What if there is no FAT32 EFI partition in list vol?

If the EFI System Partition was deleted you must recreate a small FAT32 ESP before bcdboot can write to it, which is data-sensitive partition work. If you are not certain, image the drive first and confirm the partition layout before creating partitions.

← Windows boot error index

"Winload.efi Is Missing or Corrupt" (0xc0000225): Rebuild the Bootloader

The fast answer. 0xc0000225 with \Windows\system32\winload.efi means the UEFI bootloader can't find or load the Windows boot loader file — the EFI System Partition's boot files are missing or corrupt (common after cloning a drive, deleting a partition, or a failed update). The fix is to locate the EFI partition with diskpart and rewrite its boot files with bcdboot:

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

C:\Windows is your Windows folder; S: is the small FAT32 EFI System Partition. Reboot.

Why this happens

Cloned or migrated drive — the EFI boot files didn't carry over, or point at the old disk.
Deleted/resized partition — the EFI System Partition was removed or its boot entry now points nowhere.
Corrupt BCD or EFI files — a failed update or unclean shutdown damaged the boot files.
Disk errors — bad sectors in the boot area.

Step-by-step fix

Step 1 — Open a Command Prompt in WinRE

Force three failed boots to reach Automatic Repair, or boot a Windows 10/11 install USB and choose Repair your computer. Then Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command Prompt.

Step 2 — Locate the EFI System Partition and Windows volume

diskpart
list vol

Find the EFI System Partition — small (~100–500 MB), file system FAT32. Also note the letter of your Windows volume (large, NTFS); in WinRE it is often C: but verify.

Step 3 — Assign a drive letter to the EFI partition

sel vol <EFI-FAT32-vol#>
assign letter=S:
exit

Use any free letter; S: is just convention.

Step 4 — Rebuild the bootloader with bcdboot

bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI

Replace C:\Windows with the real Windows path if it isn't C:, and S: with the letter you assigned to the EFI partition. bcdboot copies fresh UEFI boot files (including the boot loader entry for winload.efi) into the EFI partition and creates a clean BCD. Look for "Boot files successfully created", then reboot.

Step 5 — If it still fails, re-detect the install and check the disk

bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
chkdsk C: /f /r
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

This re-detects Windows, rebuilds the BCD, repairs the file system, and verifies system files offline. Run these only after the bcdboot step above.

Data safety: bcdboot writes only boot files. But never run clean, format, or delete partition in diskpart while troubleshooting this — those wipe data, and it's easy to select the wrong volume. If the data matters and you have no backup, image the whole drive to a known-good external disk before touching it. A disk throwing 0xc0000225 may be failing physically.

GRAM tip: These commands run in Windows Recovery, which lives on the broken PC. Once the bootloader is rebuilt and Windows starts, plug in GRAM — a free portable repair toolkit that runs from a USB inside Windows — to verify the disk's SMART health and boot config, and let its AI agent confirm why the EFI files were damaged (failing disk, bad clone, partition change) so it doesn't happen again.

Download GRAM free See AI pricing →

FAQ

Can I fix this without a second working computer?

Yes. Everything here runs inside Windows Recovery on the broken PC — reach it by forcing three failed boots, or boot from any Windows install USB. No second computer is required for the repair itself. (GRAM runs inside Windows rather than from boot media — use it after the machine boots to verify disk health and root-cause the damage.)

How is this different from the 0xc000000e fix?

It's the same family of UEFI bootloader repair — locate the EFI partition with diskpart, then rebuild with bcdboot ... /f UEFI. 0xc0000225 usually names winload.efi specifically (the OS loader), while 0xc000000e is a broader "required device can't be accessed". The bcdboot procedure fixes both.

I cloned my drive and now it won't boot — will this fix it?

Often yes. After a clone the EFI boot files can be missing or point at the old disk. Running bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI against the new drive's EFI partition writes correct boot files for the cloned Windows installation.

What if there's no FAT32 EFI partition in list vol?

If the EFI System Partition was deleted, you'll need to recreate a small (~100 MB) FAT32 ESP before bcdboot can write to it — this is data-sensitive partition work. If you're not certain, image the drive first and get a technician (or use GRAM's AI assistant) to confirm the partition layout before creating partitions.