PC Error 0xc000000e: Your PC Needs to Be Repaired
“Your PC needs to be repaired”
Usually one link in the startup chain brokeIn plain English: Error 0xc000000e means Windows cannot find or read the device or file it needs to start. Your PC stops at a blue screen that says it needs to be repaired.
First safe step: Start with Enter, which simply asks Windows to try starting again and changes nothing on your PC.
Error 0xc000000e means Windows cannot find or read the device or file it needs to start. Your PC stops at a blue screen that says it needs to be repaired. That screen alone does not mean your photos and documents are deleted.
Below, the three options on that screen are put in the safest order to try, starting with the one that changes nothing on your PC. That order matters, because one option leads to settings you should leave alone for now.
If none of the options appear, or none of them work, do not keep restarting the PC. The steps after that show how to start from recovery media instead, such as a Windows USB drive, and get to the repair tools that way.
Part of the PC Won't Start? Boot Problems and the BitLocker Recovery Screen, Step by Step series, the pillar guide for this cluster.
What error 0xc000000e means in plain English
When you turn the PC on, Windows follows a short startup path before the sign-in screen appears. Error 0xc000000e means that path is broken. Windows cannot connect to the device it needs to start from, or it cannot read the file that tells it how to load.
That file is often the boot configuration data, sometimes called the BCD. It points Windows to the right drive and to winload, the file that starts Windows itself. If the BCD is damaged or the drive cannot be reached, Windows stops and shows the blue recovery screen instead.
Common causes are plain ones. The drive may be loose or starting to fail, the boot files may have been damaged by a power cut or an interrupted update, or the PC may be trying to start from the wrong device, such as a USB drive left plugged in.
This is a starting problem, not proof that your files are gone. Photos, documents and other personal files sit on the drive separate from the startup files. Windows cannot open them while it cannot start, but that is different from the files being erased.
Which on-screen option to try first
Most Windows 10 and 11 screens list the choices along the bottom: Press Enter to try again, press F1 to enter the recovery environment, press F8 for Startup Settings, and press Esc for UEFI Firmware Settings. The labels may be worded slightly differently on your PC, but the keys do the same jobs. Try Enter first, then F1, and leave the other two alone for now.
Start with Enter, which simply asks Windows to try starting again and changes nothing on your PC. A drive that was read badly once, perhaps after a power flicker or a slow start, can read correctly on a second try. If Windows then opens as normal, let it finish loading fully before you sign in or open any files.
If the same blue screen comes back after Enter, press F1 next instead of trying Enter again and again. F1 takes you to the recovery environment, a separate set of repair tools that can run even when Windows cannot start. That is the safe next step for this error, because the tools there are made to fix the startup files Windows could not read.
Leave F8 for now, because Startup Settings helps little here, since Safe Mode still needs the same drive and startup file that Windows just failed to load. Our separate Safe Mode guide covers when that route is worth using. Leave Esc alone too, and change nothing in the UEFI settings it opens, because a wrong change can stop the PC finding its drive.
When no options appear: start the PC from recovery media
Use this route if the screen shows no options, if pressing the keys does nothing, or if the same blue screen returns every time you restart. You will need a second, working PC and a blank USB drive with at least 8 GB of space. Everything on the USB drive will be erased, so do not use one that holds files you need to keep.
- On the working PC, open Microsoft's Windows download page for your version of Windows, download the media creation tool, and run it.
- Accept the terms, select Create installation media for another PC, then select USB flash drive and wait for the copy to finish.
- Insert the USB drive in the faulty PC, turn it on, and tap the one-time boot menu key again and again, right away.
The key varies by brand. F12 is common, HP PCs often use F9, and other PCs may use F11 or Esc. Watch for a prompt on the first startup screen, or check the PC maker's support site.
- In the boot menu, select the USB drive, which may be listed as USB, a removable device, or its maker's name, then press Enter.
Windows Setup will open first on a language and keyboard screen. Check those settings, select Next, then select Repair your computer in the lower left corner of the next screen. Do not select Install now, which starts a fresh install. Next, select Troubleshoot, then Advanced options. You have reached the same recovery tools that F1 leads to, so you can continue with the repair steps below.
If a BitLocker recovery key is requested, pause there. Use our BitLocker recovery key guide to find yours, and enter it only on your own PC, never on this website or any other website.
Repair the boot files in the recovery tools
Repair the boot files in the recovery tools
You should now be looking at the Advanced options screen. Work through these repairs in the order below, and restart after each one to test the result. Stop as soon as Windows starts normally. There is no need to finish the list if an early repair works.
- Try Startup Repair first. On Advanced options, select Startup Repair, then select your Windows installation if you are asked. Allow 10 to 30 minutes for the check, and the PC may restart on its own. When it finishes, restart the PC and test Windows before moving on.
- If Startup Repair does not fix it, use System Restore next, if a restore point from before the problem exists. Select System Restore, pick that point, and follow the prompts. It changes Windows files, settings, and programs, but it does not delete documents, photos, or other personal files. If no point is listed, move on. Restart and test afterward.
- Use Command Prompt last. Select Command Prompt on Advanced options. Type each command exactly as written, press Enter after each line, and wait for it to finish. If the words on your screen differ from the step you expected, stop, reread the step, and do not guess at a different command.
Stage 1 repairs the main startup records. In Command Prompt, type these two commands, in this order:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
Then type exit, press Enter, and select Continue to restart the PC. Test Windows. If it starts, stop here. If the same blue screen returns, go back to Advanced options and Command Prompt for stage 2.
Stage 2 scans the drive for Windows and rebuilds the boot configuration data (BCD). In Command Prompt, type these two commands, in this order:
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
If the PC asks whether to add the Windows installation it found to the startup list, type Y and press Enter. Then type exit, press Enter, and select Continue to restart and test Windows again.
If Windows still does not start after stage 2, do not keep repeating the commands. Close Command Prompt and shut the PC down. The fault may be with the drive itself.
If the repair does not hold: check the drive connection
If Windows starts once after the repair and then shows 0xc000000e again, check for a physical cause before you repeat the repair. Remove every USB drive, memory card, and disc, then restart. A PC set to start from a removable device first may keep trying the wrong device.
Next, use Esc on the blue screen to open the UEFI settings screen, and look for your internal drive in the storage or boot list. The wording varies by brand. Change no settings. Leave with Exit without saving. If your drive is listed, the PC can still see it.
On a desktop PC only, you can check for a loose cable. Switch the PC off and unplug it from the wall. Open the case, and reseat the drive cable by pushing each end firmly into place. Close the case, plug in, and restart. Do not open a laptop for this check.
If your drive does not appear in the list, or you hear repeated clicking, failing hardware is the likely cause, for a laptop or a desktop. Stop the repairs and leave the PC off. If the screen names INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE instead, that is error 0x7B, a different fault. Follow our guide to INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (0x7B).
If Windows still will not start: safe next steps
If you have tried the repairs above twice and Windows still will not start, stop and do not run them again in a loop. Repeating the same steps rarely changes the result, and each restart makes it harder to keep track of what you have already tried.
Do not pay for a cleaner, a driver updater, or a repair program that promises to fix this code. Windows cannot reach its startup drive or files, so a program you download on another PC cannot repair that fault. Do not call a tech support number shown in a pop-up, either.
Saving your personal files comes first, before any last step. A repair install or Reset This PC is a last resort, to use only after you have a copy of your files or a plan to make one. Read our Reset This PC guide for the Keep my files fine print before you select anything there.
If you take the PC to a local repair shop, use plain words and ask for the files first. Say: "Please test the drive before you replace anything, and if you can, copy my photos and documents to a USB drive. Please do not reinstall Windows until I have that copy."
Frequently asked questions
Does error 0xc000000e mean my hard drive has failed?
Not necessarily. A loose or failing drive is one possible cause, but damaged startup files and starting from the wrong device can produce the same code. That is why the drive check comes after the software repairs.
Will I lose my photos and documents?
This screen alone does not delete them. Windows cannot start, so you cannot open your files yet. If the standard repairs fail, copy your personal files before you use Reset This PC or agree to work at a shop.
Do I have to reinstall Windows?
No, not as a first step. Reinstalling and Reset This PC are last resorts in this guide, after the safer options and repairs have been tried and after your personal files have been saved where possible.
Conclusion
Error 0xc000000e looks final, but it usually means one link in the startup chain broke, not that Windows and everything on the drive are gone. Working in the order on this page, safest first, gives you the best chance of a normal start without risking your files or changing settings you cannot undo.
If Windows starts again, back up your photos and documents soon, while you have the chance. If it does not, stop at the point this page sets out, protect those files first, and get the drive tested. A clear stop point is part of the fix.