Avant-garde troubleshooting for Windows kicking problems

  • Commodity
  • 11 minutes to read

Attempt our Virtual Agent - It can help you apace place and fix common Windows boot issues

Note

This commodity is intended for use by support agents and IT professionals. If you're looking for more general data about recovery options, see Recovery options in Windows 10.

Summary

There are several reasons why a Windows-based computer may have problems during startup. To troubleshoot kick issues, first determine in which of the following phases the reckoner gets stuck:

Phase Boot Process BIOS UEFI
1 PreBoot MBR/PBR (Bootstrap Lawmaking) UEFI Firmware
2 Windows Boot Manager %SystemDrive%\bootmgr \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
iii Windows Os Loader %SystemRoot%\system32\winload.exe %SystemRoot%\system32\winload.efi
4 Windows NT Os Kernel %SystemRoot%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe

i. PreBoot

The PC's firmware initiates a Ability-On Cocky Test (Mail) and loads firmware settings. This pre-boot process ends when a valid system disk is detected. Firmware reads the master kick record (MBR), and then starts Windows Boot Manager.

ii. Windows Boot Manager

Windows Boot Manager finds and starts the Windows loader (Winload.exe) on the Windows boot partition.

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 organization registry hive and other 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 aren't marked BOOT_START.

Here's a summary of the kick sequence, what will be seen on the display, and typical boot problems at that point in the sequence. Before starting troubleshooting, you accept to understand the outline of the boot process and brandish status to ensure that the result is properly identified at the start of the engagement.

thumbnail of boot sequence flowchart.
Click to enlarge

Each phase has a different approach to troubleshooting. This article provides troubleshooting techniques for problems that occur during the kickoff 3 phases.

Note

If the computer repeatedly boots to the recovery options, run the following control at a command prompt to suspension the bike:

Bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no

If the F8 options don't work, run the post-obit control:

Bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

BIOS phase

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

  1. If there are any external peripherals connected to the figurer, disconnect them.

  2. Bank check whether the hard disk drive lite on the physical figurer is working. If it's non working, this dysfunction indicates that the startup procedure is stuck at the BIOS phase.

  3. Press the NumLock primal to run into whether the indicator low-cal toggles on and off. If information technology doesn't toggle, this dysfunction indicates that the startup process is stuck at BIOS.

    If the system is stuck at the BIOS phase, there may be a hardware problem.

Boot loader stage

If the screen is blackness except for a blinking cursor, or if you receive 1 of the following error codes, this status indicates that the kicking process is stuck in the Boot Loader phase:

  • Boot Configuration Information (BCD) missing or corrupted
  • Boot file or MBR corrupted
  • Operating organization Missing
  • Boot sector missing or corrupted
  • Bootmgr missing or corrupted
  • Unable to boot due to arrangement hive missing or corrupted

To troubleshoot this trouble, utilize Windows installation media to kickoff the calculator, press Shift+F10 for a command prompt, and then use whatsoever of the following methods.

Method ane: Startup Repair tool

The Startup Repair tool automatically fixes many mutual bug. The tool likewise lets you lot quickly diagnose and repair more complex startup problems. When the computer detects a startup problem, the estimator starts the Startup Repair tool. When the tool starts, it performs diagnostics. These diagnostics include analyzing startup log files to determine the cause of the problem. When the Startup Repair tool determines the crusade, the tool tries to fix the trouble automatically.

To do this job of invoking the Startup Repair tool, follow these steps.

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

  2. On the Install Windows screen, select Side by side > Repair your figurer.

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

  4. On the Advanced options screen, select Startup Repair.

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

The Startup Repair tool generates a log file to help y'all sympathise the startup problems and the repairs that were made. Yous tin find the log file in the following location:

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

For more than data, run into A Stop error occurs, or the computer stops responding when you try to start Windows Vista or Windows 7

Method 2: Repair Kicking Codes

To repair kicking codes, run the following control:

              BOOTREC /FIXMBR

To repair the kicking sector, run the post-obit command:

              BOOTREC /FIXBOOT

Note

Running BOOTREC together with Fixmbr overwrites only the master kick code. If the corruption in the MBR affects the division table, running Fixmbr may not fix 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 practise this step, run the post-obit control:

                      Bootrec /ScanOS

  2. Restart the computer to cheque whether the problem is fixed.

  3. If the problem isn't fixed, run the following commands:

                      bcdedit /export c:\bcdbackup  attrib c:\boot\bcd -r -s -h  ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old  bootrec /rebuildbcd

  4. Restart the organisation.

Method iv: Replace Bootmgr

If methods i, 2 and 3 don't fix the problem, supercede the Bootmgr file from drive C to the System Reserved sectionalization. To exercise this replacement, follow these steps:

  1. At a command prompt, change the directory to the System Reserved partition.

  2. Run the attrib control to unhide the file:

                      attrib -r -southward -h

  3. Navigate to the system bulldoze and run the aforementioned command:

                      attrib -r -south -h

  4. Rename the Bootmgr file as Bootmgr.old:

                      ren c:\bootmgr bootmgr.former

  5. Navigate to the system drive.

  6. Re-create the Bootmgr file, and then paste information technology to the Organization Reserved sectionalization.

  7. Restart the computer.

Method v: Restore System Hive

If Windows can't load the system registry hive into retentivity, yous must restore the arrangement hive. To do this footstep,, apply the Windows Recovery Surround or utilize Emergency Repair Deejay (ERD) to copy the files from the C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack to C:\Windows\System32\config.

If the problem persists, you lot may desire to restore the organisation land backup to an culling location, and so retrieve the registry hives to be replaced.

Annotation

Starting in Windows 10, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the arrangement registry to the RegBack binder.This modify is by pattern, and is intended to help reduce the overall deejay footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a corrupt registry hive, Microsoft recommends that you use a system restore point. For more details, bank check this commodity

Kernel Phase

If the system gets stuck during the kernel phase, yous experience multiple symptoms or receive multiple mistake messages. These fault letters include, simply aren't limited to, the following examples:

  • A Stop error appears afterwards the splash screen (Windows Logo screen).

  • Specific fault lawmaking is displayed.

    For instance, "0x00000C2" , "0x0000007B" , "inaccessible boot device" and then on.

    • Avant-garde troubleshooting for Terminate error 7B or Inaccessible_Boot_Device
    • Advanced troubleshooting for Upshot ID 41 "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down commencement"

  • The screen is stuck at the "spinning bike" (rolling dots) "arrangement decorated" icon.

  • A blackness screen appears after the splash screen.

To troubleshoot these problems, endeavour the following recovery boot options one at a time.

Scenario i: Endeavor to starting time the calculator in Safe style or Terminal Known Good Configuration

On the Advanced Boot Options screen, try to start the figurer in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking. If either of these options works, use Outcome Viewer to help identify and diagnose the crusade of the kick problem. To view events that are recorded in the event logs, follow these steps:

  1. Use i of the following methods to open Event Viewer:

    • Click Starting time, betoken to Administrative Tools, then click Event Viewer.

    • Get-go the Event Viewer snap-in in Microsoft Direction Panel (MMC).

  2. In the console tree, aggrandize Outcome Viewer, and then click the log that you want to view. For example, click Organisation log or Awarding log.

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

  4. On the Edit menu, click Copy, open up a new document in the program in which you lot want to paste the upshot (for instance, Microsoft Give-and-take), and and so click Paste.

  5. Utilise the Upwards Arrow or Downwardly Pointer key to view the description of the previous or next event.

Make clean boot

To troubleshoot problems that affect services, do a clean boot past using Arrangement Configuration (msconfig). Select Selective startup to test the services one at a time to determine which one is causing the trouble. If you lot can't find the cause, try including system services. However, in most cases, the problematic service is 3rd-party.

Disable any service that you find to exist faulty, and try to start the computer again by selecting Normal startup.

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

If the calculator starts in Disable Driver Signature style, start the computer in Disable Driver Signature Enforcement mode, then follow the steps that are documented in the post-obit commodity to make up one's mind which drivers or files require driver signature enforcement: Troubleshooting boot trouble acquired past missing driver signature (x64)

Annotation

If the figurer is a domain controller, try Directory Services Restore style (DSRM).

This method is an important step if you encounter Terminate fault "0xC00002E1" or "0xC00002E2"

Examples

Alert

Serious issues might occur if y'all modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using some other method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating organization. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your ain risk.

Error code INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (STOP 0x7B)

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

  1. Get to Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) by putting an ISO disk of the organisation in the disk bulldoze. The ISO should exist of the same version of Windows or a later version.

  2. Open the registry.

  3. Load the system hive, and name it equally "test."

  4. Under the following registry subkey, bank check for lower filter and upper filter items for Non-Microsoft Drivers:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Organisation\ControlSet001\Command\Grade

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

  6. Search through the whole registry for similar items. Procedure as an appropriate, so unload the registry hive.

  7. Restart the server in Normal mode.

For more than troubleshooting steps, run across the post-obit articles:

  • Advanced troubleshooting for End error 7B or Inaccessible_Boot_Device

To set up issues that occur subsequently you install Windows updates, check for pending updates by using these steps:

  1. Open up a Command Prompt window in WinRE.

  2. Run the command:

                      DISM /image:C:\ /become-packages

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

                      DISM /image:C:\ /remove-parcel /packagename: name of the packet                                  
                      DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions

    Try to start the reckoner.

If the computer doesn't start, follow these steps:

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

  2. Navigate to the system drive, and search for windows\winsxs\awaiting.xml.

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

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

  5. Highlight the loaded test hive, and so 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\Organisation\ControlSet001\Services\TrustedInstaller

  10. Change the Starting time value from 1 to 4

  11. Unload the hive.

  12. Endeavor to start the computer.

If the Stop error occurs late in the startup process, or if the Stop error is still being generated, yous can capture a memory dump. A good retentivity dump tin can help determine the root cause of the End mistake. For details, run into the following articles:

  • Generate a kernel or consummate crash dump

For more data well-nigh page file problems in Windows x or Windows Server 2016, run across the following article:

  • Introduction to folio files

For more information about Stop errors, see the post-obit Noesis Base article:

  • Advanced troubleshooting for Stop error or blue screen error consequence

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

  • Check the functionality that is provided by the driver. If the driver is a 3rd-party boot commuter, make certain that you empathise what it does.

  • If the driver isn't of import and has no dependencies, load the system hive, and then disable the driver.

  • If the end error indicates arrangement file corruption, run the system file checker in offline mode.

    • To practice this, open WinRE, open a command prompt, and and then run the following command:

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

      For more information, see Using Arrangement File Checker (SFC) To Fix Issues

    • If in that location's deejay corruption, run the check disk command:

                            chkdsk /f /r

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

      1. Start WinRE, and open up a Control Prompt window.
      2. First 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 start the computer in Normal mode.

Note

Starting in Windows ten, version 1803, Windows no longer automatically backs up the system registry to the RegBack folder.This change is past design, and is intended to help reduce the overall disk footprint size of Windows. To recover a system with a corrupt registry hive, Microsoft recommends that y'all use a system restore point. For more details, bank check this article.