I keep getting the 'Bootmgr missing'-error. I tried everything.

Manual Boot Camp pdf: Step #1: Backup your system before you begin

http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp

Time to nuke it all

Trouble is partition table

You should be able to boot from Windows 7 DVD

Try holding down mouse button

Timing for when to hit the Option/Alt button is very critical and important too.

Did you get anywhere with this, ikeaheerlen?

I am having the same sort problem (although my keyboard is recognized so I'm much further along than you).

I had a MacBook Pro with an XP SP3 partition and a Windows 7 partition on it.

I switched to a Mac Pro and wanted to migrate them over to it.

I used WinClone to make backups of both partitions and transferred the WinClone images to the Mac Pro.

I manually created the partitions and restored the WinClone images into each one.

But VMware wouldn't recognize either one.

So I deleted them both, and let Boot Camp Assistant (re-)create a single Boot Camp partition. Then I restored the Windows 7 WinClone image into it.

Ever since then all I get is "BOOTMGR is missing" error.

I thought maybe since I had dual-boot working (with a boot manager) in the old MacBook Pro setup, that the boot manager must've lived on the Windows XP SP3 partition, and it's completely missing from the Windows 7 partition. So I figured I needed to recreate it somehow.

After using the Windows 7 DVD ISO disc image to boot from, and trying several automated/manual steps, I can now actually get VMware to recognize the Boot Camp partition as being one, but when it tries to set it up for use with VMware, it complains that it isn't ready because it must have shut down incorrectly. It says to boot into Windows, then do a clean shutdown. But when I select the Boot Camp partition from Startup Disk, it boots from it but I still get the "BOOTMGR is missing" error even in a 'native' Boot Camp boot 😟

I've tried all the steps I can find (including manual "bcdedit" steps booted from the Windows 7 DVD disc image) to no avail. I don't know what else to try at this point ...

Moving Windows from one computer to another has low success rate - they are different hardware and will not work as is (or as was).

Mac Pro: ideally have Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

Yeah, I figured that might be part of it.

I actually got a bit further - I finally managed to get past the "BOOTMGR is missing" error, only to later in the boot cycle (after the "Starting Windows" screen came up - a moral victory, at least) blue screen on me:

I've pretty much figured out at this point that I probably can't recover from this.

(It's really frustrating that Windows 7 doesn't seem to have an equivalent to "/var/log/messages" where you could see how far the boot got before the BSOD.)

As for Windows 7 64-bit, yeah, but 32-bit is what I have and we have a site license at work for it so that's what I used on the old (32-bit only) MacBook Pro. Maybe we've since gotten a site license for the 64-bit version but for the time being I was trying to see if my WinClone image would still work. I really, really don't want to have to reinstall from scratch ... 😮

If you can afford the time, Windows 8 Preview comes out for download (free) 29th. Of course no driver support. But if you intention is to run thru Fusion should be fine (it works in VirtualBox too)

Pro - for dual socket processor

early Mac Pro 2006-7 would only get use of 1.9GB RAM so I always used Vista Business/Ultimate and later

There are tools to import or migrate a Windows OS from one PC to another, but not usually cheap or affordable for a one time - something IT or business would own and have where you need to be able to replace/swap hard drives and computers.

And there are much better ways to image and backup/restore than WinClone. It WAS useful though in one regard, it told me when I went ot restore that there HAD BEEN a bad sector during the backup image it created. So I dealt with the hard drive problem - backwards. Paragon will tell you DURING backup that it encountered an error, which to me is the right way.

Normally business, and today especially, would not even bother with 32-bit. Everyone has 4GB RAM, GPU and everything else will eat up 1GB of address space, or more. Schools offer Windows 7 64-bit Pro to students and staff via MSDN.

Really quick because I have to go to bed:

I have a Mid 2010 6-core Mac Pro with 8 GB so I can give Windows 7 one core and 2 GB.

My intention is to be able to run it as both a Boot Camp setup and in VMware Fusion. Mostly Fusion but there are times I like/need to be able to boot straight into Windows 7. I can do this now with ease on the old MacBook Pro.

WinClone was all I knew how to use on the old setup. If there's better ways to image, feel free to enlighten me. It worked for me, which was all that mattered.

I'll have to find out if my workplace has any 64-bit arrangement with MSDN. In practice though I've seen enough people complain about problems/issues with the 64-bit version (missing drivers, etc.) that, combined with using it on a Mac and not a PC, made me think that the 32-bit version was sufficient and easier to deal with. (Not that I had a choice - the MacBook Pro is an early 2006 Core Duo 32-bit only model.)