When the Windows system (booting) partition's boot sector is corrupted or otherwise contains invalid code for the version of Windows on the partition, it must be repaired before the partition will boot properly. Since the Windows installer updates the boot sector of the system partition during installation, this problem usually occurs when the Windows booting files are relocated from their install partition to an alternate partition or when installing an older version of Windows on a system with a newer version already installed.<\/p>\r\n
Two example scenarios that can cause this problem and the resulting error messages are described below:<\/p>\r\n
These types of errors cannot always be repaired by doing a Startup Repair using the Windows DVD, Repair Disc or Recovery Drive.\u00a0In any case, whether or not a Startup Repair was attempted, the boot sector can be updated manually by using the bootsect.exe<\/strong> program available on the following Windows media:<\/p>\r\n The bootsect.exe program is also available\u00a0in Windows 8.x\/10\/11 installations.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n If possible, it's recommended to use the version of bootsect that matches (or is newer than) the version of Windows being repaired. For example, use the Windows 7 version to repair a Windows 7 or Vista boot sector. However, either version should work in most cases. Also note that you need to use a compatible version when running in Windows. For example, you can't run the 64-bit version of bootsect (located on the 64-bit installation media) while running 32-bit Windows. Using bootsect.exe from Windows<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n The boot sector repair can be performed directly from Windows if the following requirements are met:<\/p>\r\n For example, using Scenario 1, the computer could be booted into XP with the Windows 7 partition assigned F:. The bootsect program could then be run from the Windows 7 32-bit DVD, as follows:<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Using bootsect.exe from the Windows boot media<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n Though the actual steps vary a little between the different versions of the boot media, the instructions are generally the same:<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Additional Information:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n Using the \"\/force\" option on locked or \"in use\" partitions<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n In certain situations, bootsect may display a message similar to the following:<\/p>\r\n Updated NTFS filesystem bootcode. The update may be unreliable since the volume could not be locked during the update: This happens if bootsect can't lock the partition or the partition is detected as being used. Note that this error also occurs in WinPE and is not limited to partitions in a booted Windows system.<\/p>\r\n In many cases, the repair is actually written to the boot sector successfully and no further action is required. However, if needed, you can specify the \/force<\/strong> option, which causes a forced dismount of the partition if the standard lock attempt fails. When using this option from WinPE it shouldn't cause any problems, but caution should be used when using it in Windows since it can cause unexpected behavior as all open file handles on the partition are invalidated.<\/p>\r\n Example: D:\boot\bootsect \/nt60 F: \/force Using the \"\/nt52\" option to repair XP boot sectors<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n Bootsect can also be used to repair the XP boot sector and offers an alternative to using the XP Recovery Console and fixboot<\/em>. Usage is the same as shown in this article, just use \/nt52<\/strong> instead of \/nt60<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\t
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\r\nD:\boot\bootsect \/nt60 F:<\/strong><\/span>
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\r\nNote:<\/strong> Booting a system with the wrong version of the Windows media (e.g. using a Windows 7 x64 DVD on a Windows 7 x86 system) may result in it reporting that it's not supported or not compatible and block you from proceeding to the System Recovery Options<\/em> menu. To get around this, click the Load Drivers<\/strong> button, click OK<\/strong> on the Add Drivers<\/em> window, browse to X:\Windows\System32<\/strong>, scroll through the list and find cmd<\/strong> (you may need to type *.exe<\/strong> into the File name<\/em> box and press ENTER if programs aren't being displayed), then right-click on cmd<\/strong> and select Open<\/strong>. To get the other windows out of the way, click Cancel<\/strong> on the Open<\/em> box and on the Add Drivers<\/em> box.
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\r\nD:\boot\bootsect \/nt60 F:<\/strong><\/span>
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\r\nNote:<\/strong> When booted to versions of the Windows 7\/8.x\/10\/11 boot media, bootsect.exe<\/strong> is available in the path and can just be referenced by name (i.e. bootsect \/nt60 F:<\/strong><\/span>).
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\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Access is denied.
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\r\nBootcode was successfully updated on all targeted volumes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n
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