Seagate ST-3160212A

[Dennis J]

I just formatted the above mentioned IDE hard drive and its coming up with the messge BOOT MGR missing. It won't let me install anything on the HDD. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[stickmansam]

By installing anything you mean windows?

 

[MC_K7]

By installing anything you mean windows?

Lol, exactly what I was going to say.

Dennis: You said you formatted. But did you reinstall Windows?

 

[photonboy]

The computer may be trying to boot from a different drive.

Make sure you have NO other drives installed when you install Windows:

1. Shut down the PC.
2. Unhook the data and power cables from all other drives.
3. Install Windows
4. Hook drives backup
5. If error occurs again, boot into your BIOS and change the Boot Order of your hard drives so that the Windows drive is first.

 

[Dennis J]

Lol, exactly what I was going to say.

Dennis: You said you formatted. But did you reinstall Windows?

The drive did not let me reinstall windows. the drive sits there like a rock and does nothing. I've tried to boot using the windows install cd and a bootsable floppy. The rock just stares back at me. I know the boot sequence is right. I've reinstalled the original HDD, and it boot up fine. tis won't even boot into a copy of Wipe Drive.

 

[Dennis J]

The computer may be trying to boot from a different drive.

Make sure you have NO other drives installed when you install Windows:

1. Shut down the PC.
2. Unhook the data and power cables from all other drives.
3. Install Windows
4. Hook drives backup
5. If error occurs again, boot into your BIOS and change the Boot Order of your hard drives so that the Windows drive is first.

Can't reistall windows. Anything typed into the computer comes up with the boot mgr missing message. Did everything you suggested. when I reinstalled the original HDD, everything works.

 

[photonboy]

I'm a little confused here... please verify this:

1) You are trying to install a newer copy of Windows to a PATA (not SATA) drive?

2) You already have an (older?) version of Windows working on a PATA (or SATA?) drive?

3) When you attempt to install an OFFICIAL copy of Windows to the PATA drive is it saying "BOOT MGR MISSING" still or does it do NOTHING (the rock just stares back at me)?

4) Does the motherboard have any SATA connectors?

5) What version of Windows are you installing? (i.e. Windows 7 64-bit)

6) Is your CPU 64-bit compatible?

I feel like I'm missing something in your description because if the ONLY hard drive in your system is FORMATTED then I can't understand how it would say "Boot Mgr Missing."

 

[Dennis J]

I'm a little confused here... please verify this:

1) You are trying to install a newer copy of Windows to a PATA (not SATA) drive?

2) You already have an (older?) version of Windows working on a PATA (or SATA?) drive?

3) When you attempt to install an OFFICIAL copy of Windows to the PATA drive is it saying "BOOT MGR MISSING" still or does it do NOTHING (the rock just stares back at me)?

4) Does the motherboard have any SATA connectors?

5) What version of Windows are you installing? (i.e. Windows 7 64-bit)

6) Is your CPU 64-bit compatible?

I feel like I'm missing something in your description because if the ONLY hard drive in your system is FORMATTED then I can't understand how it would say "Boot Mgr Missing."

Thank you for the response. I've actually resolved the problem this way: Nothing I tried worked. So I opened my vault of dead and forgottem programs and found a copy of MS DOS 6.22 on floppies. I forced the PC to boot from the floppies, and it took the DOS program. I then forced it to boot from the CD drive and it took the Windows installation CD that came with the the computer. I then set it to boot from the HDD and it appears to work as required. Microsoft has brainwashed people as regards to its operating systems. Look deep, DOS is at the foundation of all of it.

Thaks again.

 

[photonboy]

Thank you for the response. I've actually resolved the problem this way: Nothing I tried worked. So I opened my vault of dead and forgottem programs and found a copy of MS DOS 6.22 on floppies. I forced the PC to boot from the floppies, and it took the DOS program. I then forced it to boot from the CD drive and it took the Windows installation CD that came with the the computer. I then set it to boot from the HDD and it appears to work as required. Microsoft has brainwashed people as regards to its operating systems. Look deep, DOS is at the foundation of all of it.

Thaks again.

As long as you're sorted out.

*For FUTURE REFERENCE, a little more detail about the problem would have helped. Specifically:
- Windows version, and
- Motherboard model.

*Get in the habit of making periodic IMAGE BACKUPS of your C-Drive as well. I use Acronis True Image 2013. There's a free version for some WD/Seagate drives and there may be other free software as well.

DOS:
It's not a big deal, but I don't get what you mean by "brainwashing." The major architectural changes made from DOS up to Windows 8 are well known.

DOS is actually run in emulation now, it is not the "core" of Windows nor even used except in rare cases like yours. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOS#DOS_under_OS.2F2_and_Windows

*DOS is emulation-only from Windows 2000 and XP forward.

DOS was originally the Operating System in entirety (Disk Operating System), then a GUI was overlain with mouse support etc, but eventually Windows evolved and DOS itself was replaced with newer code. It exists now on individual discs and as an emulation program within Windows just for legacy usage with older hardware but it is NOT the core of Windows.

 

[photonboy]

Update:
Do you have Windows 98?

Windows used to require an MS-DOS boot disk used to be required because the DVD's themselves weren't bootable.

 

[Dennis J]

I do have a Win 98 start-up disk, but it didn't work. This problem started after my stepson gave up his old machine and I wanted to clean out the hdd.

After the drive was formatted, it somehow lost the file called BOOT MGR. Nothing would boot the hdd. I even tried the XP start-up disk, but I couldn't access the hdd. In desperation, I tried loading the DOS 6.22 disks I had in my vault, and it took. From there on, I was able to use use the XP installation disk that came with the computer. It's an older DELL B110, I want to use it as a utility machine. I'm glad I kept those disks.

Thanks

 

[photonboy]

I do have a Win 98 start-up disk, but it didn't work. This problem started after my stepson gave up his old machine and I wanted to clean out the hdd.

After the drive was formatted, it somehow lost the file called BOOT MGR. Nothing would boot the hdd. I even tried the XP start-up disk, but I couldn't access the hdd. In desperation, I tried loading the DOS 6.22 disks I had in my vault, and it took. From there on, I was able to use use the XP installation disk that came with the computer. It's an older DELL B110, I want to use it as a utility machine. I'm glad I kept those disks.

Thanks

Be sure to create a BACKUP IMAGE of your Windows (C-Drive usually) to a physically separate hard drive if you would like to RESTORE in case the main drive physically dies or gets corrupted.

I have no idea why you couldn't just boot the XP install disc but as long as it works...

*Make sure your DEVICE DRIVERS are up to date:
1) Try the DELL SUPPORT CENTER software to auto-install if possible
2) type in the Dell Service Code into Dell to take you to the software support page.
3) Try the Intel site to auto-scan your system and recommend updates

You may need only #1 or all three for the best results. Do in ORDER.

 

[Dennis J]

Thank you. All issues have been resolved.

Dennis J