"BOOTMGR is missing" - new HD VAIO laptop

[bruce845]

Hi. I installed an ebay hard drive into a VAIO laptop (VGN-N365E) and cannot get the XP disk to boot. I get the VAIO screen and then a message reading "BOOTMGR is missing". I can get to the BIOS menu. The optical drive is the first in the boot order. The seller tells me the drive was "wiped and formated NTFS". I have am not receiving any message to hit F2 or any other key to boot from the CD drive. I have tried several function keys, DEL and Esc in the process of trying to get this thing to boot. The CD drive is spinning. I have used this disk several times before to reformat other machines. I tried a Win7 disk with the same unfortunate luck. Any ideas? Thanks. - Bruce

 

[major-error]

boot device menus tend to be either F10 or F12

 

[bruce845]

Thanks. I don't have a problem getting to my bios (boot sequence). The laptop will not boot from CD because it claims the boot manager is missing.

 

[Manjunath CV]

Better check your Windows XP Disc.
If its works well
Try from booting USB thumb drives..

 

[major-error]

also, if it boots on another drive, try using a cleaning (one w/brushes) CD on the problematic system

 

[bruce845]

Best answer selected by bruce845.

 

[bruce845]

I tried the win7 disk again and hit F10 at power-up and it booted from the disk. thanks to everyone for your responses.