The BOOTMGR is responsible for starting your Windows 10/8/7/Vista PC; if it fails, you will see the “BOOTMGR image is corrupted system cannot boot” error on the screen. But no worries! As one of the Windows users who suffer from the same problem and after trying various methods provided online, I fix this issue by myself! For your choice, I will provided more fixes in the following, hope you can handle it too.
What is BOOTMGR?
Symptoms of BOOTMGR Image is Corrupted the System cannot Boot
Proven Fixes for BOOTMGR Image is Corrupted:
- Fix 1: Rebuild BOOTMGR with PassFab FixUWin
- Fix 2: Repair BOOTMGR Manually
- Fix 3: Perform Startup Repair
- Fix 4: Run bootrec.exe in Command Prompt
- Fix 5: Perform System Restore
- Fix 6: Reinstall Windows
FAQs
What is BOOTMGR?
BOOTMGR stands for Windows Boot Manager, a small software responsible for loading the operating system and startup the computer. It is either stored on the system or the boot partition.
If your system has more than one operating system, you must choose which one to load. However, sometimes when you start your computer, you see an error message stating, “BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot.”
This error is triggered due to many factors, such as:
- Corrupted or damaged system files
- Outdated BIOS
- Misconfigured BIOS settings
- Damaged Hard drive
- Pending Windows updates
- Faulty RAM or CMOS battery
Whatever the reason, you can always fix the BOOTMGR image is corrupted error on your own by applying some fixes.
Symptoms of BOOTMGR Image is Corrupted the System cannot Boot
When you start your computer, the BIOS requests the correct bootable hard drive, and a special code is activated and stored in MBR. As a result, the boot sector with BOOTMGR is loaded, and your computer starts up.
However, if the boot sector detects a problem with the BOOTMGR image, you see “BOOTMGR image is corrupt. The system cannot boot” printed on a black screen as follows:
Proven Fixes for BOOTMGR Image is Corrupted
Here are 6 best fixes to resolve the BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot win7 error:
Fix 1: Rebuild BOOTMGR with PassFab FixUWin
PassFab FixUWin is a Windows repair tool that provides a simple and efficient way to fix 200+ Windows errors like blue/black screen, PC crashing, restart loop, etc. This program automatically scans your system to identify the issue and resolves it. It also lets you create a recovery disk even if you cannot access your PC. Therefore, this tool comes in handy when BOOTMGR is missing.
Step 1. Download, install, and launch PassFab FixUWin on a working PC.
Step 2. Plug in a USB/CD/DVD and click “Create boot disk now.”
Step 3. Select your USB and click Next to burn bootable instructions.
Wait for the repair disk to be created and switch to the problematic system afterward.
Step 4. Reboot the system with bootable USB plugged into it and press the boot key upon startup.
Step 5. Set the USB on boot priority, save settings, and exit the boot menu.
Step 6. Click Automated repair when you see PassFab’s interface.
Step 7. Choose the disk partition to repair and click Start repair.
The process will be complete in some time, so wait patiently. The more data you have on the selected partition, the more time it will take.
Step 8. Click the Restart button to reboot the system normally.
When your computer restarts, it will no longer show BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot.
Fix 2: Repair BOOTMGR Manually
If you do not want to use third-party software to fix BOOTMGR is missing error, you can try repairing it manually as follows:
Note: You will need Windows Installation Media to follow this method.
Step 1. Boot your computer through Windows Installation Media.
Step 2. Select your Language and keyboard preferences and click Next.
Step 3. Click Repair your computer link on the next screen.
Step 4. Select the drive where the Windows is installed (Usually C drive) and click Next.
Step 5. Under Recovery Options, select Command Prompt.
Step 6. Type “bcdboot C:\Windows /s D:\”, hit Enter.
Fix 3: Perform Startup Repair
When rebuilding the BOOTMGR does not resolve the BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot usb error, you can try the Startup Repair utility built into Windows to fix startup issues.
Step 1. Boot your computer with a bootable device, select language and keyboard preferences, and click Next.
Step 2. Click Repair your computer on the lower-left corner.
Step 3. Choose your OS.
Step 4. Click Troubleshoot ——>Advanced Options ——>Startup Repair.
Step 5. Choose your user account, enter your password, and click Continue.
Step 6. Wait for the Startup Repair to scan, detect and fix the BOOTMGR.
Once the process completes, your computer will restart automatically.
Fix 4: Run bootrec.exe in Command Prompt
Once you fail to resolve the missing BOOTMGR file through startup repair, the next thing to try is running the bootrec.exe command in the command prompt. It is a built-in utility to troubleshoot and repair MBR, Boot Sector or BCD store and BOOTMGR image:
Step 1. Boot the system through installation media and choose preferred options.
Step 2. Click Repair your computer link and choose your operating system.
Step 3. Navigate through Troubleshoot ——> Advanced Options ——> Command Prompt.
Step 4. Type bootrec.exe and hit Enter to see the available options.
You will now see the following options:
- bootrec /fixmbr Writes Windows 7/Vista compatible MBR in the same partition.
- bootrec /fixboot Creates a new boot sector in the system partition
- bootrec /scanOS Scans the hard drive for installations
- bootrec /rebuiltBCD Recreates the BCD file.
Step 5. Enter the most relevant command and hit Enter.
Step 6. Exit the Command Prompt once the command completes and restart your computer.
Fix 5: Perform System Restore
Bootrec.exe usually resolves Windows boot issues, but if you still face BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot Windows 10 usb error, so try performing a system restore.
This fix may work if the problem occurs after you install a new program or Windows update. Please note that this is applicable only if you have a restore point.
Step 1. Boot the computer through the installation disk, choose the language and keyboard layout, and click Next.
Step 2. Click Repair your computer, and choose your OS.
Step 3. Choose Troubleshoot ——>Advanced Options ——>System Restore.
Step 4. Enter your password to confirm the action and click Continue.
Step 4. Choose a Restore point and hit Next.
Step 5. Click Next ——> Finish to start restoring process.
Fix 6: Reinstall Windows
If none of the above solutions worked for you, the last option is reinstalling Windows. All the changes you might have made will be removed when you reinstall Windows. However, the problem will be fixed.
Here is how to reinstall Windows most simply:
Step 1. Boot the PC with the installation USB, choose preferred options, and click Repair your computer link.
Step 2. Choose Troubleshoot ——> Reset this PC.
Step 3. Choose Keep my files to keep your data intact.
Step 4. The system will display a list of programs that will be removed during reset. Click the Reset button to proceed with reinstallation.
When the reset completes, you will have a fresh copy of Windows on your computer, and you will not face the BOOTMGR image is corrupted the system cannot boot error.
FAQs
1. How do I recover a missing BOOTMGR file?
A missing BOOTMGR file can be recovered using startup repair, running commands in Command Prompt, performing a system restore, etc. All of these methods have been discussed in the above sections.
2. How to fix BOOTMGR is missing?
Fixing BOOTMGR is missing error requires performing advanced troubleshooting using Windows installation media. You can try to use Passfab FixUWin to rebuild BOOTMGR, or repair bootmgr manually. You can also try perform startup repair, run command prompt, use system restore or reinstall Windows.
Conclusion
The BOOTMGR image is corrupted error can occur anywhere, any time. In this article, we have discussed what this error is and how to fix BOOTMGR image is corrupted system cannot boot Windows 10/7. Out of all the proposed methods, we recommend using PassFab FixUWin for easiest method with highest success rate in fixing Windows errors.