Can't Repair Windows Boot Manager? Solve It Now!

Why can't repair Windows Boot Manager?

Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR) is responsible for loading the operating system. When it's damaged or corrupted, the computer may fail to start properly. Here are some reasons why you might be unable to repair it:

1. Corrupt Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

BCD contains boot information that tells the system how to load Windows. Corruption can happen due to improper shutdowns, malware, or failed updates. If the BCD is severely damaged, standard repair methods might not work.

2. Missing or corrupt system files

Essential Windows system files are needed to boot the operating system. If these files are missing or corrupt, Windows won't start. Even after attempting repairs using tools like Startup Repair, it might still fail if the corruption is too deep.

3. Hard drive issues

Physical or logical errors on the hard drive where the OS is installed. Bad sectors or failing drives may prevent Windows Boot Manager from functioning, making repair tools ineffective.

4. Incorrect boot order

The order in which devices are set to boot in the BIOS/UEFI. If the BIOS/UEFI is set to boot from the wrong device, the system may not even attempt to load BOOTMGR, making it appear unrepairable.

5. Corrupt partition table or MBR

The partition table tells the system how the disk is organized, and the Master Boot Record (MBR) contains essential data to boot the OS. If these are damaged or overwritten, Windows may not know where the operating system is, making boot impossible.

6 solutions to you can't repair Windows Boot Manager

Facing issues with Windows Boot Manager can be a frustrating experience, especially when you're met with the dreaded "boot failure" message. The good news is there are several effective solutions you can try to resolve these issues. Below, we’ll walk through six solutions to fix Windows Boot Manager when it can’t be repaired on its own.

Solution 1. Use Startup Repair

If your Windows system isn’t booting, your first port of call should be the Startup Repair tool. It's a built-in recovery feature that automatically scans your system for boot-related problems and attempts to fix them.

Step 1. Insert your Windows installation media (USB or DVD) and boot from it.

Step 2. Choose your language preferences and click Next.

Step 3. Select Repair your computer.

Step 4. Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.

Step 5. Select your operating system and let Windows scan and repair any startup issues.

Step 6. This should resolve most common boot problems, like missing or corrupted system files.

Solution 2. Repair boot issues

If Startup Repair doesn't work, the next step is to manually repair the boot configuration data (BCD) using the bootrec.exe tool. This powerful tool helps fix several boot-related problems.

Step 1. Boot your system using installation media as described above.

Step 2. Instead of Startup Repair, choose Command Prompt from the Advanced options menu.

Step 3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec.exe /scanos

bootrec /rebuildbcd

Step 4. After executing these commands, restart your computer to see if the issue is resolved.

Step 5. This approach can fix corrupted master boot records (MBR) or boot sector problems.

Solution 3. Run System File Checker

Corrupt system files could be behind the boot issue. The System File Checker is a built-in utility that scans for and repairs corrupted system files.

Step 1. Access the Command Prompt using the same method described above.

Step 2. Type the following command and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

Step 3. Wait for the scan to complete and restart your computer.

Step 4. This tool replaces any corrupt or missing files with a cached version stored on your system, possibly restoring your system’s ability to boot.

Solution 4. Check disk for errors

A failing or corrupted hard drive can also cause boot manager issues. CHKDSK (Check Disk) can scan your disk for errors and fix them.

Step 1. Boot to Command Prompt using your Windows installation media.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk c: /f  /r

Step 3. This scan will look for bad sectors, fix file system errors, and help improve boot stability.

Step 4. Depending on your hard drive size, this process can take some time, but it’s worth the wait if disk errors are the cause of the boot issue.

Solution 5. Reset BIOS/UEFI settings

Sometimes incorrect BIOS/UEFI settings can prevent your system from booting properly. Resetting these settings to their defaults may help.

Step 1. Restart your computer and press the key to enter the BIOS/UEFI settings (commonly F2, F10, or Delete depending on your system).

Step 2. Look for an option to Reset to Default or Load Setup Defaults and select it.

Step 3. Save changes and exit BIOS/UEFI.

Step 4. After resetting, your system may successfully boot if the issue was related to the configuration.

Solution 6. Use a professional boot repair tool

If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider using a professional boot repair tool. A third-party utility like AOMEI Partition Assistant are specifically designed to fix boot issues when Windows' native tools fall short. This tool provides additional features like advanced BCD repair options and disk partition management, which could resolve more stubborn boot problems.

It is usually suitable for these common usage scenarios:

✬ The system fails to boot: Error messages such as "Boot Configuration Data file is missing" or "Boot Configuration Data file is corrupted" are displayed. ". ✬ Boot failure after update: After the system update or upgrade, the boot configuration is corrupted. ✬ Multi-system boot conflict: Conflict or misconfiguration of boot configuration files in multi-OS environment. ✬ Boot sector corruption: Boot sector corruption due to virus attacks or other reasons.

Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Partition Assistant on a working PC and connect a USB drive to it

Step 2. Open this software and select the Boot Repair tool below the Recover section.

Step 3. Select the create a bootable disk option to create a WinPE Boot Repair USB drive.

Step 4. Plug the created drive into the computer that you want to repair, then start the system from the USB drive. It will automatically load the Boot Repair tool and perform a scan of boot entries.

If your computer can boot normally, directly click Next to start the system’s boot entry scan on the Boot Repair window.

Step 5. Once the process completes, select the repairable boot entries you want to repair and click the Repair button.

Step 6. Once the repair process completes, remove the drive and reboot the PC from its original system drive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, can’t repair Windows Boot Manager can be a challenging issue with many potential causes, such as corrupted boot files, hard drive problems, or BIOS/UEFI misconfigurations. But this article has offered comprehensive solutions to it including using third-party boot repair tool called AOMEI Partition Assistant.

If you are unable to fix Windows Boot Manager on Windows Server computers, you can resort to AOMEI Partition Assistant Server after trying built-in methods.