How to Fix Boot Error 0xC0000098 on Windows

By ErrorFix · Updated October 18, 2026 · 8 min read

What error 0xC0000098 means

Error 0xC0000098 shows up on a blue recovery screen before Windows ever starts loading. The full message reads: Recovery. Your PC needs to be repaired. The Boot Configuration Data file doesn't contain valid information for an operating system. Error code: 0xc0000098. You will see it every time you power on, and there is no way to click past it into Windows.

The Boot Configuration Data, or BCD, is a small database that the Windows boot manager reads the moment you turn the PC on. It records where Windows is installed, which drive to boot from, and which startup options to use. When this database is missing entries or corrupted, the boot manager has nowhere to go and stops with this error. The good news is that your Windows installation and your files are usually completely untouched — only the directions are broken, and directions can be rewritten.

Common causes

• Failed or interrupted Windows update: an update that crashed mid-install can leave the BCD half-written and invalid.
• Drive cloning or migration: moving Windows to a new SSD without fixing the boot entries — the most common trigger after a hardware upgrade.
• Partition changes: resizing, deleting, or reordering partitions, often from dual-boot setups or disk-management tools, breaks the recorded locations.
• Disk damage: bad sectors in the drive's boot area corrupt the BCD store over time.
• Sudden power loss: a forced shutdown or outage while Windows is writing boot data leaves it invalid.

How to fix error 0xC0000098 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Most people clear this error by step 2.

1. Boot from a Windows installation USB You cannot fix this from inside Windows because Windows will not start, so you need another working computer and a USB drive of 8 GB or more. On the working computer, download the Media Creation Tool from microsoft.com and create Windows installation media on the USB drive. Plug the USB into the broken PC, turn it on, and press the boot menu key (usually F12, F9, Esc, or F8 — the exact key flashes on the maker's logo screen) to select the USB drive. When the Windows Setup screen appears, click Next, then click Repair your computer in the bottom-left corner instead of Install now.
2. Run the bootrec repair sequence In the recovery menu, choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Command Prompt. The PC restarts into a command window. Type these commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each: bootrec /fixmbr, then bootrec /fixboot, then bootrec /scanos, then bootrec /rebuildbcd. The fixmbr command writes a fresh master boot record, fixboot writes a new boot sector, scanos looks for Windows installations, and rebuildbcd rebuilds the entire boot configuration database. If rebuildbcd says it found a Windows installation, type Y and press Enter to add it. Type exit, restart, and see if Windows boots.
3. Manually rebuild the BCD store If rebuildbcd reports zero installations found, the BCD store is too damaged for the automatic rebuild. In the same Command Prompt, back up the broken boot data first, then strip the hidden and read-only attributes from the damaged store, rename it to bcd.old so Windows stops using it, and run bootrec /rebuildbcd one more time to build a clean store from scratch. When it finds your Windows installation, type Y to add it, then restart.
4. Run Startup Repair from the recovery menu Go back to Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, and choose Startup Repair this time. Startup Repair scans your system files and boot configuration automatically and attempts to repair whatever it finds. It takes a few minutes and restarts the PC on its own. If it reports that it could not repair the PC, continue to the next step instead of looping it again.
5. Check the system drive for disk errors A damaged BCD is sometimes just a symptom of a failing drive. Open Command Prompt from Advanced options again and type chkdsk followed by a space, your system drive letter, a space, and /r — for most people that is chkdsk C: /r. Press Enter and let it run; on large drives this can take an hour or more. The /r switch finds bad sectors and recovers readable information while marking damaged areas unusable. If chkdsk reports unrecoverable errors on a mechanical drive, back up your data from a live USB and plan a drive replacement, because the error will return.
6. Use System Restore or reset Windows as a last resort If the boot data still will not rebuild, return to Advanced options and try System Restore, which rolls Windows back to a restore point from before the error appeared without touching your personal files. If no restore points exist, choose Reset this PC from Troubleshoot and pick Keep my files. A reset reinstalls Windows fresh, which always produces a valid BCD store. Reinstall your programs afterward, and check that Windows boots normally before reconnecting external drives.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• A Windows installation USB is created and the PC boots from it
• The full bootrec sequence ran and rebuildbcd found your Windows installation
• chkdsk finished on the system drive with no unrecoverable errors
• Startup Repair was attempted before any reset or reinstall

If the error still appears after all six steps, the drive itself is the prime suspect: remove it, connect it to another PC with a USB adapter, and copy your files before replacing the drive. If the drive tests healthy but the error persists, a clean Windows install from the USB media always works — delete all partitions on the system drive during setup and let the installer build the boot data from scratch. After any fix, run one full restart cycle (not just sleep or hibernate) to confirm the boot data is solid.