{"id":4944,"date":"2016-09-24T01:29:02","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T06:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/neosmart.net\/wiki\/?p=4944"},"modified":"2016-09-24T01:37:03","modified_gmt":"2016-09-24T06:37:03","slug":"invalid-partition-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neosmart.net\/wiki\/invalid-partition-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Invalid partition table: Fix for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get the fix for the error Invalid partition table\u00a0<\/strong>on Windows XP,<\/strong> Windows Vista,<\/strong>\u00a0Windows 7 <\/strong>and Windows 10<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

About “Invalid partition table<\/strong>“<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Description and Symptoms<\/span><\/h3>\n

The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.<\/p>\n

Symptom 1: “Invalid partition table<\/strong>” error screen on startup<\/h3>\n

A partition table<\/b> is a table maintained on disk by the operating system describing the partitions on that disk. This term\u00a0is 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.<\/p>\n

\"Invalid<\/a><\/p>\n

Invalid partition table<\/pre>\n
Causes of this Error<\/h2>\n
This error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes:<\/p>\n
Cause 1: Partition table is damaged<\/h3>\n
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\u00a0holds 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.<\/p>\n
Cause 2: Two partitions are marked as active<\/h3>\n
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.\u00a0If MBR detects\u00a0two active partition on the current disk, then the system loading process halts. This is usually caused by errors made while configuring the partitions manually.\u00a0that medium. The most common cause of that error is a failing hard drive, or a disk write error.<\/p>\n
Fixing \u201cInvalid partition table<\/strong>\u201d on Windows<\/span><\/h3>\n
Windows Setup CD\/DVD Required!<\/strong>
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<\/a> instead. EasyRE will automatically find and fix many problems, and can also be used to solve this problem with the directions below.<\/p>\n
Fix #1: Rebuild the MBR\u00a0with Easy Recovery Essentials<\/h3>\n
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<\/strong>, Vista<\/strong>, 7<\/strong>, 8<\/strong>, Windows 10<\/strong>, and Windows 11<\/strong> and can be downloaded and created on any PC.<\/p>\n
    \n
  1. Download Easy Recovery Essentials<\/a>. 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<\/a> you have installed.<\/li>\n
  2. Burn the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image<\/a>\u00a0very carefully, as making a bootable CD can be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explain how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick\/drive<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. Boot up your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD<\/a> or USB you created.<\/li>\n
  4. Once EasyRE is running, choose the “Automated Repair” option and click Continue<\/kbd>.\n
    \"EasyRE<\/a><\/p>\n
    Choose “Automated Repair” in Easy Recovery Essentials<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. After EasyRE scans your computer’s drives, identify and select the drive letter for your Windows installation\u00a0from the list, and then click on the Automated Repair<\/kbd> button to begin.\n
  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:\n
    \"EasyRE:<\/a><\/p>\n
    Easy Recovery Essentials searches for errors and makes corrections to the selected Windows installation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. Once the process is complete, EasyRE will report its findings. Click on the Restart<\/kbd> button to reboot your PC and test the changes.<\/li>\n
  8. The “Invalid partition table” error should now be fixed as your PC begins to load:\"EasyRE:<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    You can download Easy Recovery Essentials from here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
    Fix #2:\u00a0Rebuild the MBR manually<\/h3>\n
    You can try to rebuild the BCD if the winload.efi error appears because of a corrupt BCD file:<\/p>\n
      \n
    1. Insert the installation disc<\/li>\n
    2. Restart your computer and boot from the disc<\/li>\n
    3. Click Repair your computer<\/strong>\"Windows<\/li>\n
    4. At the System Recovery Options screen, select Command Prompt<\/strong>\"System<\/li>\n
    5. Run the following commands:\n
      bootrec \/fixboot\r\nbootrec \/scanos\r\nbootrec \/fixmbr\r\nbootrec \/rebuildbcd<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n
    6. Press Enter<\/kbd> after each and wait for the commands to finish<\/li>\n
    7. Restart your computer<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"bootrec<\/a><\/p>\n
      bootrec utility results screen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
      Fix #3: Check partition status using Diskpart<\/h3>\n
      The built-in Diskpart Windows utility can be used to check partition status and mark them\u00a0as inactive if necessary. Note that the active\u00a0partition must contain the Windows bootloader for Windows to load correctly.<\/p>\n
      Here are the steps to run Diskpart and change the disk’s status:<\/p>\n
        \n
      1. Boot from the Windows install disc<\/li>\n
      2. Click on Repair your computer<\/strong> after after selecting proper language, time and keyboard input<\/li>\n
      3. Select the Windows installation drive, which is usually C:\\<\/code>, and click Next<\/strong><\/li>\n
      4. Choose Command Prompt when the System Recovery Options box appears<\/li>\n
      5. Write the following command and press Enter<\/kbd> afterwards:\n
        diskpart<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n
      6. Then, write\n
        list volume<\/pre>\n
        to get the list of all available partitions, and press Enter<\/kbd>. The active volume(volumes) will have an asterisk(*) next to its name.<\/li>\n
      7. Then, write\n
        select volume X<\/pre>\n
        to select the volume you want to mark as inactive, and press Enter<\/kbd><\/li>\n
      8. Then, write\n
        inactive<\/pre>\n
        to mark the currently selected volume as active, and press Enter<\/kbd><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        Here is an example screenshot of what the PC’s console output should look like after the volume is marked as inactive with Diskpart:<\/p>\n
        \"Diskpart<\/a><\/p>\n
        Diskpart utility results screen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
        More Information<\/h2>\n
        Linked Entries<\/h3>\n