Submit an edit

Get the fix for the error <strong>Bootmgr is corrupt </strong>on <strong>Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10.</strong>
<h2>About "Bootmgr is corrupt"</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 corrupt" 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 damaged, then the boot process halts and the “BOOTMGR is corrupt” error screen appears.

<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/06/BOOTMGR-is-corrupt.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4362" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/06/BOOTMGR-is-corrupt.png" alt="BOOTMGR is corrupt error screen" width="720" height="400" /></a>
<pre>BOOTMGR image is corrupt
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart</pre>
<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 corrupt</span></h4>
The BOOTMGR file is a vital part of booting process on newer Windows systems. It may become corrupt due to power outages, disk write errors, viruses or user errors, and if it does, then the system is unable to boot properly.
<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 corrupt 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 or missing.

[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> Corrupt bootmgr fixed by Startup Repair[/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 corrupt 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"]