How to Fix Boot Error 0xc0430001 (Code Integrity Failed to Initialize)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 22, 2026 · 8 min read

What error 0xc0430001 means

Long before your desktop appears, Windows runs a security layer called Code Integrity. Its job is to prove, before a single byte of the operating system loads, that every boot file, driver, and early-start component is genuine and unmodified — it checks their digital signatures against the Secure Boot keys stored in your PC's firmware. Error 0xc0430001 is the message you see when Code Integrity itself could not initialize. Windows shows a blue recovery screen reading 'The operating system couldn't be loaded because Code Integrity failed to initialize' and stops there on purpose: if the verification engine cannot start, there is no trustworthy way to continue booting.

What breaks it is almost never one single file. The most common triggers are a corrupted Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store after a failed update or power loss, Secure Boot keys that were cleared or replaced (a classic after enabling 'Windows UEFI mode' on an older install, or flashing the BIOS), boot files that no longer match what the signatures expect, and occasionally malware or a rootkit that tried to tamper with the boot chain and broke the verification instead. The good news: because the error happens before Windows loads, nearly all of the fixes run from the Recovery Environment, where the damaged system cannot fight back.

Common causes

• A corrupted Boot Configuration Data store: failed updates, sudden power loss, or disk errors can damage the BCD that tells the boot loader where Windows lives — Code Integrity then cannot map the files it must verify.
• Cleared or mismatched Secure Boot keys: resetting keys in the BIOS, switching the OS type to 'Windows UEFI mode', or flashing firmware can leave the Secure Boot databases empty or out of sync, so signatures fail validation.
• A Legacy/MBR install with Secure Boot forced on: Secure Boot only works on GPT-partitioned disks in UEFI mode. Enabling it on an old Legacy/MBR install means Code Integrity cannot initialize at all.
• A damaged or unsigned boot driver: a driver file in the boot chain that is corrupted, rolled back to an unsigned version, or replaced by third-party software fails its signature check and halts everything.
• Malware or a botched update: rootkits target the boot process, and an interrupted cumulative update can leave boot components half-written — both leave Code Integrity unable to verify a coherent boot chain.

How to fix error 0xc0430001 — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. Step 1 gets you into the repair menu, steps 2–4 resolve the large majority of cases, and the last two cover the stubborn ones.

1. Get into the Windows Recovery Environment. If Windows cannot reach the desktop, force it: hold the power button until the PC shuts off, turn it on, and repeat three times — on the third boot Windows should open Automatic Repair. Click Advanced options, then Troubleshoot, then Advanced options again. Everything in the next steps runs from this blue menu, and from the Command Prompt option inside it.
2. Run Startup Repair before touching anything manually. From Advanced options choose Startup Repair and let it scan. It fixes common BCD and boot-file damage automatically, and on straightforward corruption it can resolve 0xc0430001 in a few minutes. If it reports that it could not repair the PC, move on — the log it creates at C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt confirms the failure is real and not a one-off glitch.
3. Rebuild the boot configuration with bootrec. In Advanced options open Command Prompt and run these one at a time, pressing Enter after each: bootrec /fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot, bootrec /scanos, bootrec /rebuildbcd. The first two repair the master boot record and the boot sector; scanos finds Windows installations on your drives; rebuildbcd rewrites the Boot Configuration Data store from scratch — exactly the file Code Integrity needs to trust. Type exit and choose Continue to reboot. (If fixboot returns 'Access is denied', the EFI partition needs a drive letter first — a quick diskpart assign fixes that, but try the plain sequence first.)
4. Restore Secure Boot to factory settings in your firmware. Restart and press the setup key (Delete, F2, or F10 depending on the board) to enter BIOS/UEFI. Load the optimized defaults, then open the Secure Boot section — often under Security or Boot — and choose Restore Factory Keys or install the default keys. Set the OS type or Secure Boot mode to 'Windows UEFI mode' and confirm Boot Mode is UEFI, not Legacy/CSM. Save and exit. This re-syncs the signature databases Code Integrity validates against. One hard rule: Secure Boot requires a GPT-partitioned disk. If your Windows was installed in old Legacy/MBR mode, boot back into WinRE and convert with mbr2gpt /convert first, then return to enable Secure Boot.
5. Test whether a bad driver is blocking the check. Back in Advanced options, go to Startup Settings and click Restart, then press 7 (or F7) to disable driver signature enforcement for this boot only. If Windows starts now, a boot-start driver is failing its signature check — once inside Windows, open Device Manager and update or roll back the driver you changed most recently (graphics and storage controller drivers are the usual suspects), then reboot normally with enforcement back on. If it still will not boot, the driver was not the problem — move to step 6.
6. Repair system files from the Recovery Environment. Open Command Prompt in Advanced options and run sfc /scannow. Because Windows is offline, point DISM at the installation directly: DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth (use D: if your Windows drive letter shifted in WinRE — run list vol in diskpart to check). These commands replace corrupted boot and system files with known-good copies, which is the last thing Code Integrity needs before it can initialize cleanly. Reboot when they finish.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• Recovery Environment reachable (forced shutdown three times)
• Startup Repair tried, BCD rebuilt with the bootrec sequence
• Secure Boot factory keys restored, boot mode set to UEFI
• sfc and DISM completed clean with no errors

If the blue screen survives all six steps, the boot files are probably fine and something deeper is wrong: test the drive itself with chkdsk C: /f /r from the recovery Command Prompt, and check the drive's SMART health — a failing SSD can corrupt the same boot files over and over, making every repair temporary. Once the PC boots, open Event Viewer (Win + X > Event Viewer) and check Windows Logs > System for CodeIntegrity errors to confirm what was failing. A repair install of Windows (in-place upgrade) preserves files and apps when repairs loop forever; a full clean install is the last resort.