Avant-garde troubleshooting for Windows kicking issues

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Notation

This commodity is intended for employ by support agents and Information technology professionals. If you lot're looking for more than general information about recovery options, see Recovery options in Windows ten.

Summary

There are several reasons why a Windows-based computer may take problems during startup. To troubleshoot boot bug, offset determine in which of the following phases the reckoner gets stuck:

Phase Kicking Process BIOS UEFI
1 PreBoot MBR/PBR (Bootstrap Lawmaking) UEFI Firmware
two Windows Boot Director %SystemDrive%\bootmgr \EFI\Microsoft\Kicking\bootmgfw.efi
3 Windows Os Loader %SystemRoot%\system32\winload.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\winload.efi
iv Windows NT Os Kernel %SystemRoot%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

1. PreBoot

The PC'south firmware initiates a Power-On Self Test (Post) and loads firmware settings. This pre-kick procedure ends when a valid system disk is detected. Firmware reads the master boot record (MBR), and so starts Windows Boot Managing director.

two. Windows Boot Manager

Windows Boot Managing director finds and starts the Windows loader (Winload.exe) on the Windows boot sectionalisation.

three. Windows operating system loader

Essential drivers required to start the Windows kernel are loaded and the kernel starts to run.

4. Windows NT Os Kernel

The kernel loads into memory the system registry hive and additional drivers that are marked as BOOT_START.

The kernel passes control to the session manager process (Smss.exe) which initializes the arrangement session, and loads and starts the devices and drivers that are not marked BOOT_START.

Here is a summary of the boot sequence, what will be seen on the brandish, and typical boot problems at that signal in the sequence. Before starting troubleshooting, you have to empathize the outline of the boot process and display status to ensure that the issue is properly identified at the beginning of the date.

thumbnail of boot sequence flowchart.
Click to overstate

Each stage has a different approach to troubleshooting. This article provides troubleshooting techniques for bug that occur during the first 3 phases.

Note

If the reckoner repeatedly boots to the recovery options, run the following command at a command prompt to pause the cycle:

Bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no

If the F8 options don't work, run the following control:

Bcdedit /fix {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

BIOS phase

To determine whether the system has passed the BIOS phase, follow these steps:

  1. If there are whatever external peripherals connected to the computer, disconnect them.

  2. Cheque whether the hard disk drive light on the physical computer is working. If it is not working, this indicates that the startup process is stuck at the BIOS phase.

  3. Press the NumLock central to encounter whether the indicator low-cal toggles on and off. If it does not, this indicates that the startup process is stuck at BIOS.

    If the system is stuck at the BIOS phase, at that place may be a hardware trouble.

Kicking loader phase

If the screen is completely black except for a blinking cursor, or if you receive i of the following fault codes, this indicates that the boot process is stuck in the Kicking Loader phase:

  • Boot Configuration Data (BCD) missing or corrupted
  • Kick file or MBR corrupted
  • Operating system Missing
  • Kicking sector missing or corrupted
  • Bootmgr missing or corrupted
  • Unable to kick due to system hive missing or corrupted

To troubleshoot this problem, use Windows installation media to start the computer, press Shift+F10 for a command prompt, and then use whatsoever of the following methods.

Method 1: Startup Repair tool

The Startup Repair tool automatically fixes many mutual problems. The tool also lets you quickly diagnose and repair more circuitous startup problems. When the computer detects a startup problem, the computer starts the Startup Repair tool. When the tool starts, information technology performs diagnostics. These diagnostics include analyzing startup log files to decide the cause of the trouble. When the Startup Repair tool determines the crusade, the tool tries to gear up the trouble automatically.

To exercise this, follow these steps.

  1. Start the system to the installation media for the installed version of Windows. For more than information, meet Create installation media for Windows.

  2. On the Install Windows screen, select Next > Repair your estimator.

  3. On the Choose an choice screen, select Troubleshoot.

  4. On the Avant-garde options screen, select Startup Repair.

  5. After Startup Repair, select Shutdown, then turn on your PC to see if Windows can boot properly.

The Startup Repair tool generates a log file to help you empathize the startup problems and the repairs that were made. You lot tin can find the log file in the post-obit location:

%windir%\System32\LogFiles\Srt\Srttrail.txt

For more data, encounter A Terminate mistake occurs, or the figurer stops responding when yous try to start Windows Vista or Windows 7

Method 2: Repair Kick Codes

To repair boot codes, run the following command:

              BOOTREC /FIXMBR

To repair the kicking sector, run the following control:

              BOOTREC /FIXBOOT

Note

Running BOOTREC together with Fixmbr overwrites just the chief boot code. If the corruption in the MBR affects the division table, running Fixmbr may not set up the problem.

Method iii: Fix BCD errors

If you receive BCD-related errors, follow these steps:

  1. Scan for all the systems that are installed. To do this, run the following command:

                      Bootrec /ScanOS

  2. Restart the figurer to check whether the trouble is fixed.

  3. If the trouble is non stock-still, run the post-obit commands:

                      bcdedit /consign c:\bcdbackup  attrib c:\kicking\bcd -r -due south -h  ren c:\kick\bcd bcd.old  bootrec /rebuildbcd

  4. Restart the system.

Method 4: Supercede Bootmgr

If methods 1, two and iii exercise not fix the trouble, replace the Bootmgr file from drive C to the Organization Reserved partition. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. At a command prompt, change the directory to the Organisation Reserved division.

  2. Run the attrib control to unhide the file:

                      attrib -r -s -h

  3. Navigate to the arrangement drive and run the same command:

                      attrib -r -due south -h

  4. Rename the Bootmgr file every bit Bootmgr.old:

                      ren c:\bootmgr bootmgr.old

  5. Navigate to the system drive.

  6. Copy the Bootmgr file, and so paste information technology to the System Reserved sectionalisation.

  7. Restart the reckoner.

Method 5: Restore System Hive

If Windows cannot load the arrangement registry hive into memory, yous must restore the arrangement hive. To do this, use the Windows Recovery Environment or utilise Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) to copy the files from the C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack to C:\Windows\System32\config.

If the problem persists, you may want to restore the organization country fill-in to an alternative location, and and so think the registry hives to be replaced.

Note

Starting in Windows x, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the system registry to the RegBack folder.This alter is by design, and is intended to assistance reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a corrupt registry hive, Microsoft recommends that y'all utilise a system restore signal. For more than details, bank check this article

Kernel Phase

If the system gets stuck during the kernel phase, you experience multiple symptoms or receive multiple error messages. These include, merely are not limited to, the post-obit:

  • A End error appears after the splash screen (Windows Logo screen).

  • Specific error code is displayed.

    For example, "0x00000C2" , "0x0000007B" , "inaccessible kick device" and so on.

    • Advanced troubleshooting for Finish error 7B or Inaccessible_Boot_Device
    • Advanced troubleshooting for Consequence ID 41 "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first"

  • The screen is stuck at the "spinning wheel" (rolling dots) "organisation busy" icon.

  • A black screen appears after the splash screen.

To troubleshoot these issues, try the following recovery kick options ane at a time.

Scenario 1: Try to first the computer in Safe manner or Last Known Adept Configuration

On the Avant-garde Boot Options screen, endeavour to start the computer in Safe Mode or Condom Style with Networking. If either of these options works, use Event Viewer to help identify and diagnose the cause of the kicking problem. To view events that are recorded in the event logs, follow these steps:

  1. Use 1 of the following methods to open up Upshot Viewer:

    • Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Outcome Viewer.

    • Start the Issue Viewer snap-in in Microsoft Management Panel (MMC).

  2. In the panel tree, expand Event Viewer, and then click the log that y'all desire to view. For example, click System log or Application log.

  3. In the details pane, double-click the event that you lot want to view.

  4. On the Edit menu, click Copy, open a new certificate in the plan in which y'all want to paste the event (for example, Microsoft Word), and and so click Paste.

  5. Use the Up Pointer or Downwardly Arrow key to view the clarification of the previous or next event.

Clean boot

To troubleshoot bug that affect services, do a clean boot by using Arrangement Configuration (msconfig). Select Selective startup to test the services i at a time to make up one's mind which 1 is causing the problem. If y'all cannot notice the crusade, try including system services. However, in most cases, the problematic service is 3rd-party.

Disable any service that you find to be faulty, and try to start the computer once more by selecting Normal startup.

For detailed instructions, encounter How to perform a clean kick in Windows.

If the computer starts in Disable Driver Signature mode, start the computer in Disable Driver Signature Enforcement mode, and and then follow the steps that are documented in the following article to determine which drivers or files crave driver signature enforcement: Troubleshooting boot problem acquired by missing driver signature (x64)

Annotation

If the computer is a domain controller, attempt Directory Services Restore mode (DSRM).

This method is an important step if you lot see Terminate error "0xC00002E1" or "0xC00002E2"

Examples

Warning

Serious bug might occur if you lot modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that y'all reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these bug can be solved. Modify the registry at your own gamble.

Error code INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (Finish 0x7B)

To troubleshoot this Stop error, follow these steps to filter the drivers:

  1. Become to Windows Recovery Surroundings (WinRE) by putting an ISO disk of the system in the disk drive. The ISO should be of same version of Windows or a afterward version.

  2. Open the registry.

  3. Load the organisation hive, and name it as "exam."

  4. Nether the post-obit registry subkey, cheque for lower filter and upper filter items for Non-Microsoft Drivers:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ControlSet001\Control\Course

  5. For each tertiary-political party driver that you locate, click the upper or lower filter, so delete the value data.

  6. Search through the whole registry for similar items. Process equally an appropriate, and and so unload the registry hive.

  7. Restart the server in Normal mode.

For additional troubleshooting steps, run across the following manufactures:

  • Avant-garde troubleshooting for Terminate error 7B or Inaccessible_Boot_Device

To fix problems that occur later you install Windows updates, check for pending updates by using these steps:

  1. Open a Control Prompt window in WinRE.

  2. Run the control:

                      DISM /image:C:\ /go-packages

  3. If there are any pending updates, uninstall them by running the post-obit commands:

                      DISM /image:C:\ /remove-bundle /packagename: proper name of the bundle                                  
                      DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions

    Try to start the estimator.

If the computer does not start, follow these steps:

  1. Open up A Command Prompt window in WinRE, and start a text editor, such as Notepad.

  2. Navigate to the organisation drive, and search for windows\winsxs\pending.xml.

  3. If the Pending.xml file is found, rename the file as Pending.xml.old.

  4. Open the registry, and then load the component hive in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE equally a test.

  5. Highlight the loaded test hive, and and then search for the pendingxmlidentifier value.

  6. If the pendingxmlidentifier value exists, delete the value.

  7. Unload the test hive.

  8. Load the system hive, name it as "test".

  9. Navigate to the following subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\TrustedInstaller

  10. Change the Start value from 1 to 4

  11. Unload the hive.

  12. Try to showtime the calculator.

If the Stop mistake occurs late in the startup procedure, or if the Stop error is nonetheless being generated, you can capture a retentivity dump. A expert memory dump can help determine the root cause of the Finish error. For details, see the following articles:

  • Generate a kernel or complete crash dump

For more information about folio file problems in Windows ten or Windows Server 2016, see the following:

  • Introduction to folio files

For more than information nearly End errors, see the following Cognition Base commodity:

  • Avant-garde troubleshooting for Stop mistake or bluish screen error outcome

If the dump file shows an fault that is related to a driver (for case, windows\system32\drivers\stcvsm.sys is missing or corrupted), follow these guidelines:

  • Bank check the functionality that is provided by the driver. If the driver is a third-party kick driver, make sure that you lot sympathise what information technology does.

  • If the commuter is not of import and has no dependencies, load the organization hive, and then disable the driver.

  • If the stop error indicates system file corruption, run the system file checker in offline fashion.

    • To practise this, open WinRE, open a command prompt, and and so run the following command:

                            SFC /Scannow /OffBootDir=C:\ /OffWinDir=C:\Windows

      For more data, see Using Organisation File Checker (SFC) To Set up Bug

    • If at that place is disk abuse, run the bank check disk control:

                            chkdsk /f /r

    • If the Finish error indicates general registry corruption, or if you believe that new drivers or services were installed, follow these steps:

      1. Start WinRE, and open a Command Prompt window.
      2. Start a text editor, such as Notepad.
      3. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Config.
      4. Rename the all five hives by appending ".old" to the name.
      5. Copy all the hives from the Regback folder, paste them in the Config folder, and and so effort to offset the computer in Normal way.

Annotation

Starting in Windows 10, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the arrangement registry to the RegBack folder.This change is by design, and is intended to assistance reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a decadent registry hive, Microsoft recommends that you employ a arrangement restore bespeak. For more details, check this article.