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Get the fix for the error <strong>Invalid partition table </strong>on <strong>Windows XP,</strong> <strong>Windows Vista,</strong><strong> Windows 7 </strong>and<strong> Windows 10</strong>.
<h2>About "<strong>Invalid partition table</strong>"</h2>
[kbintro]
<h3><span id="Description_and_Symptoms">Description and Symptoms</span></h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h3>Symptom 1: "<strong>Invalid partition table</strong>" error screen on startup</h3>
A <b>partition table</b> is a table maintained on disk by the operating system describing the partitions on that disk. This term is most commonly associated with the MBR partition table of a Master Boot Record (MBR) in IBM PC compatibles, but it may be used generically to refer to other "formats" that divide a disk drive into partitions. If the partition table becomes damaged or corrupt, then the system becomes unable to locate the partition to boot from and the boot process is halted.

<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/Invalid-Partition-Table.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-4947 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/Invalid-Partition-Table.png" alt="Invalid partition table error screen" width="980" height="450" /></a>
<pre>Invalid partition table</pre>
<h2>Causes of this Error</h2>
This error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes:
<h3>Cause 1: Partition table is damaged</h3>
The most frequent cause of this error is a damaged partition table. It is located in the MBR(Master Boot Record) of the boot sector, which holds the information on how the logical partitions, containing file systems, are organized on that medium. The most common cause of that error is a failing hard drive, or a disk write error.
<h3>Cause 2: Two partitions are marked as active</h3>
Among all partitions available on the hard drive, only one should be set an active to indicate that this is the partition to boot from. If MBR detects two active partition on the current disk, then the system loading process halts. This is usually caused by errors made while configuring the partitions manually. that medium. The most common cause of that error is a failing hard drive, or a disk write error.
<h3>Fixing “<strong>Invalid partition table</strong><span id="Fixing_8220Fatal_INT18_Boot_failure8221_on_Windows">” on Windows</span></h3>
[setupcd]
<h3>Fix #1: Rebuild the MBR with Easy Recovery Essentials</h3>
[easyre error="Invalid partition table" bootscreen="xp-vista-7-8-10"]
<h3>Fix #2: Rebuild the MBR manually</h3>
You can try to rebuild the BCD if the winload.efi error appears because of a corrupt BCD file:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the installation disc</li>
 	<li>Restart your computer and boot from the disc</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/10/Install-Now-Windows-7.jpg" alt="Windows 7 Install Now screen" /></li>
 	<li>At the System Recovery Options screen, select <strong>Command Prompt</strong><img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/windows-7-system-recovery-options-screen.jpg" alt="System Recovery Options in Windows 7" /></li>
 	<li>Run the following commands:
<pre>bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /rebuildbcd</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd> after each and wait for the commands to finish</li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4676" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/bootrec4.png"><img class="wp-image-4676 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/bootrec4-1024x768.png" alt="bootrec utility results screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> bootrec utility results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #3: Check partition status using Diskpart</h3>
The built-in Diskpart Windows utility can be used to check partition status and mark them as inactive if necessary. Note that the active partition must contain the Windows bootloader for Windows to load correctly.

Here are the steps to run Diskpart and change the disk's status:
<ol>
 	<li>Boot from the Windows install disc</li>
 	<li>Click on <strong>Repair your computer</strong> after 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>diskpart</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Then, write
<pre>list volume</pre>
to get the list of all available partitions, and press <kbd>Enter</kbd>. The active volume(volumes) will have an asterisk(*) next to its name.</li>
 	<li>Then, write
<pre>select volume X</pre>
to select the volume you want to mark as inactive, and press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then, write
<pre>inactive</pre>
to mark the currently selected volume as active, and press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
</ol>
Here is an example screenshot of what the PC's console output should look like after the volume is marked as inactive with Diskpart:

[caption id="attachment_4949" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/inactive.png"><img class="wp-image-4949 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/inactive.png" alt="Diskpart utility results screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Diskpart utility results screen[/caption]
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/bootcfg/">bootcfg</a></li>
</ul>
[partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="xp,vista,7,8,10"]