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Get the fix to "<strong>0xc000000f: selected entry could not be loaded</strong>" boot error for<strong> Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 </strong>or<strong> 10</strong> operating systems.
<h2>About the "<strong>0xc000000f</strong>" error</h2>
[kbintro]
<h3>Description and Symptoms</h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h4>Symptom 1: 0xc000000f error screen on startup</h4>
As a part of <a href="http://neosmart.net/wiki/mbr-boot-process/">the system startup procedure</a>, the BOOTMGR bootloader first introduced in Windows Vista and used in all later versions of Windows, including Windows 7, Windows 8(.1), and Windows 10, uses a database of entries and configuration options known as the BCD (<strong>B</strong>oot <strong>C</strong>onfiguration <strong>D</strong>atabase), which acts as a global store for all boot-related options and settings on newer Windows PCs. However, if an entry in a BCD file has an incorrect type - for example, a Windows XP entry pointing to a Windows 7 partition - then a "0xc000000f" error is displayed and the boot process is halted.

The following is a screenshot of this error as it appears when a Windows XP entry points toward a Windows 7 partition:

<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinXP-entry-points-to-Win71.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4454 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/WinXP-entry-points-to-Win71-1024x768.png" alt="WinXP -&gt; Win7 BCD error" width="980" height="735" /></a>
<pre>Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer."

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

File: \ntldr

Status: 0xc000000f

Info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.
</pre>
And here is a screenshot of this error as it appears when a Windows 7 entry points toward a Windows XP partition:

<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Win7-entry-points-to-WinXP.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4455 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Win7-entry-points-to-WinXP-1024x768.png" alt="Win7 -&gt; WinXP BCD error" width="980" height="735" /></a>
<pre>Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer."

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Status: 0xc000000f

Info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt.</pre>
<p class="info">If the error screen mentions <strong>winload.efi and not winload.exe</strong>, go to <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/winload-efi-missing-corrupt/">Fix: winload.efi is missing or corrupt</a>.</p>

<h3>Causes of this Error</h3>
This error has been known to occur as a result of one or more of the following:
<h4>Cause 1: BCD is missing or corrupt</h4>
The cause of this error is the BCD that became misconfigured. That could happen because of disk write errors, power outages, boot sector viruses, or errors made while configuring the BCD manually.
<h2>Fixing "0xc000000f" on Windows</h2>
[setupcd]
<h3>Fix #1: Rebuild BCD via Easy Recovery Essentials</h3>
Easy Recovery Essentials' one-click automated system repair feature incorporates full repair and reconstruction of the BCD to resolve the "0xc000000f" error, even in cases where Windows won't boot as a result of the error.

The automated boot repair component of EasyRE will address all BCD-related issues, fixing the BCD or recreating it from scratch using the correct encoding and path for the partition that is refusing to load properly.

[easyre error="0xc000000f" bootscreen="vista-7-8-10" guaranteed="true"]
<h3>Fix #2: <span id="Fix_4_Use_Startup_Repair_to_attempt_HAL_replacement">Use Startup Repair to repair BOOTMGR</span></h3>
On Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, Startup Repair can be used to scan the system for damaged or missing system files to replace the BCD file if it is corrupt or missing.

[setupcd]

[partial name="partial_startup_repair"]

Here is an example of what the PC’s startup repair should look like once the BCD file is properly restored:

[caption id="attachment_4409" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Win7-0xc000000f-startup-repair.png"><img class="wp-image-4409 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/Win7-0xc000000f-startup-repair.png" alt="Missing BCD file restored by Startup Repair" width="800" height="600" /></a> Missing BCD file restored by Startup Repair[/caption]
<h3>Fix #3: Rebuild the BCD manually</h3>
Since the boot error is often caused by a missing BCD, rebuilding it is often a good solution.

Here are the steps to rebuild the BCD:
<ol>
 	<li>Boot from the Windows install disc</li>
 	<li>Click on <strong>Repair your computer</strong> after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input.</li>
 	<li>Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually <code>C:\</code>, and click <strong>Next</strong></li>
 	<li>Choose Command Prompt when the System Recovery Options box appears</li>
 	<li>Write the following command and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> afterwards:
<pre>bootrec /rebuildbcd</pre>
</li>
 	<li>If the program finds a Windows installation and asks whether it should add it to the boot list, press <kbd>Y</kbd></li>
</ol>
Here is an example screenshot of what the PC's console output should look like once Bootrec is done rebuilding the BCD.

[caption id="attachment_3693" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/04/VirtualBox_Win7_clean_21_04_2016_03_58_48.png"><img class="wp-image-3693 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/04/bootrec.png" alt="Bootrec utility results screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Bootrec utility results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #4: Repair corrupted system files with the SFC command</h3>
On Windows Vista and Windows 7, it is possible to use the built-in Windows SFC(system file checker) tool to automatically scan a computer's system files and repair them if necessary.

Here are the steps to run SFC:
<ol>
 	<li>Boot from your Windows install disc</li>
 	<li>Click on <strong>Repair your co</strong><strong>mputer</strong> after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input.</li>
 	<li>Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually <code>C:\</code>, and click <strong>Next</strong></li>
 	<li>Choose Command Prompt when the System Recovery Options box appears</li>
 	<li>Write the following command and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> afterwards:
<pre>sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\Windows\</pre>
Replace D: with the letter of the driver where Windows is installed, and D:\Windows with the Windows folder location.</li>
</ol>
Here is an example of what the PC's console output should look like once the sfc.exe scan is complete and missing files are successfully restored:

[caption id="attachment_4233" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/sfc_result.png"><img class="wp-image-4233 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/08/sfc_result.png" alt="System files restored by the SFC utility" width="800" height="600" /></a> System files restored by the SFC utility[/caption]
<h3>Fix #5: Check your disk with CHKDSK utility</h3>
If the hard drive has its file integrity compromised, it is possible to use built-in Windows CHKDSK utility to scan the disk and fix the file system errors.

Here are the steps to run CHKDSK:
<ol>
 	<li>Boot from your Windows install disc</li>
 	<li>Click on <strong>Repair your co</strong><strong>mputer</strong> after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input.</li>
 	<li>Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually <code>C:\</code>, and click <strong>Next</strong></li>
 	<li>Choose Command Prompt when the System Recovery Options box appears</li>
 	<li>Write the following command and press <kbd>Enter</kbd> afterwards:
<pre>chkdsk C: /f</pre>
Replace C: with the letter of the driver where Windows is installed.</li>
</ol>
Here is an example of what the PC's console output should look like once the chkdsk.exe is complete:

[caption id="attachment_3697" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/04/VirtualBox_Win7_clean_21_04_2016_03_58_48.png"><img class="wp-image-3697 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/04/VirtualBox_Win7_clean_21_04_2016_03_58_48.png" alt="Chkdsk utility results screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Chkdsk utility results screen[/caption]
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/bootrec/">bootrec</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/fix-mbr/">Fix MBR</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/sfc/">sfc</a></li>
</ul>
[partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,10"]