AOMEI Partition Assistant
Can You Restore Windows 7 With a Bad BCD? How to Fix BCD Error?
Can you restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD? Yes, you can. Here we will share how to rebuild corrupted and missing BCD files to easily fix any BCD error.
By Irene / Updated on November 1, 2024
About bad BCD: BCD errors in Windows 7
I recently downloaded the SP1 update for Windows 7 to install SolidWorks. When I turned on my PC the next day, it displayed an error about a missing BCD file and prompted me to use the install disk for Startup Repair. However, Startup Repair couldn’t fix it. I tried manually repairing it through CMD, but nothing worked, so I attempted to reinstall Windows 7. Now, when I select a drive, it says I cannot boot from it. I've tried four different drives on each SATA port and switched my motherboard to AHCI and IDE modes.
Now, I get a BCD error when starting the PC with no hard drive connected, just the install USB or DVD. Trying my Windows 8 install USB from another computer also resulted in a BCD error before it loaded. I can't access the "Repair My Computer" screen, with or without a hard drive. The only thing that works is Ubuntu, which I used to check my original drive for files. I've also cleared my CMOS several times.
Bcd error with just the hard drive: 0xc000000f
Windows 7 with fresh HDD: 0xc0000225
Windows 8 with fresh HDD: 0xc00000098
- Question from Microsoft Community
BCD (Boot Configuration Data) is a firmware-independent database essential for boot-time configuration. It is required by the new Windows Boot Manager and replaces the older boot.ini used by NTLDR. This database contains the menu entries presented by the Windows Boot Manager, allowing the system to load the operating system. Typically, BCD is stored in data files. On UEFI boot mode computers, the BCD file is located at “/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/BCD” on the EFI system partition. In contrast, on BIOS boot computers, it can be found at “/boot/BCD” on the active partition.
What causes Boot BCD errors? The BCD is crucial for successfully loading and running the operating system. When it becomes corrupted or lacks essential information, your computer cannot access the necessary files during boot. This often results in various BCD error codes, such as boot BCD 0xc00000f, 0xc0000034, and 0xc0000098.
There are several common causes of BCD errors:
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No OS Entries: This can occur due to sudden power failures, boot sector suffered virus infections, or disk write errors while manually configuring the BCD, which cause the bad BCD like corrupted or missing from Windows 7.
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Incompatible Device Drivers: These issues frequently arise after updating your Windows system. It generally happens like computer won’t boot/start after Windows update.
Can you restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD?
Of course you can restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD! In this part, we will list 3 effective methods on how to fix boot BCD error on Windows 7, no matter whether you have the installation disk or not.
Method 1. Restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD with AOMEI Partition Assistant
If you unfortunately encounter BCD errors, can you restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD? Yes, you can. By using AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can easily and effectively rebuild corrupted or missing BCD files in Windows 7. Its Boot Repair function automatically detects and fixes system boot issues, providing you with an excellent repair experience. You can use it to effectively fix problems related to boot issues like Windows 7 has EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD error.
Common scenarios for its use include system boot failures, where error messages like "Boot Configuration Data file is missing" or "Boot Configuration Data file is corrupted" appear; issues following a system update that corrupts the boot configuration; conflicts or misconfigurations in boot files within multi-OS environments; and boot sector corruption caused by virus attacks or other factors.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on a working PC, click "Recover"-"Boot Repair" and then click the "create a bootable disk" option to create a WinPE "Boot Repair" disk.
Step 2. Boot the PC that cannot boot into WinPE. It will automatically load the Boot Repair tool and start the boot entries scan process. All boot entries will be displayed.
- Advanced Settings(Select a location to store the repaired boot entry):
- Repair to the current disk: The system will boot from the current disk and ensure the boot files are complete and functioning properly. (By default)
- Repair to another disk: This operation will repair the boot entry or create a new system boot entry to ensure the system can boot from the disk you select.
You can either repair to the current disk or repair to another disk. Repair to the current disk is recommended for common users.
Step 3. Select one/multiple repairable boot entries you want to repair and click the "Repair" button to start the boot repair.
Step 4. Wait for the repair process to finish. Once it is finished, you can check the repair result. If it succeeds, you will get a "Repair Successfully" result.
Method 2. Manually rebuild BCD with an installation disc
To fix the Boot BCD error in Windows 7, if you have Windows installation CD or DVD, you can take the following steps to manually rebuild BCD:
Step 1. Insert the installation disc and boot the computer from it.
Step 2. At the install screen, click “Repair your computer”.
Step 3. At the “System Recovery Options” screen, select the “Command Prompt” option.
Step 4. A command prompt window will now open. Then execute the below commands.
bootrec.exe /fixboot
bootrec.exe /scanos
bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd
Method 3. Restore corrupted BCD without installation disk
If you don't have a Windows installation disc but want to restore Windows 7 without bad BCD, AOMEI Partition Assistant also offers another option apart from the Boot Repair feature. It allows you to create bootable media on another working computer, making it easy to repair damaged BCD/MBR in WinPE mode. Therefore, you won't need the Windows setup CD.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Insert an empty USB into a working Windows computer. Free download, install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on the computer.
Step 2. Click “Tools” in the top toolbar, and choose “Make Bootable Media”. Then follow the wizard to make a bootable USB drive. (Note: the bootable USB contains the installed AOMEI Partition Assistant.)
Step 3. Plug the bootable USB to your computer on which Windows fails to boot and start it. Get into BIOS to change the boot priority. When loaded, you’ll see AOMEI Partition Assistant running.
Step 4. In the main console of AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, right-click the disk with damaged MBR and choose “Rebuild MBR”.
Step 5. Select the type of MBR for your current Windows operating system, click “OK” to continue.
Step 6. Click “Apply” and “Proceed” to commit the operations.
After it is accomplished, restart your computer to check whether this Boot BCD error is fixed or not.
Tip: Besides rebuilding MBR, you can also use AOMEI Partition Assistant to check bad sectors on the system partition that lead to bad BCD files and fix them, or check the entire hard drive for errors via “Surface Test”.
Conclusion
Can you restore Windows 7 with a bad BCD? Yes! You will have 3 options in this passage. If you don't have an installation disk, AOMEI Partition Assistant can be the most ideal choice for fixing BCD errors for Windows 7. With this tool, you can also reset Windows 7 password with USB flash drive, erase all data on laptop, mirror a hard drive in Windows 7, and so on. The software also offers the Server edition for Windows Server users.
