Question Locked

bootmgr is missing, can't boot Vista without disk...

0 helpful
2 replies
Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have been all over the web to try to find a solution to this problem I am having. I just performed a clean install of Vista Ultimate on a Seagate SATA II 250GB hdd. I also have an IDE 80GB hdd that I use for storage. When I installed Vista, everything seemed to go according to specs. It worked great, and I was instantly in love with this program! Then I noticed the problem. I had just installed a program that needed me to reboot (I had done this several times, but I hadn't bothered to take the installation disk out of the DVD drive until this install) and when I did I got the error message "bootmgr is missing" and the ctrl, alt, del thing. I reinserted the disk and it booted just fine.

I did some research and discovered (whether or not it's truth, I don't know) that my IDE drive could be causing the problem (my BIOS is up to date as are all the drivers I can find... Though I may have missed something) So I decided to use the disk to try to repair it. No Joy. I decided to disconnect the IDE and reinstall or repair (whichever worked) and the screen just goes black. With the IDE connected, all goes well, even though I am using the SATA to install on. With the IDE disconnected, the SATA seems invisible to Vista. (I don't know that to be fact... I am merely stating what it seems like to me...)

All I want is to be able to run Vista on my SATA. No dual boot, no disk, nothing... Just Vista on my SATA.

Can someone wiser than I (at this point that seems to be anyone that can install Vista! lol) help me with this please?

Thank you

2 replies

by seanferd

First of all, are you absolutely positive you installed on you SATA and not the IDE?

Go into the BIOS setup when you boot the computer. On the page where the drives are shown, make a note of the designation of your SATA drive (like S0). Find the page where you set the boot order of the hard drives. Set the SATA drive to boot first.

If you do this and get no joy, re-install Windows- you previously installed to your IDE.

Hope it helps.

This discussion is closed to new replies.