How to Fix Boot Error 0xc000014c on Windows 10/11

By ErrorFix · Updated October 13, 2026 · 9 min read

What error 0xc000014c means

The full message on the blue screen reads something like: "Your PC needs to be repaired. The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors. Error code: 0xc000014c." In technical terms, Windows stores the instructions for how to start in a small file called the BCD (Boot Configuration Data). It lists which drive holds Windows, which boot loader to use, and how to hand off to the operating system. When that file is missing or corrupted, the boot loader has nowhere to go — it stops and shows this screen instead of starting Windows.

This is a boot-time error, not a Windows-is-running error, so you cannot fix it from inside Windows — you need the recovery tools that run before Windows loads. The reassuring part is that your files are almost always untouched: the damage is confined to a tiny set of boot files, and once they are rebuilt, Windows usually starts right back up with everything intact. Reinstalling Windows is rarely necessary, and nothing in the steps below deletes your data.

Common causes

• Corrupted BCD from a failed update or power loss: the most common cause. A Windows update, driver install, or sudden shutdown that is interrupted mid-write can leave the BCD store half-written and unusable.
• Disk errors or a failing drive: bad sectors landing on the boot partition damage the BCD and related boot files, which produces exactly this error on the next start.
• Partition changes after dual-booting: resizing, deleting, or reordering partitions — especially removing a Linux partition — shifts partition numbering and breaks the BCD's references.
• Malware damage to boot files: bootkits and some ransomware deliberately overwrite boot files, leaving a corrupted BCD behind even after the malware is removed.
• Cloning Windows to a new SSD without repairing the boot files: disk-cloning tools copy the Windows partition but don't always rebuild the BCD, so the cloned drive fails to boot with 0xc000014c.

How to fix error 0xc000014c — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Steps 1 through 4 resolve the error for the large majority of PCs.

1. Boot into the Windows Recovery Environment. If your PC already reaches the blue "Your PC needs to be repaired" screen, you may have the tools already. If not, create a Windows 10 or 11 installation USB on another computer using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, plug it into the failing PC, and boot from it (usually by pressing F12, F9, or Esc during startup and choosing the USB drive). On the first setup screen choose your language, then click Repair your computer in the bottom-left corner. Go to Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Command Prompt.
2. Repair the Master Boot Record with bootrec. In Command Prompt, type bootrec /fixmbr and press Enter — this rewrites the master boot record. Then type bootrec /fixboot and press Enter — this writes a new boot sector to the system partition. If /fixboot reports "Access is denied," don't worry; that happens on UEFI systems and Step 4's bcdboot command handles it.
3. Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data. Type bootrec /scanos and press Enter to scan for Windows installations on your drives. Then type bootrec /rebuildbcd and press Enter. If it asks whether to add an installation to the boot list, type Y and press Enter for each one it finds. This writes a fresh BCD store with the installations it detected.
4. Rebuild the BCD with bcdboot. Type bcdboot C:\Windows and press Enter. This copies fresh boot files from your Windows folder and builds a clean BCD. If your Windows drive has a different letter in the recovery environment (check with diskpart, then list volume), replace C: with the correct letter. On UEFI systems where /fixboot was denied, you can also target the EFI partition directly with bcdboot C:\Windows /s Z: /f UEFI after assigning it a letter.
5. Run Startup Repair. Close Command Prompt, go back to the Advanced options screen, and choose Startup Repair. Select your Windows installation if asked, and let it scan for and automatically fix startup problems. When it finishes, remove the USB drive (if you used one) and restart the PC.
6. Check the disk and repair system files. If the error persists, reopen Command Prompt from Advanced options and run chkdsk C: /f /r to find and repair disk errors — this can take a while on large drives. After that completes, run sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows to repair corrupted system files from outside Windows, then restart once more.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The PC boots past the blue recovery screen to the Windows sign-in screen
• No "Boot Configuration Data is missing" message appears during startup
• bootrec and bcdboot reported success with no errors in Command Prompt
• The PC restarts cleanly a second time with no USB drive plugged in

If Windows boots but the error returns after a few restarts, run a health check on the drive — repeated BCD corruption is a classic sign of a failing hard drive or SSD. You can also try System Restore from Advanced options to roll back to a point before the error appeared. As a last resort, choose Reset this PC from Troubleshoot and pick Keep my files: it reinstalls Windows while preserving your personal data.