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Original post : BOOTMGR is compressed: Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.
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Get the fix for the error <strong>Bootmgr is compressed</strong> on <strong>Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, </strong>or<strong> Windows 10.</strong> <h2>About "Bootmgr is compressed"</h2> [kbintro] <h3><span id="Description_and_Symptoms">Description and Symptoms</span></h3> The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error. <h3>Symptom 1: "Bootmgr is compressed" error screen on startup</h3> When a computer is turned on, the BIOS picks an eligible, bootable hard drive and then calls code stored in the MBR at the start of that hard drive. That MBR code in turn loads the bootsector from the active partition. On newer systems, this bootsector code is tasked with loading the BOOTMGR file, which is used to load the operating system kernel and start up Windows. This file is usually located in the root directory of the active partition on the first boot drive. However, if the bootsector detects that the BOOTMGR file is compressed using built-in Windows file compression, then the boot process halts and the “BOOTMGR is compressed” error screen appears. <a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/bootmgr-is-compressed.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4350 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/bootmgr-is-compressed.png" alt="BOOTMGR is compressed error screen" width="720" height="400" /></a> <pre>BOOTMGR is compressed Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart</pre> <h3>Other Known Variants</h3> Due to a bug in Microsoft's filesystem compression code, the filename that presents can be something else. It's been noted to present as any of the following: <ul> <li>QXHDK is compressed. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.</li> <li>PJBIH is compressed. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.</li> <li>DFJEU is compressed. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.</li> <li>VUFEI is compressed. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.</li> <li>DGKAR is compressed. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.</li> </ul> <h2>Causes of this Error</h2> This error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes: <h4><span id="Cause_1NTLDR_is_compressed">Cause 1: BOOTMGR is compressed</span></h4> File compression is a feature that allows the user to decrease size of files, folders, and programs, and reduce the amount of space they use on the hard drives. However, since the system bootsector code lacks the ability to decompress files by itself, the BOOTMGR file, which is a key part of booting process, should not be compressed. <h2><span id="Fixing_8220NTLDR_is_missing8221_on_Windows">Fixing "BOOTMGR is corrupt" on Windows</span></h2> [setupcd] <h3><span id="Fix_1_Rebuild_NTLDR_via_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Rebuild BOOTMGR via Easy Recovery Essentials</span></h3> <div class="content dynamic_content_max_width"><span class="message_body">Easy Recovery Essentials’ one-click automated system repair corrects issues caused by compressed BOOTMGR bootloader files by recreating them from scratch on the active bootable partition. This is done automatically as part of the automated repair process, and requires no manual action or user intervention. </span></div> <div class="content dynamic_content_max_width"> [easyre guaranteed="true" error="Bootmgr is corrupt" bootscreen="vista-7-8-10"]</div> <h3>Fix #2: <span id="Fix_4_Use_Startup_Repair_to_attempt_HAL_replacement">Use Startup Repair to repair BOOTMGR</span></h3> On Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, Startup Repair can be used to scan the system for damaged or missing system files to replace the BOOTMGR file if it is corrupt, missing or compressed. [setupcd] [partial name="partial_startup_repair"] Here is an example of what the PC’s startup repair should look like once the BOOTMGR file is properly restored: [caption id="attachment_4353" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Compressed-bootmgr-fixed.png"><img class="wp-image-4353 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Compressed-bootmgr-fixed.png" alt="Compressed bootmgr fixed" width="800" height="600" /></a> Compressed bootmgr fixed by Startup Repair[/caption] <h3>Fix #2: Uncheck "Compress this drive"</h3> Since this error is often caused by a compressed hard drive, it is possible to fix it by disabling data compression. Here are the steps to uncheck the "Compress this drive to save space" option that's currently applied to the hard disk. <ol> <li>Boot from the installation DVD</li> <li>Click on <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li> <li>Next select the Operating System</li> <li>Click on <strong>Load Drives</strong></li> <li>Browse to the boot drive, <code>C:</code> (in our case here)</li> <li>Right click on <code>C:</code> and select <strong>Properties</strong></li> <li>Go to <strong>Advanced</strong> tab</li> <li>Uncheck this option: <strong>Compress this drive to save space</strong></li> <li>Restart your computer</li> </ol> Here is an example of what the PC’s screen should look like once the hard drive properties window is opened: [caption id="attachment_4354" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinRE-disable-compression.png"><img class="wp-image-4354 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinRE-disable-compression.png" alt="Hard drive compression option screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Hard drive compression option screen[/caption] <h3>Fix #3: Update BOOTMGR manually</h3> <span style="font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.5">Since the boot error is often caused by a compressed BOOTMGR, replacing it with the correct version is often a good and effective solution.</span> Here are the steps to replace the BOOTMGR: <ol> <li>Boot from the Windows install disc</li> <li>Click on <strong>Repair your computer</strong> after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input.</li> <li>Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually <code>C:\</code>, and click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Choose "Command Prompt" when the System Recovery Options box appears</li> <li>Type in the following command and then press <kbd>Enter</kbd>: <pre>bcdboot C:\Windows /s D:\</pre> Where C:\Windows is a Windows installation folder and D:\ is an active boot partition.</li> </ol> Here is an example screenshot of what the PC's console output should look like after the BOOTMGR is updated correctly: [caption id="attachment_4103" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/05/Win7_BcdBoot.png"><img class="wp-image-4103 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/05/Win7_BcdBoot.png" alt="Windows 7 BcdBoot utility screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Windows 7 BcdBoot utility screen[/caption] <h2>More Information</h2> <h3>Linked Entries</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/bootrec/">Bootrec</a></li> <li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/fix-mbr/">Fix MBR</a></li> </ul> [partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,10"]