# Windows 10 will not boot: 0xc0000242, disk.sys



## SilentJim

Hello,

We have a Dell Inspiron 23 5348 all-in-one that will not boot. The computer had been running very slowly, and appeared to freeze. A hard shut-down was performed (hold the power button until the computer turned off). Upon restarting, the blue screen immediately appears, showing: 

Recovery
Your PC/Device needs to be repaired

The operating system couldn’t be loaded because a critical system driver is missing or contains errors.

File:\Windows\System32\drivers\disk.sys
Error code: 0xc0000242

You’ll need to use recovery tools…


I pressed F8, and tried booting into safe mode, safe mode with networking, and safe mode with command prompt. All options immediately send me back to the original blue error screen. After about a minute of inactivity, the computer powers off. I am able to get into the “UEFI Firmware settings”, but don’t know what to do in there. 

It has done some strange things when re-booting as well. Sometimes upon restarting, it says “Preparing Automatic Repair”, but then goes straight to the blue screen error. One time, it all by itself started another error fixing process (I don’t remember the exact words shown), but when the process completed, the blue screen returned. We have a book that refers to a “Windows Recovery Environment”, but we can’t figure out how to get to it.

From Dell, the computer was shipped with almost no documentation, and no windows disc. It originally had windows 8.1 installed, but was upgraded to windows 10. Needless to say, I did not expect this to happen, and I do not have the full technical specs for the machine. I also do not have a recovery disc or thumb drive. We called tech support and they said they would call back. Nothing yet. 

I suspect that some kind of critical update was occurring when the computer was forced to shut down. Is there any way to get in there and replace a corrupted file with a good one? (disk.sys) We have a second PC with windows 10 running normally. I would like to exhaust all options before resetting to factory defaults, if that is even possible. 


OS: Windows 10 x64, originally Windows 8.1
Approximate age of system: 11 months
Approximate age of OS installation: 9 months

CPU: Intel ® Core™ i3-4170 CPU @ 3.70 Ghz
8Gb RAM
Video card: Intel HD Graphics


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## spunk.funk

In the Recovery window, choose *F8* and Reset the computer to Factory Defaults 
Reset or reinstall Windows 10 on your Dell computer | Dell US


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## SilentJim

So, there is no way to access the bad file?

How about getting into the Windows Recovery Environment?


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## spunk.funk

Press *F8* or *ESC* in the Recovery Window to access the *R*ecover *E*nvironment.


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## SilentJim

OK, pressing F8 in the "Recovery" window takes me to the "Startup Settings" screen. Pressing ESC in the "Recovery" window takes me to the "UEFI Firmware Settings".

In the "Startup Settings" window, pressing F8 (Disable early launch anti-malware protection) takes me to the original Recovery screen. Pressing ESC takes me to the "Windows Boot Manager" screen. The only option is "Windows 10", which brings me back to the original Recovery blue error screen.


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## spunk.funk

How To Restore or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer | Dell US


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