The most common cause of this issue is a corrupted or missing boot file, often due to improper shutdowns, disk errors, or changes in the system’s boot configuration. Additionally, issues with UEFI firmware or damaged system files can also trigger this error. On a Windows 8/8.1/10 system, the error usually appears in the following forms: Your PC needs to be repaired. The application or operating system couldn’t be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors. File: \windows\system32\winload.efi Error code: 0xc000*** or: Your PC needs to be repaired. An unexpected error has occurred. Error code: 0xc0000001. You’ll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don’t have any installation media, contact your system administrator or PC manufacturer.
How to Boot into BIOS to Change Boot Order
You must know how to boot and change the boot order since this will be needed to perform the solutions below. Restart your computer. Enter your computer’s BIOS (or UEFI) settings as soon as it starts up. The key that you need to press to enter these settings depends on the manufacturer of your computer’s motherboard and can be anything from Esc, Delete, or F2 to F8, F10, or F12, with F2 being the most common. This information is displayed on the POST screen and in the manual supplied with your system. A quick Google search asking “how to enter BIOS” followed by your model number will also list the results.
Method 1: Disable Secure Boot
If you have a UEFI-based computer instead of the old traditional BIOS, the issue can be caused by a certain setting in UEFI called Secure Boot. It can stop your system from accessing the winload.efi file, causing this error to appear. Windows 8 and later versions have this feature enabled by default. To disable Secure Boot, boot to BIOS or UEFI. The UEFI setup user interface differs by model. Generally, look for Secure Boot, which can be found in its own separate section, or under the Security tab, the Boot tab, or the Authentication tab, depending on your system model. Consult your system model’s manual to know exactly where it is. Once you find the Secure Boot option in a tab, disable it or turn it off.
Save the UEFI settings and exit. Now boot up your system normally. If you still get the same error, move on to the next solution.
Method 2: Repair Boot Record
Restoring the Boot Record fixes the Winload.EFI error by correcting corrupted or missing boot configurations, enabling the system to locate necessary boot files. This process rewrites the Master Boot Record (MBR), Boot Configuration Data (BCD), and related structures that control startup, re-establishing the pathways the Windows Boot Manager uses to load the operating system, effectively resolving the 0xc0000001 error.
Windows 7 Users
In order to continue, you will need to start Windows in repair mode. For that, (see steps here). Once you boot to start-up repair and see the “System Recovery Options,” choose Command Prompt. Once the command prompt’s black window appears, type the following commands and press Enter after each line. After the commands have executed successfully, restart your system and check if the issue is still there. If the issue is still there, then repeat the above procedure and execute the commands 3 times each. Now check if the issue is resolved. If not, move on to the next solution.
Windows 8/8.1/10
To start Windows 8/8.1 and 10 in Repair Mode, see steps here. In the advanced options, click Command Prompt. Once the command prompt’s black window appears, type the following commands and press Enter after each line. After the commands have executed successfully, restart your system and check if the issue is still there. If the issue persists, then repeat the above procedure and execute the commands 3 times each. Now check if the issue is resolved. If not, move on to the next solution.
Method 3: Perform a Startup Repair
You may get the error code 0XC0000001 if the startup items of your system are corrupt. In this context, performing a startup repair of the system may solve the problem. But before that, make sure the system’s boot order in the BIOS settings is properly configured (the Windows drive is first in the boot order).
Method 4: Uninstall the Buggy Update
Microsoft has a very long history of releasing buggy updates, and the issue at hand can also be a result of the same. In this case, removing the buggy update (either Quality or Feature Update) may solve the problem.
Method 5: Perform a CHKDSK Scan
Running a CHKDSK scan can pinpoint and repair disk errors that might be causing the Winload.EFI error. Over time, bad sectors, file system corruption, or other disk-related issues can damage essential boot files, leading to the 0xc0000001 error. CHKDSK (Check Disk) examines the integrity of your hard drive, detects these issues, and attempts to fix them. If the above process is too technical for you, then attach the problematic system’s hard drive to another PC and perform the Chkdsk scan there to check if the BSOD issue is resolved.
Method 6: Use the BCDBoot Utility
Using the BCDBoot utility re-establishes the link between system files and the Windows Boot Manager, resolving the Winload.EFI error. It copies essential boot files to the system partition and creates a new Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store, ensuring the Windows Boot Manager can load these files correctly. This is particularly useful when the existing BCD is corrupted or missing, allowing you to rebuild the boot environment and fix the 0xc0000001 error. Now restart your system and check if the issue is resolved. If not, proceed to Method 4.
Method 7: Disable Anti-Malware Protection
Solution 8: Perform a System Restore
The error code 0XC0000001 could be a result of a recent (unwanted) change to the system, and restoring the system to an earlier point in time when it was operating fine may solve the problem. You can also use the following in the Command Prompt to perform the System Restore (where C is the system drive, which you can find by following the steps mentioned in the Chkdsk solution):
Method 9: Rename the Corrupt Registry Files and Copy the Backup Registry Files
You may encounter the 0XC0000001 error if some of the essential files (especially those related to the system’s registry) are corrupt. In this scenario, renaming the corrupt files and placing the original OS files (from the registry backup folder) may solve the problem.
Method 10: Perform System Operations in Command Prompt
There are different cmdlets (like Bootrec, SFC, DISM, etc.) in the Command Prompt that can be used to solve the current BSOD issue.
Perform the SFC and DISM Scans
Disable Hibernation
If the issue started to occur after hibernating the system, then disabling hibernation may solve the problem.
Rename the EFI Folder
If the issue persists, then you may have to perform a clean installation of Windows either on a different partition/disk or after completely repartitioning the problematic drive. If you cannot back up the system drive data in any other way, then it will be better to use the Custom Install option (the system drive data will be in the Windows.old folder) when performing the clean installation of Windows.
