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Windows 10How to Fix Windows 10 Boot Errors Using Command Prompt

How to Fix Windows 10 Boot Errors Using Command Prompt

By Achilles Hill | Last Updated

When encounter startup problems, we usually deal with them with the Startup Repair option. However, this option doesn't always work, so this post will tell you 4 ways to fix windows 10 boot errors using Command Prompt giving you more options to reboot your computer successfully.

Run Command Prompt from Windows Recovery mode first

In general, when there is something wrong with the startup of the computer, we couldn't access the Windows 10 desktop to run Command Prompt. There is one way to open Command Prompt without entering the Windows desktop. Here are steps to do that when the computer fails to boot.

Step 1: Reboot your computer. When the computer shows the Windows icon, press F8 constantly to show the "Windows Setup".

windows setup

Step 2: In the interface of "Windows Setup", select the language preference you'd like and then select the Next button to continue. Choose Repair computer on the next page.

repair your computer

Step 3: Here comes to "Choose an option" interface, follow the given route to open Command Prompt as administrator: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

Step 4: Choose an account and type the password on the next page. Then click on the Continue button.

Way 1. Repair system files using SFC command

The command line we'll execute first is the system file check (SFC). SFC can automatically scan for corrupted and missing system files, and repair or replace them in Windows 10.

Open Command Prompt from Windows recovery mode guided by the steps above. Then type sfc /scannow and hit Enter.

use sfc command

The whole scan process may cost a few minutes or even hours. When the check is complete, you can try to reboot the computer to see if there are any problems with the startup.

If the problem couldn't be solved, follow the next method.

Way 2. Check and fix disk errors through CHKDSK command

CHKDSK is a utility that can be used to check a specific drive and fix most issues with the hard drive. Here's how to use the CHKDSK command to check and fix disk errors.

After opening Command Prompt from Windows recovery mode, type chkdsk /f /r C: and hit Enter.

use chkdsk command

Since the user's startup folders are in the system drive, so generally speaking, we just need to check the C drive.

If you check and find nothing wrong with your hard drive, move to the next method.

Way 3. Run Bootrec.exe tool to repair boot errors

Bootrec.exe tool is used to troubleshoot and fix boot problems in the Windows Recovery Environment. Problems in a master boot record, a boot sector, and a boot configuration data store can be fixed by this tool.

To run Bootrec.exe, open Command Prompt from Windows recovery mode. Then type the following command lines and hit Enter respectively:

BOOTREC /FIXMBR

BOOTREC /FIXBOOT

BOOTREC /RebuildBcd

run bootrec tool

Want to know the specific function of each command line? You can see the description of the function by typing bootrec and press Enter key.

Please note that even if the Bootrec.exe tool can fix most boot problems, it still could not solve every possible error in a computer startup. Therefore, when it couldn't work, proceed to the next one.

Way 4. Access the System Restore with Command Prompt

If you have already created a restore point before, you can restore Windows 10 to the previous state. Please note that System Restore wouldn't affect personal files in Windows. But all the apps, updates, and drivers installed after the restore point will be removed.

To access the System Restore with Command Prompt, run Command Prompt from Windows recovery mode first. Then type rstrui.exe and hit Enter.

open system restore

The command would open System Restore wizard immediately. Follow the instructions to choose a restore point for restarting your computer.

choose a restore point

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