Error: no such partition. Grub rescue Fix for Windows XP, Vista, 7

Get the fix for the error Error: no such partition. Grub rescue on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

About “Error: no such partition. Grub rescue“

The following information on this error has been compiled by NeoSmart Technologies, based on the information gathered and reported by our global network of engineers, developers, and technicians or partner organizations.

Description and Symptoms

The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.

Symptom 1: “Error: no such partition. Grub rescue” error screen on startup

This error is usually displayed on computers with the Linux distribution Ubuntu installed as it uses the GRUB installer.

Contents

Another related issue on PCs with Ubuntu on is the “Cannot find GRLDR” error. You can find more about this particular error on our Wiki at Cannot find GRLDR: Fix for Windows XP and 7 article.

There are no other known alternative error message related to this boot error.

Causes of this Error

This error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes:

Cause 1: Invalid boot loader configuration

The most common cause of this error is a misconfigured boot loader file that prevents the system from loading.

Fix: Use Easy Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials can fix many errors such as this automatically using its built-in Automated Repair option. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11 and can be downloaded and created on any PC.

  1. Download Easy Recovery Essentials. Make sure to note your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, or Windows 11) before you download EasyRE. This guide can help you identify what version of Windows you have installed.
  2. Burn the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image very carefully, as making a bootable CD can be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explain how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
  3. Boot up your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB you created.
  4. Once EasyRE is running, choose the “Automated Repair” option and click Continue.
    EasyRE Home

    Choose “Automated Repair” in Easy Recovery Essentials

  5. After EasyRE scans your computer’s drives, identify and select the drive letter for your Windows installation from the list, and then click on the Automated Repair button to begin.
    EasyRE displays a list of found Windows operating systems

    Choose the drive associated with the Windows installation you’re trying to repair.

  6. Easy Recovery Essentials will start analyzing the selected drive for problems. EasyRE will test for and attempt to automatically correct errors with the disk, partition, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, as EasyRE’s repair is fully automated:
    EasyRE: Automated Repair

    Easy Recovery Essentials searches for errors and makes corrections to the selected Windows installation.

  7. Once the process is complete, EasyRE will report its findings. Click on the Restart button to reboot your PC and test the changes.
  8. The “Error: no such partition. Grub rescue” error should now be fixed as your PC begins to load:EasyRE: Automated Repair

You can download Easy Recovery Essentials from here.

Fix Error: no such partition. Grub rescue in Windows XP, 7

Windows Setup CD/DVD Required!
Some of the solutions below require the use of the Microsoft Windows setup CD or DVD. If your PC did not come with a Windows installation disc or if you no longer have your Windows setup media, you can use Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows instead. EasyRE will automatically find and fix many problems, and can also be used to solve this problem with the directions below.

Fix #1: Rebuild the BCD

You can rebuild the master boot sector with bootrec.exe, the tool available in the Windows Recovery Environment.

If you have Windows XP:

  1. Insert the Windows XP CD in the optical drive
  2. Reboot the computer
  3. At the Microsoft Setup menu, press R
  4. Select the operating system
  5. Enter the Administrator password
  6. When Command Prompt appears, you can type the bootcfg command: 
    bootcfg /rebuild
  7. Press Enter
  8. Once completed, type exit to reboot the computer
  9. Press Enter

If you have Windows 7:

  1. Insert your Windows install disc
  2. Press any key at the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” message to boot from the disc
  3. Choose Repair your computer after you select the language, time and keyboard method (for Windows 7 users)
  4. Select your Windows installation drive (usually C:\)
  5. Click Next
  6. Select Command Prompt in the System Recovery Options window
  7. Write the following commands in the Command Prompt: 
    bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
  8. Press Enter after each command
bootrec utility results screen

bootrec utility results screen

Fix #2: Manually configuring the active partition

A very common cause for this error to show up is not having the correct partition set as active. Referring to the description of how the PC boots, the BIOS tries to start the boot loader up from the active partition and the bootloader searches for its configuration data from the active partition as well. If the active partition is corrupted or incorrectly set, many errors including this “Error: no such partition.” can happen.

Use diskpart from the command line to set the correct partition.

  1. Execute the following commands to see a list of all partitions on your disk: 
    diskpart
list part

    Press Enter after each command.

  2. Once you’ve determined which of the displayed partition needs to be active (not sure? Easy Recovery Essentials can automatically detect problems with your active partition and automatically reconfigure the correct partition for you, no command line needed), carry out the steps below to make the changes:
  3. select partition x
active
quit

    Press Enter after each command.

  4. Reboot for the changes to take place.
diskpart utility results screen

diskpart utility results screen

Fix #3: Restore boot sector code

These steps apply only for Windows 7 users.

  1. Boot from your Windows 7 disc
  2. Choose Repair your computer after you select the language, time and keyboard method
  3. Select your Windows installation drive (usually C:\) and click Next
  4. Select Command Prompt in the System Recovery Options box
  5. Determine which drive letter is your Windows install disc by typing these commands in the Command Prompt: 
    diskpart
select disk 0
list volume
  6. Look for the “CD-ROM” value in “Type” column in the new table and you’ll see your installation drive letter
  7. Now go to the boot folder from your disc using these commands below. Note that we’ll be using D: (second command below) as our installation drive letter; yours may be different. 
    exit
D:
cd boot
dir
  8. Verify that you have a bootsect.exe file listed. If so, enter the next command: 
    bootsect /nt60 SYS /mbr
  9. Press Enter when the process is complete and then type exit: 
    exit
  10. Restart your computer
bootsect utility results screen

bootsect utility results screen

More Information

Linked Entries

Support Links

Applicable Systems

This Windows-related knowledgebase article applies to the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP (all editions)
  • Windows Vista (all editions)
  • Windows 7 (all editions)

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