BOOTMGR is missing & I no longer have the installation disk.

[Kris2323]

Something accidentally occurred while my Windows 7 HP PC was still in the process of doing a System Restore to an Earlier Point. Now after I log in with my password & hit OK, it quickly sends me to a pg with this msg underneath "Windows Boot Manager." It says: "Error occurred during System Restore," "Repair my PC," "Error: 0xc000000f; Info: Boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible"& that the "BOOTMGR is missing." Sadly, I no longer have the installation disk.How do I fix this problem without having to do any type of "factory and/or hard reset/recovery"? Somebody plzz help me; plz tell me whatever it is that I need to do to fix this huge mishap of mine :-<???

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @Kris2323

Welcome to the HP Support forum. Thank you for posting !

Perform first some basic hardware checks to rule out a hardware problem

1. Please, shutdown the computer using the power button (pressed and hold for a few seconds until PC powers off)

2. Power the computer back on.

2.1 As soon as you press the power-on button, immediately begin hitting the Esc button (like tap-tap-tap) before any logo appears. This should open a HP Startup Menu

3. Choose F2 to open System Diagnostics. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform diagnostics.

This will check major hardware componets for issue (do it just in case) . Here is more info >> http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03467259#AbT1

If there are no system checks/no quick tests, perform both HDD (hard disk drive) and RAM check (memory check).

Let me know the test results.

Could you confirm you use Windows 7 now ?

If the hardware tests pass, you cannot fix this without Windows discs or some sort of discs.

The official procedure >> If the hardware diagnostics PASS without any errors, please visit this URL >> http://www.computersurgeons.com/p-21803-windows-7-64b-recovery-kit-630321-001-for-compaq-presario-no...

and purchase a recovery media (original HP Recovery kit). This is the correct one for your PC model.  You can use it to restore back your PC to factory default condition. If you want to back up your files prior to the procedure, please let me know and I might be able to post instructions. Here is how to use the recovery media >> http://hp.dezide.com/ts/start.jsp?guide=HPSystemRecovery.net&section=ccweb&sfs=tdoc&lc=en&language=e...

There are other options which are not official and I might be able to post some instructions. However, there is no guarantee they will work. Let me know if you would like to try them

Hope this works for you 🙂

[Kris2323]

"Start-Up Test"
Memory Test: Passed
Smart Check: Passed
Short DST: Passed
Optimized DST: Passed
Battery Test: Primary - Passed (0); Secondary- Not Installed (60)
PCI DEVICE CHECK: FAILED

Start-Up Test: PASSED

[Kris2323]

I am most definitely interested in any of your other "unofficial" options that you would be willing to instruct me with. Feel free to send & any & all of them to me @ your earliest convenience. I would be more than grateful :-}

[Kris2323]

I performed a similar procedure using the F8 key & tried to make my PC work by clicking on Safe Mode. After I clicked on Safe Mode, all it did was bring me straight back to the original screen that's labeled 'Windows Boot Manager' 😞

[Kris2323]

I have also tried holding down the Start key, the Power button, & the B key all @ the very same time in order to perform a 'System Bios Recovery.' It completed the process but when it Restarted itself, it brought me back to the the very same "Windows Boot Manager" window as well 😞

[IT_WinSec]

OK,  🙂 Thank you for letting me know. It's good you confirmed the start-up test passes - this is another confirmation that this is strictly Windows related problem.

Please, do not do things such as  BIOS recovery (Win+B)  or   F8 (Safe Mode) - these are not related to your Windows issue. If you do things which you do not know what they do and what will happen, you might eventually do things worse.

The "unofficial" way :

You can use this free utility

>> https://www.heidoc.net/php/Windows%20ISO%20Downloader.exe

>> https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/67-microsoft-windows-and-office-iso-downl...

The tool will download ISO images from Microsoft and has lots of options for many Windows versions including OEM. If you use it, be careful to select the correct Windows ISO for the OEM, x86 or x64 edition, Home/Pro/Ultimate, etc...

When download completes, you will need to write or "burn" the ISO image and boot from a bootable media.

** How to create bootable ISO on USB device >> http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

or

** How to write ISO to DVD >> http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/burn-a-dvd-on-windows

Instructions are for Ubuntu, but you need to use the ISO image of Windows. Use the Windows ISO and Rufus (3rd tool you will need)

 Write FAT32 file system, MBR for BIOS/UEFI

When ready with the USB drive or with the DVD:

Please, shutdown the computer using the power button.

Insert the Windows USB thumdrive or the DVD prepared previously

Power  on the PC.

As soon as you press the power-on button, keep hitting the Esc button (like tap-tap-tap).

This should open a HP Startup Menu

Choose F9 to open Boot options. Select the thumb drive or the DVD as a boot option.

Follow the on-screen instructions to boot to Windows 7.

** Do NOT** proceed to reinstall Windows. When the screen loads, select your language and choose "Repair your computer"

It should detect your Windows 7 installation

Reference instructions >> https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/start-the-windows-7-recovery-environment/

1. Try to Select the option to run automatic repair

If it says it fixed things, restart the PC and see if your PC can now boot fine

If things are well, you are done.

3. If not, please, boot again (F9) from the Windows 7 USB or DVD, load  "Repair your computer" and open Command Prompt (CMD)

Reference instuctions (For W10 but similar with W7) >> https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/32523/how-to-manually-repair-windows-7-boot-loader-problems/

Type  

bootrec /fixmbr

and press [ENTER].  When ready, type

bootrec /fixboot

and press [ENTER].

When ready, close the CMD prompt (windows) and restart your computer.

Hopefully, PC should eventually boot to Desktop.

Let me know how it goes and if this helps.