{"id":911,"date":"2013-08-28T00:53:37","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T05:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/neosmart.net\/kb\/?p=911"},"modified":"2016-11-13T00:05:54","modified_gmt":"2016-11-13T06:05:54","slug":"boot-critical-file-is-corrupt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neosmart.net\/wiki\/boot-critical-file-is-corrupt\/","title":{"rendered":"Boot critical file is corrupt: Fix for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get the fix for the “Boot critical file is corrupt<\/strong>” error for\u00a0Windows Vista,\u00a0Windows 7, Windows 8 <\/strong>and Windows 8.1<\/strong><\/p>\n

About “Boot critical file is corrupt”<\/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: Startup repair fails with message “Boot critical file $file is corrupt”<\/h3>\n

The error “Boot critical file is corrupt” is displayed when Startup Repair fails to correct problems with a non-booting PC.<\/p>\n

In particular, this message indicates that Startup Repair identified that the file in question was determined to be damaged, corrupted, or infected. If you are using Startup Repair from a recovery-only CD (typically 120 – 160 MiB), it will not have the file repair option needed.<\/p>\n

Windows uses digital signatures<\/a> to identify if system files have been damaged or modified by anyone since the date Microsoft digitally “signed” the files. Discrepancies in the file signature indicate that a file has been modified, infected, or tampered with by unauthorized persons or software.<\/p>\n

When attempting to use the automated repair feature of Startup Repair, it attempts to repair your PC but fails. Clicking to view the contents of Startup Repair’s “Diagnosis and repair details” reveals the error to be “Boot critical file $file is corrupt” with one or more failed repair attempts, where $file is the name of a critical system file needed for Windows to start up. Depending on the file and the exact origins of the repair CD, you may then see one or more messages pertaining to recovery methods attempted.<\/p>\n

Example message:<\/p>\n

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

Test Performed:\r\n---------------------------\r\nName: System boot log diagnosis\r\nResult: Completed successfully. Error code =\u00a0 0x0\r\nTime taken = 0 ms\r\n\r\nRoot cause found:\r\n---------------------------\r\nBoot critical file C:\\Windows\\system32\\drivers\\fileinfo.sys is corrupt\r\n\r\nRepair action: File repair\r\nResult: Failed. Error code = 0xa\r\nTime taken = 1529 ms\r\n\r\nRepair action: System Restore.\r\nResult: Failed. Error Code = 0x1f\r\n\r\nRepair action: System files integrity check and repair.\r\nResult: Failed. Error Code = 0x490<\/pre>\n
Known files affected<\/h3>\n
As mentioned above, the error “Boot critical file is corrupt” is not limited to a single system file. Our field technicians have identified that this error could present itself with any of the following files, amongst others:<\/p>\n