Unable to boot Windows 10 with Recovery Drive after blue screen Recovery error

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I am getting this blue screen message on Windows 10 machine. (I cannot boot into safe mode or see any other Windows OS options.)

Recovery

Your PC/Device needs to be repaired

The Boot Configuration Data file doesn't contain valid information for an operating system.

File:\BCD
Error code: 0xc0000098

I have created a recovery drive and tried the Reset PC options. I get this information.

Reset this PC - remove everything

Unable to rest this PC. A required drive partition is missing.


Reset this PC - Keep my files

The drive when Windows is locked. Unlock the drive and try again.

I have run chkdsk on the C: partition but all looks fine.

As I upgraded from Windows8 using the online upgrade feature I do not have a Windows 10 disc to reinstall from. Can I use any Windows 10 disk including an OEM version to kickstart the rebuild? Or are there other tools available for fixing the BCD?

windows-10
bcd
asked on Super User May 2, 2016 by ChrisGuest

3 Answers

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Fix "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"

Usually it is enough to repair boot files to fix problem,

but chkdsk will not harm ;)

And BTW once you activate Windows 10 on a computer you can clean disk and reinstall - OS will be activated automatically on same computer (MS keeps a database of activated Windows 10 per computer)

answered on Super User May 7, 2016 by snayob
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This error usually occurs when a PC is configured without a WinRE partition, instead storing WinRE on the Boot or OS partition.

  1. Boot a Windows Install USB
  2. Once GUI loads, press SHIFT+F10
  3. BootRec
    • BIOS: BootRec /FixMBR && BootRec /FixBoot && BootRec /RebuildBCD
    • UEFI: BootRec /FixMBR && BootRec /RebuildBCD
  4. Reboot to Windows

It's recommended to move WinRE to its own partition: (ReAgentC)

  1. Open an Admin Terminal: WinKey+R > Open: powershell > CTRL+SHIFT OK

  2. Backup current WinRE.wim:

    1. Verify if C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\WinRE.wim exists:

      ls "C:\Windows\System32\Recovery" | FindStr /I "WinRE.wim" ; ls "C:\Windows\System32\Recovery" -Hidden | FindStr /I "WinRE.wim"

    2. If it doesn't: 

      Xcopy /H "C:\Recovery\WindowsRE\WinRE.wim" "C:\Windows\System32\Recovery"
      • BIOS: May store WinRE on Boot partition: Mount Boot at Y: > Update WIM path

  3. Create a 650MB WinRE Partition: WinKey+R > Open: DiskPart > OK
    1. sel vol c
    2. shrink desired=665 minimum=650
      • WinRE partition must have 320MB free (WinRE.wim is ~300MB in size)
      • If this command fails, you will need to use a 3rd party partition manager to shrink the system partition by 665MB [RAW], as the formatted size should be 650MB.
    3. BIOS: cre par pri size=665 id=27
      UEFI: cre par pri size=665 id=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac
    4. format fs=ntfs quick label=WinRE
    5. assign letter=z
    6. UEFI only: gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001

  4. Copy WinRE.wim:

    MkDir "Z:\Recovery\WindowsRE" ; Xcopy /H "C:\Recovery\WindowsRE\WinRE.wim" "Z:\Recovery\WindowsRE"
  5. Disable WinRE: ReAgentC /Disable
  6. Set Custom WinRE Path: ReAgentC /SetREimage /Path "Z:\Recovery\WindowsRE"
  7. Enable WinRE: ReAgentC /Enable
  8. Verify: ReAgentC /Info
answered on Super User Dec 29, 2019 by JW0914 • edited Jan 5, 2020 by JW0914
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Firstly: you can download the Windows 10 Installation media from the windows website directly. You will need to use a friend's computer to do this. You can then use the media creation tool to create an installation DVD or USB.

Secondly: Windows 10 sometimes shows errors like this on boot if it has recently downloaded a new update and there was not enough space on the C:\ partition to install the update during a system restart. The only option is to reformat the drive and reinstall Windows 10 - the Activation Key will be stored online by Windows, so you will not need this as long as you were using Genuine Windows.

I hope you had a backup of your data... Otherwise there are a number of ways you may be able to recover your files: by removing the drive from the computer and connecting it to another before formatting; by booting into Ubuntu from a USB drive; or by using a Windows Installation Disk to access the files via the "load drivers" button in the "repair" option.

Good luck!

answered on Super User May 2, 2016 by Matthew • edited May 2, 2016 by Matthew

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