Windows 7 Boot Editor
If you have Windows 7 boot problems, the boot sector or masterboot record on your system partition may be damaged, corrupted, or has missing files. Andyou will receive an error message like the following before Windows actually begins toload.
Missing operating system
Reboot and select proper bootdevice
Invalid partition table
Bootmgr is missing
FATAL: No bootable medium found!System halted.
Prior to Windows Vista, BIOS-based computers running Windows store boot options in a Boot.ini text file. You can edit Boot.ini using Bootcfg (bootcfg.exe), a tool included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, or using a text editor such as Notepad. Bootcfg is documented in Windows Help and Support. Windows, Linux, macOS, & BSD! Boot both from and into USB drives, ISO images, virtual disks, and more. Create bootable USB sticks with repair utilities that you can take with you anywhere. Protect against disaster. Create entries to boot into recovery utilities or safe mode to prepare for a rainy day. Painless editing.
Then, what are the boot sector and master boot recordexactly?
What are the boot sector and master boot record?
The boot sector is a small section at the beginning of a harddrive. It's created when you format the hard drive.
The boot sector contains some code and data that helps BIOS handoff the startup process to Windows. It also hosts the Master Boot Record (MBR), whichcontains the disk signature, partition table for the disk, and a small bit of code calledthe master boot code.
When a PC starts, the BIOS will load the master boot code intothe PC's RAM. Then it will scan the partition table, determine the active partition,load a copy of the boot sector into the PC's RAM, and hand off the startup process.
If you backup MBRin advance, you can use it to restore your computer and make it work as normal. If not, youcan see the next part and learn to repair boot with command prompt in Windows 7.
Five efficient ways to run Windows 7 boot repair
Way 1: Startup Repair with Windows installation media
If your boot sector or MBR runs into problems, you cannot startWindows normally. That's to say, you need a bootable media to boot your computer. Youcan choose to create the Windows installation media or create a repair disk on a workingcomputer.
Start with the detailed steps:
Step 1. Create Windows 7 installation media on aworking computer. You can download ISO image files from MicrosoftStore and burn the ISO image files to a USB drive or CD/DVD via Windows 7 USB DVDdownload tool.
Step 2. Plug the USB drive into your computer.
Step 3. Start your computer and press thecorresponding key to go to BIOS.
Step 4. Set boot priority to your drive in theBoot option.
Step 5. Restart your computer and press any keyto boot from it.
Step 6. Wait for Windows 7 installation files toload.
Step 7. Click Repair yourcomputer in the initial Windows installation screen.
Step 8. Select the operating system in thewindow and click Next.
Step 9. Select Startup Repairin the System Recovery Options and it will automatically start to repair boot sector or MBRin Windows 7. Just wait patiently until the process is completed and clickFinish.
If the startup repair not working inWindows 7, you still can click View advanced options for system recovery and support inthe last page and back to the System Recovery Options page. Then, try command prompt inWindows 7 to repair boot.
Way 2: Windows 7 boot repair from Command Prompt
Step 1. Click Command Prompt inthe System Recovery options
Step 2. Fix MBR in Windows 7. You can type thefollowing command and hit Enter.
bootrec /fixmbr
Note: This command can write a new Windows-compatible MBR basedon the version of your Windows to the boot sector. And it does not overwrite the existingpartition table.
Step 3. Repair boot sector in windows 7. You cantype the command below and hit Enter.
bootrec /fixboot
Note: This command can write a new boot sector to the systempartition. And it does not overwrite the current partition table. If you install multipleoperating systems on this computer, you need to reconfigure the boot options.
Step 4. Fix bootmgr is missing in windows 7 viacommand prompt. You can type the below command and press Enter.
bootrec /scannos
Step 5. Rebuild your BCD and get the missingWindows installations back. You can type the following command and pressEnter to run it.
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Step 6. Rebuild the boot sector for Windows. Youcan type the following command and press Enter to start it.
bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force
Notes: Hard drive cleaner free for mac download unused apps.
The /nt60 parameter applies the master boot code that is compatible with BOOTMGR. The/all argument updates the master boot code on all partitions.
The /force parameter forcibly dismounts the volume(s) during the boot code update sothat the Bootsect.exe tool does not gain exclusive volume access.
Way 3: Repair boot sector in Windows 7
If the bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot doesn’t work, you cantry to restore the boot sector code of your Windows 7 with steps below.
Step 1. Go to Command Prompt inthe System Recovery Options and then type the following commands to find the drive letter ofyour installation media. Just see “Type” column which contains the word “CD-ROM”.
diskpart
select disk 0
list volume
Step 2. Take D: as an example and type commandsbelow. If not, you can replace it.
d:
cd boot
dir
step 3. Type bootsect /nt60 SYS/mbr and hit Enter to restore boot sector code.
Step 4. Remove the installation media andrestart your computer.
Way 4: Rename and rebuild BCD via Command Prompt
If the above command prompt does not work for you, you still cantry to backup and rename BCD first and then rebuild it via CMD.
Step 1. Select Command Promptin the System Recovery Options and type bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backupcommand to create a backup for BCD.
Step 2. Type notepad in thecommand prompt and then click File > Open > Computer, find the fileBCD in the corresponding drive, rename it as BCD.old, and then save the change and exit thiswindow.
Step 3. Type bootrec/rebuildbcd in the command prompt window and input Yes when prompt.
Step 4. Type bcdedit /enum allin the window.
Step 5. Type exit and rebootyour computer.
If you want to rebuild BCD without notepad, you can choose totype the following commands and hit Enter in order.
bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backup
c:
attrib bcd -s -h -r
ren c:bootbcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd
Note: c：refers to the location of your Windows.
Way 5: Windows 7 boot repair without disk
Step 1. Turn on your computer, press and holdthe F8 key to go to the Advanced Boot Options screen, then choose SafeMode with Command Prompt.
Step 2. You can try command prompt for Windowsboot repair above and see if it works.
Extra tips for Windows 7 boot repair
1. Scan the integrity of your file system and hard driveand run Windows startup repair command prompt via chkdsk.
Aside by problem of boot sector itself, the physical problem ofyour hard drive can also damage the boot sector and MBR. Thus, you need to rule out thispossibility.
2. Backup your computer with a free backupsoftware.
No one dares to say that you can recover your computer all thetime. Once the recovery fails, you can only reinstall your computer and all the apps. What'smore, you will lose your files forever. Thus, you need to create a backup for your computeror files. With one or more backup in hand, you can restore it whatever happens. To backupyour computer, you need a proper software. I recommend you the free backupsoftware - AOMEI Backupper Standard.
With this software, you can backupsystem, disk, partition, even a single file. You can use email notification to get toknow whether your backup is completed successfully or not. Also, you can create a Windows 7 schedule backup at an intervaldate, such as daily, weekly, monthly.
And you can manage backup disk space via Backup Scheme. But thisfeature is only available on the paid-version. If you want to free up disk space, you needto upgradeto AOMEI Backupper Professional. If you use server-based computer, you can directly downloadAOMEI Backupper Server edition.
If you want to protect unlimited PCs and servers within yourcompany, you may choose AOMEI BackupperTechnician Plus. It offers unlimited billable technical services to clients. It alsoenables you to copy installation directory for portable version creation.
To backup your computer, you can download the backup software andopen it. Then, click Backup and select the Backup type in the list. At last, follow thecorresponding article to finish the backup.
Download Freeware
Win 10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download
To restore your backup, you can click Restore and complete therest of step via on-screen instructions.
Win 7 Modify Boot Menu
If your computer cannot boot, you can create a bootable media on a working computerand boot the computer having trouble. Also, you can use PXEboot tool to boot the unbootable computer.
Summary
If you receive the above mentioned error message, the boor sectoror MBR may be corrupted or damaged. You can use installation disk to run Startup Repair ordo Windows 7 boot repair via Command Prompt.
If you can repair boot with command prompt in Windows 7, you arevery luck. But, sometime, you will fail to repair startup issue. To ensure the security ofyour data and your computer, you'd better to create a backup in advance. With a backupin hand, you can restore it at any time.
If you have Windows 7 boot problems, the boot sector or masterboot record on your system partition may be damaged, corrupted, or has missing files. Andyou will receive an error message like the following before Windows actually begins toload.
Missing operating system
Reboot and select proper bootdevice
Invalid partition table
Bootmgr is missing
FATAL: No bootable medium found!System halted.
Then, what are the boot sector and master boot recordexactly?
What are the boot sector and master boot record?
The boot sector is a small section at the beginning of a harddrive. It's created when you format the hard drive.
The boot sector contains some code and data that helps BIOS handoff the startup process to Windows. It also hosts the Master Boot Record (MBR), whichcontains the disk signature, partition table for the disk, and a small bit of code calledthe master boot code.
When a PC starts, the BIOS will load the master boot code intothe PC's RAM. Then it will scan the partition table, determine the active partition,load a copy of the boot sector into the PC's RAM, and hand off the startup process.
If you backup MBRin advance, you can use it to restore your computer and make it work as normal. If not, youcan see the next part and learn to repair boot with command prompt in Windows 7.
Five efficient ways to run Windows 7 boot repair
Way 1: Startup Repair with Windows installation media
If your boot sector or MBR runs into problems, you cannot startWindows normally. That's to say, you need a bootable media to boot your computer. Youcan choose to create the Windows installation media or create a repair disk on a workingcomputer.
Start with the detailed steps:
Step 1. Create Windows 7 installation media on aworking computer. You can download ISO image files from MicrosoftStore and burn the ISO image files to a USB drive or CD/DVD via Windows 7 USB DVDdownload tool.
Step 2. Plug the USB drive into your computer.
Step 3. Start your computer and press thecorresponding key to go to BIOS.
Step 4. Set boot priority to your drive in theBoot option.
Step 5. Restart your computer and press any keyto boot from it.
Step 6. Wait for Windows 7 installation files toload.
Step 7. Click Repair yourcomputer in the initial Windows installation screen.
Step 8. Select the operating system in thewindow and click Next.
Step 9. Select Startup Repairin the System Recovery Options and it will automatically start to repair boot sector or MBRin Windows 7. Just wait patiently until the process is completed and clickFinish.
If the startup repair not working inWindows 7, you still can click View advanced options for system recovery and support inthe last page and back to the System Recovery Options page. Then, try command prompt inWindows 7 to repair boot.
Way 2: Windows 7 boot repair from Command Prompt
Step 1. Click Command Prompt inthe System Recovery options
Step 2. Fix MBR in Windows 7. You can type thefollowing command and hit Enter.
bootrec /fixmbr
Note: This command can write a new Windows-compatible MBR basedon the version of your Windows to the boot sector. And it does not overwrite the existingpartition table.
Step 3. Repair boot sector in windows 7. You cantype the command below and hit Enter.
bootrec /fixboot
Windows 7 Boot Manager Editor
Note: This command can write a new boot sector to the systempartition. And it does not overwrite the current partition table. If you install multipleoperating systems on this computer, you need to reconfigure the boot options.
Step 4. Fix bootmgr is missing in windows 7 viacommand prompt. You can type the below command and press Enter.
bootrec /scannos
Step 5. Rebuild your BCD and get the missingWindows installations back. You can type the following command and pressEnter to run it.
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Step 6. Rebuild the boot sector for Windows. Youcan type the following command and press Enter to start it.
bootsect.exe /nt60 all /force
Notes:
The /nt60 parameter applies the master boot code that is compatible with BOOTMGR. The/all argument updates the master boot code on all partitions.
The /force parameter forcibly dismounts the volume(s) during the boot code update sothat the Bootsect.exe tool does not gain exclusive volume access.
Way 3: Repair boot sector in Windows 7
If the bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot doesn’t work, you cantry to restore the boot sector code of your Windows 7 with steps below.
Step 1. Go to Command Prompt inthe System Recovery Options and then type the following commands to find the drive letter ofyour installation media. Just see “Type” column which contains the word “CD-ROM”.
diskpart
select disk 0
list volume
Step 2. Take D: as an example and type commandsbelow. If not, you can replace it.
d:
cd boot
dir
step 3. Type bootsect /nt60 SYS/mbr and hit Enter to restore boot sector code.
Step 4. Remove the installation media andrestart your computer.
Way 4: Rename and rebuild BCD via Command Prompt
If the above command prompt does not work for you, you still cantry to backup and rename BCD first and then rebuild it via CMD.
Step 1. Select Command Promptin the System Recovery Options and type bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backupcommand to create a backup for BCD.
Step 2. Type notepad in thecommand prompt and then click File > Open > Computer, find the fileBCD in the corresponding drive, rename it as BCD.old, and then save the change and exit thiswindow.
Step 3. Type bootrec/rebuildbcd in the command prompt window and input Yes when prompt.
Step 4. Type bcdedit /enum allin the window.
Step 5. Type exit and rebootyour computer.
If you want to rebuild BCD without notepad, you can choose totype the following commands and hit Enter in order.
bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backup
c:
cd boot
attrib bcd -s -h -r
ren c:bootbcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd
Note: c：refers to the location of your Windows.
Way 5: Windows 7 boot repair without disk
Step 1. Turn on your computer, press and holdthe F8 key to go to the Advanced Boot Options screen, then choose SafeMode with Command Prompt.
Step 2. You can try command prompt for Windowsboot repair above and see if it works.
Extra tips for Windows 7 boot repair
1. Scan the integrity of your file system and hard driveand run Windows startup repair command prompt via chkdsk.
Aside by problem of boot sector itself, the physical problem ofyour hard drive can also damage the boot sector and MBR. Thus, you need to rule out thispossibility.
2. Backup your computer with a free backupsoftware.
No one dares to say that you can recover your computer all thetime. Once the recovery fails, you can only reinstall your computer and all the apps. What'smore, you will lose your files forever. Thus, you need to create a backup for your computeror files. With one or more backup in hand, you can restore it whatever happens. To backupyour computer, you need a proper software. I recommend you the free backupsoftware - AOMEI Backupper Standard.
With this software, you can backupsystem, disk, partition, even a single file. You can use email notification to get toknow whether your backup is completed successfully or not. Also, you can create a Windows 7 schedule backup at an intervaldate, such as daily, weekly, monthly.
And you can manage backup disk space via Backup Scheme. But thisfeature is only available on the paid-version. If you want to free up disk space, you needto upgradeto AOMEI Backupper Professional. If you use server-based computer, you can directly downloadAOMEI Backupper Server edition.
If you want to protect unlimited PCs and servers within yourcompany, you may choose AOMEI BackupperTechnician Plus. It offers unlimited billable technical services to clients. It alsoenables you to copy installation directory for portable version creation.
To backup your computer, you can download the backup software andopen it. Then, click Backup and select the Backup type in the list. At last, follow thecorresponding article to finish the backup.
Download Freeware
Win 10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download
Windows 7 Boot Menu Editor
To restore your backup, you can click Restore and complete therest of step via on-screen instructions.
If your computer cannot boot, you can create a bootable media on a working computerand boot the computer having trouble. Also, you can use PXEboot tool to boot the unbootable computer.
Summary
If you receive the above mentioned error message, the boor sectoror MBR may be corrupted or damaged. You can use installation disk to run Startup Repair ordo Windows 7 boot repair via Command Prompt.
Windows 7 Boot Editor
If you can repair boot with command prompt in Windows 7, you arevery luck. But, sometime, you will fail to repair startup issue. To ensure the security ofyour data and your computer, you'd better to create a backup in advance. With a backupin hand, you can restore it at any time.