This can happen for a multitude of reasons that we cannot initially control, or at least do not expect. Hence precisely the confusion that they can cause us, in addition to the problems related to all this. Whether in home or more professional settings, the disorder that is not a computer that suddenly stops working, it can be important. This is something that much of Windows has accustomed us to in recent times. However, this does not mean that we have to justify it.
When we tell you this it is that possibly on more than one occasion we have found ourselves in the situation of turning off the computer without any problem. However, when we open it again we find that the PC itself does not start. The errors that we can then find on the screen can be very varied, especially if we take into account the factors that can influence here. In addition, this is a situation that can be significantly aggravated in the event that the Error message that appears does not clarify anything for us.
What is BCD or Boot Configuration Data
And it is that a little descriptive error is going to offer us rather few ways to solve it, so at first we would not know how to start. For example, a clear case of all this is precisely the error that we are going to talk about in these same lines. Specifically, we are referring to one of the errors that can appear suddenly, overnight, is the Boot BCD Error.
Also known as error in Boot Configuration Data, here we are talking about a useful functionality that was first released in Windows Vista. How could it be otherwise, Microsoft itself put it into operation and has supported the different versions of the operating system until it reaches the current Windows. To give you an idea, when we refer to the BCD, it is the element that at the time replaced the boot.ini file.
Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that it is in charge of storing all the information related to the startup of the OS on our PC. At the same time, this is something that also directly affects booting when we have different systems installed on the same computer. Therefore, if this functionality fails, we will not be able to enter the operating system, as is the case with the error that we will discuss below.
Reasons why the error appears
As we told you, this is a bug that we can find in the operating system without any previous signs of any kind. And it is that it may be the case that this boot file is suddenly damaged for whatever reason. It is at that moment that we will meet the dreaded Boot BCD error We mentioned them at the beginning.
The truth is that few or no explanations at first we will find regarding this failure that does not allow us to access the system itself. At the same time, there are several possible reasons why this system boot can be damaged. To a large extent it will depend on the way we use the computer itself. But with everything and with it there are some that are the most common and that have been collected over the years. On the one hand, we can mention that many have the bad habit of turning off the computer directly from the PC button. All this without going through the usual shutdown functions in the windows system.
In addition, this forced reboot can be caused by some type of error that has occurred in the software and that has caused, for example, a blue screen. The only way to get rid of it is to force quit the system, but it may damage your boot. And speaking of suffering damage, it may also be the case that some program has corrupted part of the information on the disk and that this is important when starting. then we can find ourselves with reasons that are a little more alien to us, such as hard drive hardware errors, or some type of malicious code that is harming the equipment.
In summary, the causes why this can fail on the PC are:
- The equipment has shut down badly.
- A blue screen has forced a system reboot.
- Some information stored on the disk has been corrupted.
- The hard drives are failing.
- The BCD file is damaged.
- Malware (virus, trojan, etc).
But, almost always, there is a solution.
Fix crash with system boot
Another aspect that we must take into account is that Windows, in addition to the error message that we are dealing with here, can also show other similar ones such as I/O error or someone else who says the system needs to be fixed. With everything and with this we will see some ways to regain control of Windows by solving these boot-related errors. The first thing we should know at this point is that the aforementioned ruling prevents us from boot operating system.
Use a Windows installation disk or USB stick
This means that in this specific case we do not have the possibility of accessing the functions implemented for the self-repair of the system. In the same way, we could not execute the restore or recovery points that Windows presents to us from the start. Therefore, what is recommended in this case is to create a pen drive auto bootable with Microsoft operating system. This is something that, for example, we can achieve with the software called Rufus.
Then all we have to do is connect said memory to the PC that does not boot and follow the process as if we were going to install it on the OS right from the start. On the first screen that we see, click on the Next button located in the lower right corner. Next, we will find a window in which we have to click on the Repair the equipment link.
Use CMD to fix the MBR
Among the options that we will see at that moment, we opted for the Solve problems call, which will allow us to access a window of the Command Prompt.
Once in it, we have to type the following commands to solve this error in the Boot BCD:
bootrec /fixmbr
With this command we managed to write a new Windows bootable MBR.
bootrec /fixboot
Here we managed to write a new boot sector to the system partition. Damaged sectors are fixed at the same time.
bootrec /rebuildbcd
And finally, what we do is analyze the hard drives of the PC to detect Windows and add it to the BCD that fixed the error.
After executing these commands, we return to restart the pc in a conventional way and it should already work and start without problems. If this is not the case, the last solution that would remain would be to resort to one of the different applications available that allow us to repair Windows units when the boot has stopped working, we have problems with the partitions or others. One of the best is the set of applications that Hiren’s BootCD makes available to us, as we explain below.
Restore a previous system point
In this case we are going to make use of this special boot that we can carry out in our Windows system if we cannot turn it on in a conventional way. Among the many options that will appear on the screen here, we find one that says Restore the system. Basically what we can do through this is to reload a previously stored restore point from when Windows worked without any problem.
For those of you who don’t know, it is interesting to know that this is a function built into the operating system itself and that it allows us to create both manual and automatic restore points. This is something that is done automatically every time you Windows experiences some major change like the arrival of a new update. In the same way, we can create these restore points manually, for example, if we are going to do some test on the system that is not 100% reliable.
All this will allow us to take a step back, so to speak, and restore that stored point and go back to the time when Windows did not have any problems. In this way, it is very likely that we will solve the failure that we are talking about in these lines and Windows will start again in a conventional way.
Use Hiren’s BootCD
if we have a Windows PE, we can also use it to repair the operating system. These Windows are characterized by loading into RAM and being specialized in repairing Microsoft operating systems. In this sense, we can make use of Hiren’s BootCD. Hiren’s BootCD is a suite of applications that runs via a bootable USB running Windows 10 PE. This package of applications includes different tools that will allow us to repair any problem that we have with our PC, be it with the boot sectors, with the MBR, with the partitions or any other problem that is preventing the computer from starting correctly.
We can download Hiren’s BootCD through its website by clicking on the following link where we will download an .ISO file. To create the bootable USB with Hiren’s BootCD we are going to need an application like Rufus, with which we can convert the ISO image into a bootable drive. Once we have made the boot drive, we only have to modify the BIOS or UEFI to start the computer from the USB and access the folder located on the desktop with the name Utilities. All the apps available in this set of apps are completely free and do not include any kind of in-app purchase, so we are not going to be half-hearted like most apps of this type.