What Is Error Code 0xc0000225?

This error code appears when you try to start the PC. Windows will display it and display a message stating that your PC needs repair, but the content is ambiguous: an unexpected error has occurred. Sometimes it will also indicate that the required device is not connected or inaccessible.

If the correct system file cannot be found to start, Windows will throw this error. This important information is called boot configuration data or BCD. When you turn on the PC, BCD will tell Windows how to start correctly.

This error occurs more frequently with disks using the newer UEFI specification with a GPT partitioning scheme than the old settings. The Windows message about this issue is a bit vague, so we need to set a troubleshooting ceiling to resolve the issue.

What Causes Error Code 0xc0000225?

Because this error is a damaged system file, it often appears after the operating system is upgraded, for example:  After upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10. It can also happen after installing major Windows 10 updates.

Error 0xc0000225 It can also happen if your PC shuts down during an important update due to malware attacking system files or even hardware failure.

In order to solve the problem, no matter what the reason is, please follow the steps below.

Step 0: Create a Windows 10 Install Disk

As with other startup errors, you cannot fix this problem from Windows. Therefore, you need to have a Windows 10 installation disk on hand so that you can run the repair tool from there. Follow our guide on creating Windows 10 installation media to get the hard drive you need.

You need a flash drive or DVD with at least 8 GB of storage space. Please note that creating a Windows 10 disk will erase everything on the drive, so we recommend using a blank flash drive or DVD.

After creating the installation media, insert it into your computer. Press the corresponding key to open the Start menu and load the Windows 10 recovery environment from the external device.

Step 1: Run Through Windows Automatic Repair

First, you want to try Windows 10’s built-in troubleshooting. Therefore, the system will automatically search for the problem and try to fix it by itself. Hope your broken BCD will be repaired so that you can start working again.

After booting from the Windows 10 installation disc, wait for the Windows setup screen to appear. Confirm your language selection and click Next. When you see the “Install Now” screen, click the “Repair your computer” link at the bottom left.

How to Fix Error Code 0xc0000225 in Windows 10

You’ll see a menu of options; select Troubleshoot, followed by Advanced options. From the Advanced options menu here, select Startup Repair.

How to Fix Error Code 0xc0000225 in Windows 10

Let the process run and restart your computer when it is finished. Try again to start normally. If you don’t see the error code 0xc0000225, the problem is solved!

Step 2: Run Manual SFC and Check Disk Scans

If the automatic repair provided by Windows does not work, you can perform some important system scans yourself. To do this, repeat the above process to open the “Advanced Options” menu, but do not select “Automatic Repair”. Instead, select Command Prompt to open the command line interface.

First, run the System File Checker (SFC) command, which will check for any damaged or missing Windows system files and try to repair them.

Related: How to Fix a ” Stuck in Auto­mat­ic Repair ” Loop in Windows 10

Use it with this command:

sfc /scannow

After this process is complete, run a hard drive check scan to check for errors on the hard drive. Use the following command and replace c: with the letter of your primary partition (if you have changed it):

chkdsk c: /r

After completing two scans, restart and try to load your PC into a normal state. Hope this error will not recur.

Step 3: Rebuild the BCD

If you still encounter problems, the next step is to try to rebuild the BCD using commands. Since this is usually the cause of failure, rebuilding may be a problem-solving technique.

Boot again from your Windows 10 installation media and open the “Advanced Options” menu. Select the command prompt again. Run the following commands one by one:

bootrec /scanos
bootrec /fixmbr 
bootrec /fixboot 
bootrec /rebuildbcd

The first command will search your hard drive for a compatible installation, which will help locate your “missing” Windows installation. Commands two and three write a new MBR and a new boot sector to your hard drive. After repairing, the last command will find the Windows installation again.

Restart the computer again, hopefully this will fix the 0xc0000225 error message.

Step 4: Set Your Active Partition

Windows allows you to change the active partition so that you can tell the system where to start. If there is some kind of error, you can change it to point Windows to the correct partition.

Follow the steps above to open the command prompt again from the Windows repair disk. Enter the following commands in sequence to open the hard disk partition tool and list your available hard disks:

diskpart
list disk

Depending on how many drives are connected to your system, you’ll see a series of entries labeled Disk 0Disk 1, and so on. Your internal hard drive is most likely Disk 0—using the Size, you should be able to tell them apart.

Type the following one at a time, replacing the X with 0 or whatever the number of your primary storage drive:

select disk X
list partition

That second command will show all partitions on your internal drive. Your main partition will be marked as Primary—it’s Partition 4 in the below example.

Then enter these commands, replacing the X with your partition number:

select partition X
active

Exit the command prompt, restart and see if your problem is resolved.

This marks the partition where Windows is installed as the partition that Windows will use to boot. If this changes in some way and causes the error 0xc0000225, then this can bring everything back to its original state.

Step 5: Check for Faulty Hardware

At this point, you have completed most of the software troubleshooting required to resolve this error. If you still cannot boot to Windows due to error 0xc0000225, it is best to check the hard drive for physical problems.

Check if the drive cable is damaged, if possible, reinstall it. Depending on your computer manufacturer, you may also have some built-in diagnostic tests that can check for drive problems.

When you confirm that your hard drive is healthy, you must skip to the Lastresort step.

Step 6: Try System Restore or Reinstall Windows

If you have encountered this problem recently, you can try to perform a system restore from the recovery disk to go back in time. Restart from the installation media, navigate to the “Advanced Options” menu and select “System Restore”. Choose the nearest restore point, and Windows will return to that point without affecting your personal files.

If you don’t have a restore point or system restore does not solve the problem, the best way is to reinstall Windows to replace damaged system files and update everything else. This is time-consuming, but if you have reached this point but still have not solved the problem, this is your best choice.

You will find the Reset this PC option under Troubleshooting in the Recovery Disk menu. Please follow our Windows 10 reset guide for more information.

Related: How to Fix Error Code 0x800F081F in Windows 10

Error Code 0xc0000225 Fixed!

I hope that one of these methods can fix the 0xc0000225 error on Windows 10 for you. Fortunately, whether this is caused by a poor upgrade or a hardware failure, you can choose to fix it.

At the same time, if your Windows system still starts slowly after fixing this problem, you can try a separate fix.