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This article explains step-by-step solutions that you can use to <strong>fix your computer's UEFI boot</strong> for these Windows versions: <strong>Windows 10</strong>, <strong>Windows 11</strong>, <strong>Windows 7</strong>, and <strong>Windows 8</strong>.

This how-to article is applicable for PCs with UEFI/EFI that have either <strong>Windows 10</strong>, <strong>Windows 11</strong>, <strong>Windows 7</strong>, or <strong>Windows 8</strong> installed.

[toc]

UEFI (EFI) is the updated version of BIOS, which is commonly found on older models of computers. Major PC manufacturers - Dell, HP, Acer, Asus and so on - no longer ship PCs with BIOS, but with UEFI/EFI instead.

Most computers with UEFI/EFI can provide legacy support for BIOS. In this kind of example, if you enable legacy support, you could install Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP on a computer that has UEFI/EFI and not BIOS.

[caption id="attachment_2060" align="alignnone" width="430"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/ThinkPad-UEFI-Legacy-Boot-Priority.gif"><img class="wp-image-2060 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/ThinkPad-UEFI-Legacy-Boot-Priority.gif" alt="ThinkPad UEFI-Legacy Boot Priority" width="430" height="325" /></a> ThinkPad UEFI-Legacy Boot Priority[/caption]

PCs with Windows 8 or newer usually have UEFI/EFI installed and not BIOS, but PCs with Windows 7 will use the UEFI/EFI set with Legacy mode active.
<h2>Fix UEFI Boot with Easy Recovery Essentials</h2>
Easy Recovery Essentials is <a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/2013/download-efi-and-uefi-repair-cds-for-windows/">our EFI and UEFI repair CD/DVD/USB for Windows</a> that can be used to fix your computer.

<strong>Easy Recovery Essentials can correct errors in the UEFI/EFI firmware configuration.</strong>

[easyre error="any UEFI boot error" bootscreen="7-8-10"]
<h2>Fix UEFI Boot in Windows 7</h2>
The step-by-step instructions for fixing the UEFI/EFI boot on a Windows 7 system are very similar to <a href="#Fix_UEFI_Boot_in_Windows_8_and_81">those of Windows 8/8.1</a>:

<ul>
 	<li>Use bootrec</li>
 	<li>Use diskpart</li>
 	<li><a href="#Fix_UEFI_Boot_with_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></li>
</ul>
Windows 7 can't be installed if your computer's UEFI/EFI mode is set as active and not in Legacy mode. Legacy mode allows your computer to boot Windows 7.

If your computer model is new and has UEFI/EFI installed, but you have Windows 7 installed, it's most likely that you're running UEFI/EFI as Legacy.

Follow the instructions from prerequisites below before you start.
<h3>Prerequisites</h3>
Before you start using the bootrec or the diskpart command to fix the bootloader of your Windows 7 system, first you must determine that UEFI/EFI loads with the Legacy mode active.

Follow these steps:
<ol>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
 	<li>Press the necessary key to open UEFI/EFI. The key depends on your PC manufacturer and PC model.Most common keys are: <kbd>F2</kbd>, <kbd>F8</kbd>, <kbd>F12</kbd>, <kbd>Del</kbd>. <kbd>Esc</kbd> is also an option.</li>
 	<li>Once inside the UEFI/EFI setup menu, search for <strong>Secure Boot</strong>.This is usually found at any of the following tabs: Boot, Authentication or Security.</li>
 	<li>Make sure <strong>Secure Boot</strong> is either <strong>Disabled</strong> or <strong>Off</strong></li>
 	<li>Save these settings and exit the UEFI/EFI setup menu</li>
</ol>

[caption id="attachment_1731" align="alignnone" width="850"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/dell-uefi-secure-boot-enabled-disabled.png"><img class="wp-image-1731 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/dell-uefi-secure-boot-enabled-disabled.png" alt="Secure Boot [Enabled] on a Dell computer" width="850" height="465" /></a> Secure Boot [Enabled] on a Dell computer[/caption][caption id="attachment_2049" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/HP-Secure-Boot.jpg"><img class="wp-image-2049 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/HP-Secure-Boot.jpg" alt="Secure Boot [Enabled] on a HP computer" width="1024" height="768" /></a> Secure Boot [Enabled] on a HP computer[/caption]
<h3>Fix #1: Use bootrec</h3>
To use the bootrec utility and fix the boot error of your Windows 7 system, follow these steps:
<p class="warning">If you don't have the Windows 7 installation CD/DVD to run Command Prompt, go to <a href="#Fix_UEFI_Boot_with_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix UEFI Boot with Easy Recovery Essentials</a>.</p>
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the original Windows 7 installation CD/DVD and boot from it</li>
 	<li>Select a language, keyboard and click <strong>Next</strong></li>
 	<li>Select the operating list (Windows 7) from the list and click <strong>Next</strong></li>
 	<li>At the <em>System Recovery Options</em> screen, click <strong>Command Prompt</strong>

[caption id="attachment_1972" align="alignnone" width="485"]<img class="size-full wp-image-1972" src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/windows-7-system-recovery-options-screen.jpg" alt="Windows 7 System Recovery Options Screen" width="485" height="362" /> Windows 7 System Recovery Options Screen[/caption]</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>bootrec /fixmbr</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>bootrec /fixboot</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>bootrec /ScanOs</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>bootrec /rebuildBcd</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Remove the installation CD/DVD, type exit, press <kbd>Enter</kbd> and restart your computer</li>
</ol>

[caption id="attachment_5068" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/bootrec4.png"><img class="wp-image-5068 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/bootrec4-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 7 bootrec utility results screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Windows 7 bootrec utility results screen[/caption]

If the bootrec utility doesn't fix the boot error, follow <a href="#Fix_2_Use_diskpart">Fix #2: Use diskpart</a>.
<h3>Fix #2: Use bootsect</h3>
[setupcd]

Follow these steps to run diskpart to repair the boot sector code of the Windows 7 installation:
<ol>
 	<li>Follow the steps from <a href="#Fix_1_Use_bootrec">Fix #1: Use bootrec</a> until you reach Command Prompt</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>bootsect /nt60 SYS /mbr</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Remove the Windows 7 installation CD/DVD from the disc tray, type <code>exit</code> in Command Prompt and press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
</ol>

[caption id="attachment_5070" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/W7_bootsec_results.png"><img class="wp-image-5070 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/W7_bootsec_results.png" alt="Windows 7 bootsect utility results screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Windows 7 bootsect utility results screen[/caption]
<h2>Fix UEFI Boot in Windows 8, 8.1 or 10</h2>
To fix the UEFI bootloader on a Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 system, you can follow these options:
<ul>
 	<li>Use diskpart to check if the UEFI partition has a drive letter assigned (if not, it must be assigned)</li>
 	<li>Use Automatic Repair if diskpart doesn't work</li>
 	<li><a href="#Fix_UEFI_Boot_with_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Use Easy Recovery Essentials to automatically fix the UEFI bootloader</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Fix #1: Use diskpart</h3>
If the UEFI partition on your computer doesn't have a drive letter assigned, this may be the primary cause of your computer's boot error.

A common is to use the diskpart utility (available on the Windows 8/8.1/10 recovery disc/USB) to make sure the UEFI partition has a letter assigned to it. If it doesn't, you'll assign it a letter.

[setupcd]

The instructions you need to follow are:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert your original Windows 8/8.1/10 installation disc or installation USB</li>
 	<li>Boot from the disc or the USB</li>
 	<li>At the <em>Install now</em> screen, click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> or press <kbd>R</kbd>

[caption id="attachment_2111" align="alignnone" width="610"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png"><img class="wp-image-2111 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png" alt="Windows 8 Repair Your Computer Menu" width="610" height="430" /></a> Windows 8 Repair Your Computer Menu[/caption]</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Troubleshoot</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Advanced options</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li>
 	<li>When Command Prompt has finished loading, type:
<pre>diskpart</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>The diskpart utility should now be loaded:
<pre>DISKPART&gt;</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>sel disk 0</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Wait for the confirmation message:
<pre>Disk 0 is now the selected disk.</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>list vol</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>diskpart will now show the full list of volumes available on your PC
<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/diskpart-list-vol.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-5545" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/diskpart-list-vol-600x172.png" alt="" width="488" height="140" /></a></li>
 	<li>Find the UEFI volume from the list. This usually has "BOOT" mentioned on the Label column, "System" on the Info column. The Fs column might FAT32 specified.For our example, in the next steps, our UEFI partition will be on Volume 2.</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>sel vol 2</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>assign letter=G:</pre>
Where <code>G:</code> should be a unique drive letter. It can't be already used, e.g. C:\, D:\</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Wait for the confirmation message:
<pre>DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>exit</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>cd /d G:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\</pre>
Where <code>G:</code> is the drive letter you've assigned to your UEFI partition a few steps back. If the <code>\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\</code> folder doesn't exist (the error message will be <em>"The system cannot find the path specified"</em>), you can run the same command on alternative paths:
<pre>cd /d G:\Boot\</pre>
or
<pre>cd /d G:\ESD\Windows\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\</pre>
Remember to replace <code>G:</code> with the UEFI's partition letter.</li>
 	<li>Type the bootrec command:
<pre>bootrec /fixboot</pre>
<strong class="" style="font-size: 16px;">NOTE:</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"> on newer </span>Windows 10<span class="" style="font-size: 16px;"> installs this command may return with an "</span>Access Denied<span class="" style="font-size: 16px;">" error. On those versions the following command should be run: </span>
<pre class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;">bcdboot C:\windows /s G: /f UEFI</span></pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>For backup purposes, backup the BCD record of your computer like this:
<pre>ren BCD BCD.bak</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Recreate the BCD using the bcdboot command:
<pre>Bcdboot C:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL</pre>
Where <code>C:\</code> is the letter of the drive where Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 is installed on. The <code>/l en-us</code> parameter is used for localization: US. You can use <code>ln /en-gb</code> for UK localization.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>You can also run this command too:
<pre>bootrec /rebuildbcd</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type <code>exit</code> in Command Prompt</li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
 	<li>Your Windows 8/8.1/10 should now boot again</li>
</ol>

[caption id="attachment_5071" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/W8_uefi_fix.png"><img class="wp-image-5071 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/02/W8_uefi_fix-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 8 bootrec utility results screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Windows 8 bootrec utility results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #2: Use Automatic Repair</h3>
The built-in Automatic Repair utility, available on the Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 disc, might fix errors with the UEFI bootloader of your computer.

In most cases, <a href="#Fix_1_Use_diskpart">Fix #1: Use diskpart</a> works better than Fix #2.

[setupcd]

The instructions to run Automatic Repair are:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the Windows 8/8.1/10 installation disc or USB</li>
 	<li>Restart your computer and boot from disc/USB</li>
 	<li>At the <em>Install Now</em> screen, click <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li>
 	<li>At the <em>Choose an option</em> screen, click <strong>Troubleshoot</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Automatic Repair</strong></li>
 	<li>Choose an account from the list to continue, at the <em>Automatic Repair</em> screen</li>
 	<li>Wait for the process to finish</li>
</ol>

[caption id="attachment_1723" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png"><img class="wp-image-1723 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot-1024x687.png" alt="Windows 8 recovery options screen" width="980" height="657" /></a> Windows 8 recovery options 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/diskpart/">diskpart</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/disabling-secure-boot/">Disable secure boot</a></li>
</ul>
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