Automated Startup Repair fails. Cannot find OS Loader.

Anonymous
2009-11-02T14:44:48+00:00

On installation of 'Windows 7', after installing needed drivers, some of which were designed for XP or Vista, on a Toshiba Portege M200 (Tablet PC from 2003) and Windows 7 automatically downloading and installing updates:

Windows 7 can't boot.

It goes directly to the Automated System Recovery and no matter which option I choose it fails to fix the problem.

  1. Sometimes it says it did fix the problem and didn't.
  2. Sometimes it says it failed to fixed the problem and in those cases the Diagnosis and Repair details says as:

Root cause found:

Boot manager failed to find OS loader.

Repair action: File Repair

Result: Failed. Error code = 0x490

Time Taken = 4767 ms

Repair action: Boot configuration data store repair

Result: Failed. Error code = 0x490

Time Taken = 150ms

Repair action: System Restore

Result: Failed. Error code = 0x1f

Time taken = 68489 ms

What is the cause of this? And how do I fix it?

The harddrive is brand new and a full memory check said the RAM was good.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2010-09-23T12:15:39+00:00

I had the same problem on one of our laptops.  This has 2GB of memory so it appears to be related to that and Windows updates.  I did the following from the following Microsoft article which resolved the issue for me http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392/en-gb.

To run the Bootrec.exe tool, you must start Windows RE. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Put the Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
  2. Press a key when you are prompted.
  3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then clickNext.
  4. Click Repair your computer.
  5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
  6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
  7. Type Bootrec.exe, and then press ENTER.

Note To start the computer from the Windows Vista or Windows 7 DVD, the computer must be configured to start from the DVD drive. For more information about how to configure the computer to start from the DVD drive, see the documentation that is included with the computer or contact the computer manufacturer.

!\[\](http://support.microsoft.com/library/images/support/kbgraphics/public/en-us/uparrow.gif)Back to the top

Bootrec.exe options The Bootrec.exe tool supports the following options. Use the option that is appropriate for your situation.

NoteIf rebuilding the BCD does not resolve the startup issue, you can export and delete the BCD, and then run this option again. By doing this, you make sure that the BCD is completely rebuilt. To do this, type the following commands at the Windows RE command prompt:

  • bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
  • c:
  • cd boot
  • attrib bcd -s -h -r
  • ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
  • bootrec /RebuildBcd

/FixMbr The /FixMbr option writes a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-compatible MBR to the system partition. This option does not overwrite the existing partition table. Use this option when you must resolve MBR corruption issues, or when you have to remove non-standard code from the MBR. /FixBoot The /FixBoot option writes a new boot sector to the system partition by using a boot sector that is compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Use this option if one of the following conditions is true:

  • The boot sector has been replaced with a non-standard Windows Vista or Windows 7 boot sector.
  • The boot sector is damaged.
  • An earlier Windows operating system has been installed after Windows Vista or Windows 7 was installed. In this scenario, the computer starts by using Windows NT Loader (NTLDR) instead of Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr.exe).

/ScanOs The /ScanOs option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Additionally, this option displays the entries that are currently not in the BCD store. Use this option when there are Windows Vista or Windows 7 installations that the Boot Manager menu does not list. /RebuildBcd

The /RebuildBcd option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Additionally, this option lets you select the installations that you want to add to the BCD store. Use this option when you must completely rebuild the BCD.

After following the above i then ran the following from command prompt:

bootrec /fixmbr

then

bootrec /fixboot

This resolved the issue for me and allowed me to log on to the PC in its previous working state.  Great stuff.

Hope this works for you!

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  1. Anonymous
    2009-11-30T15:39:04+00:00

    FIFTH TIME.  And this is after a clean installation of Windows 7 Enterprise Edition.  I installed the following software:

    Visual Studio Team System 2008 + MSDN

    Office Professional 2007

    Visio Professional 2007

    Project Professional 2007

    TortoiseSVN

    AnkhSVN

    I then rebooted (which went fine), and it started installing Windows updates.  It installed 25 updates, and then failed to boot.  Startup repair did nothing helpful, as usual.

    What's going on?

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  2. Anonymous
    2009-12-03T18:35:36+00:00

    Hi David Turner,

    If the issue resumed after the updates were installed, then the problem points to an update.  Perform a System Restore to a point prior to the updates and install the updates manually to isolate the update that is causing the issue. 

    Let us know if this helped.

    Dena

    Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

    Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  3. Anonymous
    2009-12-05T08:32:10+00:00

    Hi Dena

    Thanks for your reply.

    I think the Windows Update was coincidental; it was just the reboot, nothing to do with the updates themselves.  System Restore doesn't fix the system once it hits the missing-OS-loader problem.  However I have isolated another factor: these problems only started when I set up an automatic backup and system image on my external 2TB hard drive.  In fact the first time it happened was precisely three days after the first system image I created.

    I have switched to another PC, and I'm letting the problematic laptop carry on on Windows 7.  On Tuesday, I got a blue screen when I plugged in the 2TB drive (I wish I had written down the stop condition, it was something like RDR_FILESYS).  So I've decided to see what happens if I refrain from connecting the hard drive (or any USB storage).  So far it hasn't had a problem, and I've rebooted it several times to test (once after installing an update).

    I can't think of any obvious reasons why plugging in an external hard drive would corrupt the boot files, apart from a virus - and I do have ESET's antivirus software installed, so a virus seems unlikely (plus the files are not writable by my user account

    • UAC is on).

    If you can suggest any tests I can perform, I'm happy to do them and the laptop in question is now not my primary machine, so I can experiment.  I'd like to help solve this problem, as I really like Windows 7 - when it works.

    Regards

    David Turner

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  4. Anonymous
    2009-12-08T14:56:24+00:00

    Sixth time.  This time no updates, and I haven't plugged in any USB devices since the last occurrence.  Nor have I installed any software, or done anything to the machine apart from shut it down periodically.  Whatever is happening is something Windows is doing all by itself.  I'd like to know what.

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