I recently installed Ubuntu 13.04, and I wish to go back to windows XP. I have all the install files on a USB, but when I go to install it, I get an error that says
bootmgr is missing, press ctrl alt delete to restart
Any help?
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did windows xp option shown on the grub? – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 16:27
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I'm not sure what grub is, i'm not quite educated when it comes to ubuntu – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:28
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when you press the power button(turn on your pc),a list of installed os's will appear.It is called grub menu. – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 16:30
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let me check, one second. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:31
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no, it does not show up there. when i insert my usb to try to install windows xp, it just goes to the screen where i get the error and i have to take it out and restart my computer to get back to ubuntu. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:33
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you already installed windows xp or not. – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 16:34
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no, im trying to install it, but when i try to thats when i get the error – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:34
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You can't install XP via USB. It's not supported for USB installation boot. You'll need to put XP onto a CD or DVD, then follow the installation procedure as normal. – Thomas Ward Dec 08 '13 at 18:32
2 Answers
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--- COMPLETELY EDITED POST following more precise information received about problem
If I understand correctly, after trying Ubuntu, you want to reinstall Windows XP. You were trying to simply copy the contents of the Windows XP Installation medium to a USB drive and got a "BOOTMGR missing" error when trying to start the computer with this USB drive.
My first idea was to replace the boot sector on the USB drive with a Windows XP boot sector, which would try to load NTLDR instead of BOOTMGR. However, this failed to take into account that with either boot sectors (older XP version or updated Vista and newer version) the Windows XP Installation medium is not designed to be started from USB (unlike that of Windows Vista and newer).
From other comments that you made, I seem to understand that you do not own a physical copy of your Windows XP installation medium, but rather have an ISO copy of it.
The logical advice from here is simply to burn your ISO copy to a CD-ROM and to use that disc to start the computer and install Windows XP the way it was designed to be. This solution does not seem to appeal to you. Maybe you don't have a CD-ROM drive or burner in that computer?
Alex
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i'm on ubuntu right now, and i have all the correct install files on my usb. i've been using ubuntu for a couple weeks, and i wish to go back to windows xp, but every time i try to install it over ubuntu and get rid of ubuntu, i get the bootmgr is missing error. so i would need to get the correct partitions? what else could i do? – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:38
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This error message, when do you get it? When trying to start the Windows installation? Or can you install Windows and then you get this message after the installation when it tries to start Windows for the first time? – Alex Dec 08 '13 at 16:39
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i cant install windows at all. right when my computer boots up, it goes to a black screen telling me that im missing the bootmgr, and the only option is to restart and go back to ubuntu – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:40
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Which is probably what the problem is: I imagine Gparted created the partition on your USB drive with the newer version of the NTFS boot sector. Don't you have the original Windows XP CD-ROM to start from? – Alex Dec 08 '13 at 16:41
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no, i do not. how would i be able to get the older boot sectors? is there any possible way? – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:42
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The easiest way is to format your USB drive in another computer running Windows XP. Otherwise, the Windows ADK contains a tool called BOOTSECT.EXE which allows you to change the boot sector (but it seems a bit overkill to download this huge package for just this tiny tool). And again, once you have the correct boot sector, I am not even sure this will allow you to start the Windows XP installation! – Alex Dec 08 '13 at 16:46
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A quick search for "can windows xp cd-rom be copied and started from a usb drive" seems to show that it's not possible. – Alex Dec 08 '13 at 16:51
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Avinash Raj
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i've tried using winusb before, but i still got the same error message after it was done. i'll try it again though and give you the results. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 16:43
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format the usb to fat32 filesystem and then make bootable windows usb through winusb. – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 16:46
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still getting the same error, but it now shows "winusb -- loading" at the top of the blacks screen. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 17:03
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what are the files inside usb?Did you boot from the usb(changing boot-order in bios) – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 17:05
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boot DOCS DOTNETFX I386 OEM $OEM$ SUPPORT VALUEADD AUTORUN.INF README.HTM SETUP.EXE SETUPXP.HTM WIN51 WIN51IP WIN51IP.SP3 – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 17:06
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pls list out the file and folder names in pastebin.com and post the link here. – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 17:07
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now i'm getting an error that says unknown filesystem in the place where the other error was, but the other error is gone. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 18:06
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did you format the usb to fat32 filesystem?.And then follow the multiboot guide. – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 18:07
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i'm pretty sure it isnt corrupted. i did exactly as the guide says, formatted into fat32, then added the iso onto the usb with the program. i start my computer and it instantly goes to a black screen where it says "unknown filesystem" then says something that has to do with grub. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 18:10
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try this http://askubuntu.com/questions/12129/how-to-install-windows-xp-from-ubuntu-via-usb – Avinash Raj Dec 08 '13 at 18:15
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i've already tried that and it still didn't work. looks like im stuck on ubuntu for now :\ thanks for the help though. – user223439 Dec 08 '13 at 18:25