Fix Boot Error 0xc000000f on Windows 10/11 (Exact Commands)

The fast answer. Error 0xc000000f ("The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors", usually naming \Boot\BCD or \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD) means Windows Boot Manager started but could not read the BCD store or a file it points to. First unplug every USB drive and reboot — a stray non-bootable USB triggers this on its own. Then open Windows Recovery (WinRE), run Startup Repair, and if it fails, rebuild the BCD from Command Prompt:

bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Type Y when it lists your Windows installation, then reboot. On a UEFI/GPT machine, recreate the boot files with bcdboot instead (Step 5).

Why this happens

Corrupted or missing BCD — the boot store was damaged by a power loss, a forced shutdown, or a disk write error mid-update. This is the most common cause, and it is what the on-screen message literally says.
BCD points at the wrong partition — the device or osdevice entries are missing or unknown, often after cloning to a new drive, resizing partitions, or deleting a second OS from a dual-boot setup.
Firmware booting the wrong device — a USB stick or external drive ahead of the internal disk in the boot order, or a UEFI/Legacy mode mismatch after a BIOS reset.
A required file is missing — the same status code appears when winload.exe/winload.efi or a critical boot driver can't be read. The screen names the file.
Failing drive or cable — bad sectors under the BCD or a loose SATA cable produce read errors that surface as this code.

Step-by-step fix

Step 1 — Unplug external drives and check the boot order

Remove every USB drive, SD card, and external disk, then power on. If Windows boots, the firmware was trying to start from the wrong device. If not, enter BIOS/UEFI setup (usually Del or F2 at power-on) and confirm the internal drive is detected and first in the boot order. Leave the UEFI/Legacy (CSM) setting alone unless you know it was changed; flipping it on a guess just moves the error.

Step 2 — Get into Windows Recovery (WinRE)

Force three failed boots (power on, then hold the power button as the Windows logo appears, three times) to open Automatic Repair, or boot from a Windows 10/11 install USB and choose Repair your computer. Because this error hits before Windows loads, the on-disk recovery environment sometimes won't start either — the install USB is the reliable route. Then go to Troubleshoot → Advanced options.

Step 3 — Run Startup Repair

Choose Startup Repair and let it finish. It rebuilds many damaged BCD stores automatically and touches nothing else. Reboot and test before running any commands. If it reports it couldn't repair the PC, continue.

Step 4 — Rebuild the BCD with bootrec

In Advanced options → Command Prompt, run:

bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

When /rebuildbcd lists a Windows installation, type Y to add it and reboot. If it reports "Total identified Windows installations: 0" on a legacy BIOS/MBR system, back up and rename the old store so a fresh one can be written, then rebuild:

bcdedit /export C:\bcdbackup
attrib C:\boot\bcd -r -s -h
ren C:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Use the letter of the volume that holds the \Boot folder — in WinRE, drive letters often differ from normal Windows. Check with dir C:\boot first. On legacy MBR disks you can also repair the boot code afterward with bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot.

UEFI/GPT note: on modern UEFI systems bootrec /fixboot commonly returns "Access is denied". That's expected there, not a permissions problem to defeat — use bcdboot in Step 5.

Step 5 — UEFI/GPT: recreate the boot files with bcdboot

On UEFI machines the BCD lives on the small FAT32 EFI System Partition. Give it a drive letter and let bcdboot write a fresh store and boot files from your Windows folder:

diskpart
list disk
sel disk 0
list vol
sel vol <EFI-FAT32-vol#>
assign letter=S:
exit
bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI

An asterisk in the GPT column of list disk confirms UEFI. The EFI partition is the ~100–500 MB FAT32 volume; pick a letter that isn't in use. Replace C:\Windows if Windows has a different letter in WinRE (confirm with dir C:\Windows). You should see "Boot files successfully created." Reboot. The full walkthrough with partition identification is on the 0xc000000e page.

Step 6 — If the screen names winload or a driver, repair system files

When the error names \Windows\system32\winload.efi or a .sys driver rather than the BCD, the boot store may be fine and the file itself is damaged. Run the offline System File Checker against the Windows volume:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

Then reboot and test.

Step 7 — Check the disk

If the error returns after a rebuild, check the Windows volume for file-system damage and bad sectors (use the correct letter):

chkdsk C: /f /r

If chkdsk finds bad sectors, or the BCD breaks again within days of a rebuild, treat the drive or its cable as the real fault. Reseat the SATA cable, run the drive maker's diagnostic, and plan a replacement instead of repeating repairs.

Data safety: bootrec, bcdboot, and renaming the BCD change only boot data, not your documents. The risky parts are chkdsk /r, which stresses weak sectors on a failing drive, and diskpart, where one wrong volume number can destroy a partition. If the files matter and you have no backup, image the drive to a known-good external disk first, never run clean or format in diskpart for this error, and never run repairs on the only copy of irreplaceable data.

GRAM tip: These repairs run in Windows Recovery, which is already on the broken PC or any Windows install USB. Once the machine boots again, plug in GRAM — a free portable repair toolkit that runs from a USB inside Windows — to check the drive's SMART health, read the event logs for the unexpected shutdown or failed update that damaged the BCD, and let its AI agent confirm the root cause so the error doesn't come back.

Download GRAM free See AI pricing →

FAQ

Can I fix this without a second working computer?

Usually, yes. WinRE lives on the broken PC itself — three failed boots trigger Automatic Repair, where Startup Repair and Command Prompt are available. If the boot data is too damaged for WinRE to load, boot a Windows install USB (made on any PC, even a borrowed one) and choose Repair your computer. The repair itself needs no second computer. (GRAM runs inside Windows rather than from boot media — use it once the machine boots to verify disk health and confirm the root cause.)

Will rebuilding the BCD delete my files?

No. The BCD is a small boot database. bootrec /rebuildbcd and bcdboot rewrite boot configuration only; documents and programs are untouched. Custom boot entries, such as a second operating system, may need to be re-added afterward.

The error names winload.efi, not BCD. Is it the same fix?

Same status code, different missing piece. When the screen names \Windows\system32\winload.efi or a driver file, Boot Manager read the BCD fine but couldn't load the file it points to. Start with Startup Repair, then run the offline sfc command in Step 6. If bcdboot was run on a UEFI machine, it also refreshes the boot files on the EFI partition.

Startup Repair and bootrec both failed. What now?

On UEFI machines use bcdboot (Step 5) — it's often the fix when bootrec isn't. Check BIOS: the internal drive must be detected and the boot mode (UEFI vs Legacy/CSM) must match how the disk was set up. If the drive isn't detected at all, reseat the cable. If nothing works, run chkdsk, back up your data, and consider reinstalling Windows.