "Compatible" and rebooted, using the XP CD, just in case. It worked.

I installed XP successfully. I can not boot into Linux anymore, but it doesn't matter. I guess I will just remove that partition.

Thanks for the suggestions. I hope my feedback will help someone with the same problem.

Johann


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

glad you have it sorted


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