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Author Topic: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)  (Read 11998 times)

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naomik

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Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« on: April 11, 2012, 07:49:08 PM »
This is a brand-new computer with all brand-new components. There is no existing software or data on the system that I need to worry about. My one major goal is to have both Windows 7 and OSX on their own (separate) hard drives.

Here's what I've done:

1. Fresh install Windows 7 on hdd1 (GUI partition table)
2. Fresh install OS X 10.7.3 + Multibeast 4.3.1 + Chimera 1.9.1 on hdd2 (GUI partition table)

I've currently set hdd2 to be the first boot device and Chimera boot loader launches just fine. When Chimera loads, I press any key to get a list of two (2) bootable options: OSX and Windows. Chimera can load OSX perfectly, however, if I choose Windows, I get the famous BOOTMGR is missing error.

My motherboard (Asus P8Z68-V Pro Gen III) gives me the option to choose "Windows Boot Manager" as one of the bootable devices. To my understanding, this is different than just targeting hdd1 as the bootable device. I am assuming this is the special Windows System Reserved partition for EFI booting. If I choose this as the first boot device, Windows 7 loads just fine.

I did some reading and it seems as though Chimera is targeting the partition on hdd1 where Windows 7 is actually installed. However, Chimera needs to target the Windows System Reserved partition in order for it to boot correctly.

My questions are these:

1. Can I configure Chimera to list the Windows 7 System Reserved partition as a boot option?

2. If Chimera can't handle this, will installing Chameleon fix my problem?

3. If Chameleon doesn't work, how can I uninstall it and revert to Chimera?

Blackosx

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2012, 09:32:37 PM »
Hi naomik

Welcome to the forum.

When you install Windows 7 to a fresh drive, by default, the windows installer will create the System Reserved partition and this is also where it installs the Windows boot code. So if you have a System Reserved partition then you are in correct that you will need to select the System Reserved partition from Chameleon's GUI in order to boot Windows 7.

If you want to be able to boot the Windows 7 partition directly from Chameleon then you will need to install Windows 7 without letting it create the System Reserved partition. This has been discussed a few times already here and elsewhere on the internet. A quick search should help you.

Chameleon however should still present the System Reserved partition in the GUI, and by using Chameleon's boot options you should be able to hide/rename selected partitions of your choice so when they show in the GUI you only see the System Reserved partition but renamed Windows.

Right now though, I have little time and have to dash out, so have a quick read of these two topics to see if they give you more info. And you may well find more topics here in this forum if you have a look around.
http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php?topic=1929.0
http://forum.voodooprojects.org/index.php?topic=1261.0

If nobody else has chipped in and helped by the next time I log in then I'll try to help you more.

Happy reading :)
10.10.5 / 10.11 GM1 | Asus Maximum IV Gene-Z | i7-2600 3.40GHz | 4GB | Radeon 5770 1GB

naomik

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2012, 09:58:30 PM »

If you want to be able to boot the Windows 7 partition directly from Chameleon then you will need to install Windows 7 without letting it create the System Reserved partition.

If I am forced to reinstall Windows, here's the procedure I'm thinking might work:

1. Begin fresh install of windows
2. Using Windows Installer, completely erase all partitions on my drive
3. Create a main partition on the drive; Windows will automatically create EFI and System Reserved partitions
4. Delete System Reserved partition and main partition (leave EFI partition in tact)
5. Create a new main partition
6. Format main partition as NTFS
7. Install on main partition

Do you think this will work? 

Chameleon however should still present the System Reserved partition in the GUI, and by using Chameleon's boot options you should be able to hide/rename selected partitions of your choice so when they show in the GUI you only see the System Reserved partition but renamed Windows

This would be ideal as a reinstall would not be necessary.  Are you saying that Chameleon should list the System Reserved partition even though Chimera doesn't list it?  If that's the case, I will gladly install the Chameleon boot loader and just be done with this headache  ;D

dmazar

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2012, 10:02:43 PM »
Blackosx, naomik's problem is that he wants to boot UEFI installed Win7 with Chameleon. And this is not possible.

naomik: Chimera = Chameleon so installing Chameleon will not help.

UEFI installed windows have only UEFI booter on disk's EFI partition, while Chameleon needs old partition windows booter. This later one is not installed, so "BOOTMGR is missing error" is displayed.

your possible solutions are:
1. reinstall Windows, but this time on MBR disk (BIOS install, not UEFI) and you will be able to boot Win from Chameleon/Chimera
or
2. leave it as is and boot Windows with "Windows Boot Manager"

Blackosx

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2012, 08:25:16 AM »
Blackosx, naomik's problem is that he wants to boot UEFI installed Win7 with Chameleon. And this is not possible.
Thanks for catching that and jumping in (again) dmazar :).
Although I have done some reading on the subject, I've yet to use one of these UEFI based boards so I guess that's why I completely missed that here.

1. reinstall Windows, but this time on MBR disk (BIOS install, not UEFI) and you will be able to boot Win from Chameleon/Chimera
or
2. leave it as is and boot Windows with "Windows Boot Manager"
I think I would choose option 2.

@naomik - Sorry for any confusion.
And as dmazar has already said, Chimera is just a Chameleon branch only renamed to make it seem 'special'. Where as IMHO this renaming has left many users thinking they are different bootloaders.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2012, 08:45:42 AM by Blackosx »
10.10.5 / 10.11 GM1 | Asus Maximum IV Gene-Z | i7-2600 3.40GHz | 4GB | Radeon 5770 1GB

dwme

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2012, 01:06:27 PM »
Blackosx, naomik's problem is that he wants to boot UEFI installed Win7 with Chameleon. And this is not possible.

naomik: Chimera = Chameleon so installing Chameleon will not help.

UEFI installed windows have only UEFI booter on disk's EFI partition, while Chameleon needs old partition windows booter. This later one is not installed, so "BOOTMGR is missing error" is displayed.

your possible solutions are:
1. reinstall Windows, but this time on MBR disk (BIOS install, not UEFI) and you will be able to boot Win from Chameleon/Chimera
or

2. leave it as is and boot Windows with "Windows Boot Manager"



I have same problem as naomik

I have all OSX WIN7 and UBUNTU all installed I can boot into all of them.

However WIN7 only through "Windows Boot manager " (No other OS's)
Ubuntu and OSX through USB Chimera bootloader (win7 reports bootmanager missing)

I have tried to install both EASYBCD and Chimera to HD both FAIL

Surely there is a way to have a bootmanager on my HD to boot into ALL three OS's

dmazar

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Re: Will Chameleon fix my Chimera problem? (BOOTMGR is missing)
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2012, 11:44:56 PM »
Since you have "Windows Boot manager" I assume this is UEFI installed Windows and you have UEFI mono?
If yes, then maybe Clover can "boot" them in UEF mode.

Your options: UEFI Win, UEFI Ubuntu and OSX + boot manager Clover.
Or: BIOS installed Win, BIOS Ubuntu, OSX + bootloader Chameleon.
« Last Edit: November 09, 2012, 11:47:04 PM by dmazar »