# Windows 10 Boot Config Data Missing, Error 0xc000014c



## franciscomndrin

Four days ago I decided I needed to backup my computer so I downloaded easeus todo backup free and let it work. While it was backing up I did some general spring cleaning, ran disk cleanup, got rid of old downloads. Then randomly my computer crashed, restarted up to a blue screen saying:

Your PC/Device needs to be repaired
The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors.
file:\Boot\BCD
Error code: 0xc000014c

I can no longer boot into windows.

I didn't create a recovery tool but I used my bootcamped macbook and windows media creation tool to put a windows 10 installer on a usb. I've been trying to use the repair options within the installer but nothing has worked so far:

- Start up repair doesn't work, get the message "startup repair couldn't repair your PC"

- I've also tried a couple of things in command prompt, sfc /scannow, but it hasn't worked either, maybe I'm not doing it right I'm not sure.

I'm not sure what else I can do, some help would really be appreciated!

Also, I'm running windows 10, upgraded from windows 7, on a custom built computer.


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## OldGrayGary

Hi ... and welcome to the forums ...

Since the Startup Repair didn't work, try the following method. It was suggested by a Microsoft engineer Sayan Ghosh in a post similar to yours last October (in a different forum) ...

***Please make extra sure beforehand that the *version* and *bit-depth* of Windows on your Windows 10 boot media matches the installed version exactly***

1) Use your *bootable Windows 10 USB* to start the computer.
2) Choose the keyboard language, etc. then go to *Repair your computer*
3) Select *TroubleShoot*
4) Select *Advanced Options*
5) Select *Command Prompt*
6) Type *chkdsk /f /r* *C*: [where *C is the drive letter of your system drive*]

When the disk check has finished, use the following commands (at the command prompt) to rebuild the BCD store:
1) *bootrec /scanos*
2) *bootrec /rebuildbcd*
3) *bootrec /fixmbr*
4) *bootrec /fixboot*

Let us know if this doesn't help: there are other things we can try.


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## franciscomndrin

Hi Gary

I should have mentioned this, but I'm using an ssd, it is safe to run check disk?

I tried the boot rec commands

- bootrec /scanos: found 1 installation on my e drive.

- bootrec /rebuildbcd: found 1 installation again, but when I tried to add it to the boot list it said "The requested system device cannot be found"

- bootrec /fixmbr: the operation completed successfully

- bootrec /fixboot: the operation completed successfully

After this when I tried to boot into windows I got the same error message, and now when I try to boot from the usb installer I get the same message, error 0xc000000f. I'm going to use to media creation tool to put the installer on the usb again.


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## OldGrayGary

Hi again 

Yes, it's OK to run check disk on an SSD. However, I imagine we can limit the command to only using the /f parameter (rather than the /r parameter, or - somewhat redundantly, using both) ... the /f parameter only looks for file errors and attempts to fix them, it doesn't perform the "surface scan" - which actually does check for surface errors on a regular hard drive ... so far, my reading tells me that it likely just checks for the SSD version of "bad blocks" when it is run on an SSD. I think that many SSDs already have wear-leveling and TRIM going on, so I imagine we'd normally not have to use the /r parameter for chkdsk (perhaps never)....

I think that Check Disk has a decent chance of helping (I'm hoping that either it will or the "rebuildbcd" will) ... since the error is due to either a faulty or missing boot file.

If you boot the computer with the bootable USB, and get to the command prompt, go ahead and run the chkdsk /f command first. When that finishes successfully, from the same command prompt, this time simply type bootrec.exe and press Enter on your keyboard. I believe it will automatically rebuild BCD.

See if that does it.
_______________

Tell you what, I'll give you the next step to take, too... just in case the rebuild doesn't fix things.

The next step is to export the old BCD, and create a new one. From the same command line as before:
1) bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
2) c:
3) cd boot
4) attrib bcd –s –h –r
5) ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
6) bootrec /RebuildBcd

Then exit and restart the computer.


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## Stancestans

OldGrayGary said:


> Hi again
> 
> Yes, it's OK to run check disk on an SSD. However, I imagine we can limit the command to only using the /f parameter (rather than the /r parameter, or - somewhat redundantly, using both) ... the /f parameter only looks for file errors and attempts to fix them, it doesn't perform the "surface scan" - which actually does check for surface errors on a regular hard drive ... so far, my reading tells me that it likely just checks for the SSD version of "bad blocks" when it is run on an SSD. I think that many SSDs already have wear-leveling and TRIM going on, so I imagine we'd normally not have to use the /r parameter for chkdsk (perhaps never)....
> 
> I think that Check Disk has a decent chance of helping (I'm hoping that either it will or the "rebuildbcd" will) ... since the error is due to either a faulty or missing boot file.
> 
> If you boot the computer with the bootable USB, and get to the command prompt, go ahead and run the chkdsk /f command first. When that finishes successfully, from the same command prompt, this time simply type bootrec.exe and press Enter on your keyboard. I believe it will automatically rebuild BCD.
> 
> See if that does it.
> _______________
> 
> Tell you what, I'll give you the next step to take, too... just in case the rebuild doesn't fix things.
> 
> The next step is to export the old BCD, and create a new one. From the same command line as before:
> 1) bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
> 2) c:
> 3) cd boot
> 4) attrib bcd &#150;s &#150;h &#150;r
> 5) ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
> 6) bootrec /RebuildBcd
> 
> Then exit and restart the computer.


Perhaps to add a helpful step to OldGrayGary's, make sure to check the drive letter assigned to the boot (system reserved) partition on the SSD. Volume mounting and drive letter assignment seems to work differently in Windows Recovery Environment. In Command Prompt, run

DISKPART

LIST VOLUME

Also take note of the letter assigned to the Windows drive on the SSD. This could come in handy when restoring boot files in the boot (system reserved) partition in case the other commands don't fix it.


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## jenae

Hi Stancestans, in cmd prompt (RE) it is recommended you run :-

bcdedit | find "osdevice" (press enter), the | is called a pipe and appears above the \ on the keyboard. This is the normal way to find what drive letter the recovery environment has assigned the drive. As stated it is not always the c:\ drive


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## franciscomndrin

I ended up reinstalling windows late last night after getting a little frustrated

Thanks everyone for trying to help!

I'll make sure to keep full backups in the future.


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## OldGrayGary

Sorry it ended up more complicated than most. 

For a backup strategy the built-in Windows tools aren't bad. The combination of easy-to-make Windows 10 DVDs (via the Media Creation Tool -- handy for reinstalls and repairs), online backup (builtin with OneDrive [1 TB of space is free if you happen to be using Office 365]), and - if you like having a system image handy = it's very simple to make a system image in Windows 10 (File History/System Image Backup).

Glad you've got your computer back working again.


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## djaburg

Sure, reinstallation works, but that's the last resort (unless it finds the install and prompts for saving files) because you lose your programs and data by reinstalling. So for some that's not a viable option especially if they don't have their data backed up. One other option for at least getting data back when the system won't boot is using something like Knoppix Live to boot via CD and browse your HD so you can copy existing files to an external drive.


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