Boot Manager Missing - Windows 7 Install from USB Iso

[marmasatt]

Well, I picked up a cheap Dell D400 laptop to mess around with. No Cd/DVD drive so I went ahead and researched how to boot from a USB Iso and landed on this method here: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_install_windows_7_beta_a_usb_key

Followed it exactly, including correctly partitioning and formatting the USB drive and making an ISO from a legit W7 Ultimate disk. I set the laptop to boot from a USB key and try all the ports. No matter what I do, I get the dreaded "boot manager missing" error message. What is this an indication of? And is there a fix without a CD/DVD drive? I can't repair or fix any sectors. Am I forced to retry, or perhaps use another method? Thanks.

 

[Dahak]

You don't have to necessarily make an iso image. once you prep the usb drive, just copy over the files from the dvd to the usb drive but those steps should have worked, I use the instructions located here

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

you could also try these instructions, which will download the ms tool that was used for the digital downloads, which allow you to also select a .iso file

http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-c...-usb-flash-drive-using-windows-7-dvdusb-tool/

you could also add the /force command to the bootsect option

bootsect /nt60 h: /force

 

[bankster55]

Laptops have various hidden/locked/FAT32/O/S, Driver/recoverry/recov mangement partitions. Personally I would killdisk the HDD first.
If the USB stick Win 7 can get to repair options, the startup repair might work if it can find your install, may have to run it twice with reboot in between.
Alternately you can slave the HDD to a working PC, look in disk manager and see where the active partition is on laptop HDD and copy and paste the 254K bootmgr file from the bootable HDD to the laptops active
http://wintoflash.com/home/en/

 

[ArisVer]

I recently used a usb stick to put linux on my netbook. I could only start it from a floppy and used PLPBT, which is a linux startup floppy with cd/dvd and usb drivers. It gives you option to start from any hard disk, any partition, a cd/dvd or a usb. I mainly used unetbootin to create the usb, and the usb had to be formatted to fat32.
When started from usb, the installer makes the netbook to think of the usb as a cd/dvd rom.

I also have to use the floppy for any installations i do to my desktop, which even though it has a bios usb boot option, it does not work. There is a bios update that fixed that but i did not updated.

My netbook is older than yours and my desktop was build around the same time.
This was my recent linux install experience, maybe it helps.

I really do not think you can boot from an iso. Usually the usb creation program expands the iso image into many files and folders. If you have one iso image file in the usb it will not work. Copying your Win7 straight to the usb may work. If you do that, check if the Win7 cd files and folders are equal to the usb files and folders.

 

[marmasatt]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to try that wintoflash. Possibly put just the W7 files (not in ISO form) on the USB. And if that doesn't work, get some kind of linux boot and then go to W7 from there if I can boot to linux. Was pretty sure this would work though. I can't access the laptop HD though. I don't recall killdisc being dos, is it?

 

[Steltek]

If you have an ISO, you should be able to use the following process:

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/12/-the-usb-flash-drive.ars

 

[bankster55]

Killdisk comes as shareware Active Windows vers, or freeware DOS as bootable floppy or bootable CD or USB ISO
So you download bootabhle USB/floppy maker load it on USB, set USB to boot in bios, and run it, making sure to select ENTIRE drive (80h)
http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm
http://software.lsoft.net/killdiskfloppysetup.exe

Your prob is not the ISO, its the wacky Dell partitions, and Win 7 dumped bootmanager in wrong place, or couldnt place it - like i said .- prob the Dell ACTIVE recovery manager 78MB part, or perhaps the DELL 10GB O/S partition
I am certain killdisk will solve your prob, but all Dell recov is gone of course zero filling the drive
Or, like i said, yuou can just copy/dump any Win 7 bootmanager (Its a GENERIC FILE) in the partition your install made and make sure you dont have 2 or more actives in diskmanager looking from a bootable HDD in another PC - like I said.
And startup repair option from Win 7 install at "repair your computer" offer at the install now page MAY move your bootmanager to right place, or it may not, Hurts nothing to try right?

Edit:
And to see it you may have to unhide hidden protected sys files, and show hidden files and folders in folder options

 

[marmasatt]

Dang it.

I tried this here: http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

No luck at all. Bios is set to "boot from usb device" and i get the Bootmgr is Missing code upon all start ups. Frustrating.

And the data on the USB drive is just the files as is (as some of you said I should do that instead of an ISO).

Thanks for the help.

Edit: Bankster, hypothetically, how is Killdisk going to help me? If I were booting straight from the USB, what issues can I have with the HD? Isn't it a case of the space being available, or it isn't? Bootmgr refers to the Source files....

 

[bankster55]

Sorry, cant explain it over and over
Obviously we have a communication problem
Have a nice day

 

[marmasatt]

Thanks for the tips all. Kind of used a variation of a few methods. Trial and error. After the 3rd time it worked. I think it was the way the files were copied (not unpacked or whatever). And no, I did't have to use killdisk, Bankster. Kind of glad I didn't waste my time with that and trusted my instincts. Have a nice day.

This was the key I believe bootsect /nt60 h: /force (special thanks to Dahak):thumbsup: