Fix Windows 10 Failed to Start Error Code 0xc00000f

Windows 10 error code 0xc00000f is a boot failure that displays the message "Your PC/Device needs to be repaired. The Boot Configuration Data file is missing some required information" or "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause." This error means the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store — a critical database that tells the Windows Boot Manager where to find the operating system files — is either missing, corrupted, or contains invalid entries.

Error 0xc00000f is one of the most common Windows boot errors and typically appears after a failed Windows update, an improper shutdown, a dual-boot configuration change, or disk errors that damage the EFI System Partition where the BCD store is located. The error prevents Windows from loading entirely, leaving you at the recovery screen.

All repair methods below require a Windows installation USB or DVD, as the operating system cannot start on its own. If you do not have one, create it on another computer using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool before proceeding.

⚡ Quick Fix

Boot from a Windows USB, go to Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt, and run bootrec /rebuildbcd. When it finds a Windows installation, type Y to add it to the boot list. Restart the computer.

Error code: 0xc00000f. The Boot Configuration Data file is missing some required information. File: \Boot\BCD or \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD

Method 1: Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

Step 1: Insert the Windows 10 installation USB and boot from it. Press the boot menu key for your computer (F12, F9, Esc, or F2 depending on the manufacturer) during startup to select the USB drive.

Step 2: On the Windows Setup screen, select your language and click Next. Click Repair your computer at the bottom-left, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

Step 3: Run the following commands in order:
bootrec /fixmbr — Writes a new Master Boot Record to the system partition
bootrec /fixboot — Writes a new boot sector
bootrec /scanos — Scans all disks for Windows installations
bootrec /rebuildbcd — Rebuilds the BCD store from scratch

Step 4: When bootrec /rebuildbcd finds a Windows installation, it will ask "Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y)/No(N)/All(A)." Type Y and press Enter. Close the command prompt, remove the USB drive, and restart the computer.

Tip: If bootrec /fixboot returns "Access is denied" (common on UEFI systems), run bootsect /nt60 sys first, then retry bootrec /fixboot. Alternatively, skip fixboot and proceed directly to rebuildbcd, which often resolves the error on its own.

Method 2: Manually Recreate the BCD Store

Step 1: If Method 1 fails (bootrec /rebuildbcd reports "Total identified Windows installations: 0"), the BCD store needs to be deleted and recreated. Open Command Prompt from the recovery environment as described above.

Step 2: Delete the existing corrupted BCD file. On UEFI systems, the BCD is located on the EFI System Partition. Run these commands:
diskpart
list volume
Identify the EFI System Partition (typically 100-500 MB, formatted as FAT32). Note its volume number.
select volume X (replace X with the EFI partition volume number)
assign letter=S
exit

Step 3: Navigate to the BCD location and rename the corrupted file:
cd /d S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\
ren BCD BCD.bak

Step 4: Create a new BCD store. Identify your Windows drive letter first (use dir C:\Windows, dir D:\Windows, etc. to find which drive contains Windows):
bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI
(Replace C: with the actual Windows drive letter.) This creates a fresh BCD store with the correct boot entries. Restart the computer.

Warning: If you have a dual-boot setup (Windows + Linux or two Windows installations), the bcdboot command will only add the Windows installation you specify. Other operating systems will need their bootloader entries manually re-added after this process. For Linux dual-boot, you will need to repair GRUB from a Linux live USB afterward.

Method 3: Run Startup Repair and System File Checker

Step 1: Boot from the Windows USB, go to Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Let the automated repair run. It may need to run 2-3 times to fix all issues.

Step 2: If Startup Repair reports "Startup Repair couldn't repair your PC," go back to Advanced options > Command Prompt and run the System File Checker:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows
(Replace C: with your actual Windows drive letter.)

Step 3: If SFC finds issues it cannot fix, run DISM to repair the Windows image:
DISM /Image:C:\ /ScratchDir:C:\Temp /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Wait for DISM to complete (this can take 15-30 minutes), then run SFC again.

Step 4: After SFC and DISM complete successfully, run bootrec /rebuildbcd once more to ensure the BCD is properly configured. Restart without the USB drive.

Method 4: Check Disk for Errors and Bad Sectors

Step 1: Error 0xc00000f can be caused by bad sectors on the hard drive, particularly in the area where boot files are stored. From the recovery Command Prompt, run:
chkdsk C: /r /f
(Replace C: with your Windows drive.) The /r flag locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. The /f flag fixes errors on the disk.

Step 2: The scan may take 1-3 hours depending on disk size and condition. Do not interrupt it. When complete, review the summary. If chkdsk reports "Windows has made corrections to the file system" or repaired bad sectors, the issue may be resolved.

Step 3: If chkdsk reports a large number of bad sectors (more than 10), your hard drive or SSD may be failing. Back up your data immediately using a Linux live USB or by connecting the drive to another computer as a secondary drive.

Step 4: After chkdsk completes, rebuild the BCD one more time with bootrec /rebuildbcd in case the corrected disk sectors contained boot data that was corrupted. Restart the computer without the USB drive.

Why Does This Problem Happen?

The BCD (Boot Configuration Data) store is a small database on the EFI System Partition (for UEFI systems) or the System Reserved partition (for Legacy BIOS systems) that contains entries pointing to the Windows boot loader location. When this file is damaged, the Windows Boot Manager does not know where to find the operating system files, resulting in error 0xc00000f.

The most frequent triggers are interrupted Windows updates that were modifying boot entries when the computer lost power or was forcibly shut down, disk utilities or partition managers that accidentally modified the EFI System Partition, failed dual-boot installations where the Linux or second Windows installer damaged the existing BCD, and hard drive sector degradation that corrupts the partition where boot files reside. In rarer cases, malware that targets the Master Boot Record or boot sector can cause this error, particularly bootkits that attempt to persist through restarts by modifying boot configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. All the methods described above repair boot configuration files and system files only. Your personal documents, photos, desktop files, and installed applications are not affected. The BCD is a small boot database that has nothing to do with user data. Only a clean Windows reinstall would erase personal files, and that should be a last resort.

Both errors relate to boot configuration problems but have slightly different causes. Error 0xc00000f specifically indicates the BCD file is missing or corrupted. Error 0xc0000225 indicates a required device is inaccessible or the BCD references a partition that no longer exists. The repair methods are similar (rebuilding BCD), but 0xc0000225 may also require fixing partition table entries.

This happens on UEFI-based systems because the EFI System Partition is not automatically mounted with write access in the recovery environment. Use the diskpart utility to assign a drive letter to the EFI partition, then run bootsect /nt60 sys before retrying bootrec /fixboot. Alternatively, use the bcdboot method (Method 2) which handles EFI partition access correctly.

In some cases, yes. If Windows shows the "Advanced options" button on the error screen, click it to access the recovery environment directly. From there, you can run Startup Repair or Command Prompt. However, if the recovery environment itself is corrupted, you need an external USB drive. Some computers also have a recovery partition accessible by pressing a manufacturer-specific key (F11 on many PCs) during startup.

The error message is the same, but the repair commands differ slightly. On UEFI systems, the BCD is stored on the EFI System Partition (\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD) and you need to use the bcdboot command with the /f UEFI flag. On Legacy BIOS systems, the BCD is on the System Reserved partition (\Boot\BCD) and bootrec commands work directly without needing to mount the EFI partition.

Yes. Windows updates occasionally modify boot configuration entries, especially cumulative updates and feature updates. If the update process is interrupted by a power loss, forced shutdown, or system crash, the BCD can be left in a partially modified state that is unreadable by the Boot Manager. This is one of the most common triggers for error 0xc00000f.

This means the BCD is so corrupted that the rebuild tool cannot locate your Windows partition. Use Method 2 to manually delete the BCD and create a new one using bcdboot. You may need to use diskpart to identify the correct drive letter for your Windows partition, as it may not be assigned C: in the recovery environment. Check each drive with "dir X:\Windows" to find the right one.

Not necessarily, but it can be. If the error occurred after a power outage, failed update, or software change, it is likely a BCD corruption issue that the repair methods above will fix. However, if the error keeps recurring after successful repairs, it may indicate the drive sectors where boot files are stored are physically damaged. Run chkdsk /r to check for bad sectors and consider replacing the drive if significant damage is found.

Yes. Error 0xc00000f occurs identically on Windows 11. The same causes (corrupted BCD, damaged EFI partition, bad sectors) and repair methods apply. Windows 11 exclusively uses UEFI boot, so you will always need to work with the EFI System Partition. The recovery environment and command-line tools are the same in both Windows 10 and 11.

Use a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to prevent power loss during updates, never force-shutdown your computer during "Updating Windows" screens, keep your hard drive or SSD healthy by running chkdsk periodically, and create regular system restore points. If you dual-boot, be cautious when modifying bootloaders. Also consider enabling automatic registry backups by setting the EnablePeriodicBackup registry value to 1.

Windows 10 Error 0xc00000f: Fix Boot Configuration Data Missing or Corrupted