Here’s how to troubleshoot those problems.

What Are the Boot Sector and Master Boot Record?

Related:What’s the Difference Between GPT and MBR When Partitioning a Drive?

How to Repair Windows Bootloader Problems (If Your Computer Won’t Start)

When a PC starts, the initial power-on routine is handled by the BIOS.

It’s this boot strapping process that allows the initial bits of the Windows code to start loading.

We’re here to walk you through that.

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Instead, you should trystarting the PC in Safe Modeand troubleshooting from there.

Performing aSystem Restorewould be a good place to start.

you might thencreate a DVD or USB install discthat you might use to boot your own PC.

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Windows will then load the recovery environment.

On the first page, poke the “Troubleshoot” option.

Note that if you’re using Windows 7, the screens may look a bit different.

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On the Advanced Options page, click “Startup Repair.”

The next page displays all operating systems detected on your PC—even if you only have one installed.

choose the operating system you want to repair.

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Windows will begin checking for startup problems and attempting repairs.

When the process is complete, Windows will let you know whether the repairs were successful.

On the Advanced Options page, click “Command Prompt.”

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To restore the Master Boot Record, key in the following command and hit Enter.

It’s a good start for repairing boot loader errors resulting from file corruption.

And of course, the bootrec tool also offers other more advanced options.

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First, run theCheck Disk utilityto scan the integrity of your file system and hard disk.

It’s always possible that your bootloader error stemmed from physical problems with your hard disk.

Second, use theSystem File Checker utilityto scan for and fix any corrupted system files.

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And it’s a very easy thing to check on and fix.

You just have to know what to look out for and have a recovery solution ready to load.

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