Defraggler deleted my bootmgr file

[Spitt]

I defragmented my hard drive earlier today, and thinking it would work as great as it did my first drive, I used it on my second. Unfortunately, defraggler decided that it needed to delete my bootmgr file on the second drive. This means the Bios can find it fine, but the OS (32bit Win Vista), can't.

 

I have tried to find a tool to get that file back on there, so far to no avail. I tried Paragon's System Rcovery - it freezes the screen. I left it trying to determine my HDD status for 1 hour.

I tried running system recovery, that only brought back a restore point which didn't fix the issue.

I tried a system backup/restore software... which was no help.

 

I have 2 solutions left which is to load up Ubuntu and hope it can see the drive and a second system recovery software which keeps a copy of bootmgr on it, in case of an error like this.

 

However the underlying problem is still here... Defraggler deleted my bootmgr file.

 

I did run one tool before Defraggler btw, but it was CCleaner. I already restored the registry though.

 

I really don't want to reformat - assuming I can even do that. Any other suggestions?

 

 

 

Defraggler 1.18

[real_decimic]

Do you have a Vista disc? If so, you can boot from the CD.

 

To Repair or Fix a broken Vista MBR:

 

To Restore Vista MBR, please use the following simple solution.

 

1. Start your computer from the Windows Vista Installation DVD

2. Press a key when prompted to continue

3. Choose your language, time, keyboard and click Next:

4. Next, click "Repair your Computer":

5. Now, from the System Recovery Options dialog, select the "Operating System" you want to repair, then click Next:

6. From the "Choose a Recovery Tool" dialog menu, select "Command Prompt":

7. Type the following into the "Command Prompt Window":

bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /fixboot

8. Remove the Vista Installation DVD and restart your PC.

9. If all goes well, this process should have enabled you to restore your Vista MBR and you should now be able to boot back into your Windows Vista Operating system.

 

Or, try reading this if the above doesn't solve the problem.

 

Also, I read in other places that EasyBCD has an option to repair the bootloader.

[redhawk]

Defraggler doesn't delete files it uses the Windows API to defrag so the booting problem was caused by something else.

 

You say Bootmgr is missing, have you checked or does Windows throw some error message regarding this file??

 

Have you tried chkdsk yet, a corrupted file system can make files unreadable??

 

If you need a bootable Windows CD to access your files or to run chkdsk then try Hiren's Tools (Mini XP).

 

Richard S.

[DennisD]

Hi Spitt, and welcome to Piriform.

 

I've never had cause thankfully to use this small utility, but Roadkil's Boot Builder may be of some use here.

 

Boot builder allows you to create your own custom boot sector from scratch. This utility allows you to recreate or restore boot sectors lost due to virus or other damage to a drive. Boot sectors can be imported/exported to a disk or created from a template. This program supports FAT and NTFS boot sector types.

 

Roadkil's Boot Builder:

 

And although small, there is a forum where the developer himself answers queries.

 

http://forums.roadkil.net/