What Is Bootrec.exe? Everything You Need to Know About This Tool

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What is Bootrec.exe?

Bootrec.exe is a utility developed by Microsoft to address issues within the Windows Recovery Environment. It can repair commonly corrupted elements such as the boot sector, Boot Configuration Data store (BCD), and the Master Boot Record. The Bootrec.exe tool is specifically designed to tackle booting issues in Windows Vista and newer versions.

There are several bootrec.exe commands that can effectively address boot issues. If you can't start your Windows, you can run bootrec.exe to fix problems by updating the Master Boot Record (MBR) and boot sector code. It also scans existing disks to find Windows installations to resolve boot issues.

Where is Bootrec.exe?

Bootrec.exe cannot be downloaded individually. However, you can find it within a Windows ISO. To do this, you'll need to download the Windows ISO to extract the Bootrec.exe tool. To extract it, look for either the "Boot.wim" file or the "Winre.wim" file. To locate the "Boot.wim" file, navigate to the "Sources" folder within your Windows installation source. The "Winre.wim" file might not be directly accessible within the Windows installation. To find the "Winre.wim" file, you can use the following command: Please note that the specific command may vary depending on the version of Windows. Generally, use the following commands in Command Prompt to extract the "Winre.wim": 1. First, open Command Prompt with administrator privileges. 2. Mount the Windows installation ISO with the following command: `mountvol X: /s` This will mount the ISO image to the X: drive (replace X: as needed). 3. Next, enter the following command to extract the "Winre.wim" file: `Dism /Mount-Wim /WimFile:C:\path\to\your\iso\sources\install.wim /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount\winre` In this command, replace `C:\path\to\your\iso` with the actual path to your Windows ISO, and `/MountDir:C:\mount\winre` is the directory where you want to extract it (create and replace this path as needed). 4. Now, you can access Bootrec.exe within the extracted "Winre.wim" folder at "\Windows\System32". After you're done, remember to unmount the mount point with the following command: `Dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:C:\mount\winre /Commit` Then, unmount the X: drive with `mountvol X: /D`.

• Reagent.exe /info (Windows 10 only; produces concise output)

bcdedit.exe /enum osloader (detailed output, too much information)

To mount a .wim file, you can use either DSIM or browse it with 7-zip. After mounting the .wim file, you can find Bootrec.exe at the file path `\Sources\boot.wim\2\Windows\System32\Bootrec.exe`.

How to Run Bootrec.exe in Windows 10?

There are two ways to run the `bootrec.exe` tool, and this section will detail both methods in simple steps. The first is with a Windows installation disc, which your computer must have. The second method does not require a Windows installation disc.

If you have a Windows installation disc, consider the following:

Step 1: First, connect your Windows 10 USB drive or CD/DVD to your computer. Now turn on the PC and press any key to boot from the installation media when prompted.

Step 2: Choose your keyboard layout, language, and time settings from the given options. After you've settled on these details, click on the 'Next' button.

Select a language, time, and keyboard layout

Step 3: On the "Install Now" screen, you should see a link in the bottom-left corner that reads "Repair your computer." You'll need to click this to access the different repair options.

Click “Repair your computer.”

Step 4: Next, click on “Troubleshoot” and then select “Advanced options.” From there, choose “Command Prompt.” When the Command Prompt appears on the screen, type in “bootrec.exe” and hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard.

Select "Command Prompt."

If you don't have the Windows installation disc, see the steps below to run bootrec.exe:

Step 1: Turn on your computer and repeatedly press the F8, F9, F11, or F12 key, depending on your device. This will immediately start WinRE.

Step 2: Select your time zone, language, and keyboard settings. Click "Next" to continue.

Click the "Next" button.

Step 3: When the Install Now screen appears, click on the “Repair your computer” option. Next, click on “Troubleshoot” and then select “Advanced options.”

Step 4: Click on “Command Prompt” to open the command window. When it appears, type “bootrec.exe” and hit “Enter” to proceed.

# Bootrec Command Options

If you're having issues starting Windows, you can use the following bootrec.exe commands. Each command targets a specific issue and is designed to quickly fix the problem.

Command 1. bootrec /fixmbr: This command is used to deal with a corrupted MBR or any unknown MBR problem. With this command, you can write an MBR that is compatible with your computer and system partition. But it won't clear the current partition table.

Command 2. bootrec/fixboot: This command comes in handy when you have a corrupted boot sector. In addition, it writes a new compatible boot sector to the system partition if the boot sector has been replaced with a non-standard one. The compatible versions of the boot sector include Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10.

Command 3. bcdedit /scanos: If you can't find your Windows installation in the Boot Manager menu, run this command. After executing it, your system will scan all disks for installations compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 10. It will also display entries that are not currently saved in the BCD store.

Command 4: bootrec /rebuildbcd: This command is very effective if you want to rebuild or update your BCD store entirely. It will scan all disks to find installations compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 10, and conveniently add them to the BCD store.

Conclusions

Windows boot problems can be frustrating, especially if you're not tech-savvy. However, you can still fix startup issues, such as a damaged Master Boot Record (MBR) or BCD (Boot Configuration Data) problems. This article will introduce you to the Bootrec.exe tool, which allows for quick diagnosis and resolution of boot errors. After reading this, you'll now know how to run Bootrec.exe and its corresponding command prompts.