Bootrec or the bootrec.exe utility is a tool provided by Microsoft in Windows Recovery Environment, or the Windows RE.
When your computer fails to start, Windows automatically starts in this Windows RE – a recovery platform based on Windows Preinstallation Environment – where you can find various tools that can potentially fix your computer: Startup Repair, Command Prompt etc.
This is useful to troubleshoot and potentially fix errors that are preventing your computer to start.
Bootrec.exe is used in connection with:
This utility is available for Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8 and Microsoft Windows 8.1.
Microsoft Windows XP doesn’t have a bootrec.exe utility, but a bootcfg.exe utility which is part of the Windows XP Recovery Console.
Windows XP has, instead, the bootcfg utility that can be used to modify the boot.ini file.
To read about bootcfg, follow our guide: Bootcfg – Guide for Windows XP
You can run the bootrec commands in Windows Vista if you can boot into Windows Vista and access the System Recovery Options (your system may not have this installed) or you have the installation disc available to access Command Prompt.
If you can’t boot into your Windows Vista system or don’t have the original installation disc, use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command
Prompt. Download Easy Recovery Essentials and burn it to any CDs, DVDs or USBs.
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe by using the original installation disc in Windows Vista:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
If you don’t have the Windows Vista installation disc, you can access System Recovery Options or use Easy Recovery Essentials to launch Command Prompt.
System Recovery Options is installed on your system if the Repair Your Computer option appears at the Advanced Boot Options menu.
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe without the installation disc in Windows Vista:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
Instructions if you use Easy Recovery Essentials:
You can access bootrec.exe on Windows 7 systems similar to Windows Vista systems: via the System Recovery Options (which is, by default, available in Windows 7) or via the installation disc.
If you can’t boot into your Windows 7 system or don’t have the original installation disc, use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command Prompt. Download Easy Recovery Essentials and burn it to any CDs, DVDs or USBs.
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe by the installation disc in Windows 7:
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe without the installation disc in Windows 7:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
Instructions if you use Easy Recovery Essentials:
In Windows 8, you can access the bootrec.exe utility by using your original installation media: DVD or USB drive.
If you can’t boot into your Windows 8/8.1 system or don’t have the original installation disc, use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command Prompt. Download Easy Recovery Essentials and burn it to any CDs, DVDs or USBs.
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe with the installation disc (DVD or USB media) in Windows 8 or 8.1:
exit
, press Enter and remove the DVD/USB from the driveFor more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
If you don’t have the original disc, you can either boot to System Recovery Options and select Command Prompt or use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command Prompt (you can burn EasyRE to any CDs, DVDs or USBs).
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe without the installation disc in Windows 8 or 8.1:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
Instructions if you use Easy Recovery Essentials:
In Windows 10 you can access the bootrec.exe utility by using your original installation media: DVD or USB drive.
If you can’t boot into your Windows 10 system or don’t have the original installation disc, use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command Prompt. Download Easy Recovery Essentials and burn it to any CDs, DVDs or USBs.
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe with the installation disc (DVD or USB media) in Windows 10:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
If you don’t have the original disc, you can either boot to System Recovery Options and select Command Prompt or use Easy Recovery Essentials and run Command Prompt (you can burn EasyRE to any CDs, DVDs or USBs).
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe without the installation disc in Windows 10:
For more commands and parameters you can run, go to Commands and parameters. If common commands don’t work for your system, go to Troubleshooting for tips.
Instructions if you use Easy Recovery Essentials:
The commands and parameters below are for the bootrec.exe utility in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10.
Windows XP uses the bootcfg utility. For commands and parameters for bootcfg, go to Parameters at Windows XP section.
Parameters for bootrec.exe are:
bootrec /FixMbr
will write a Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatible MBR to the system partition.
bootrec /FixBoot
will write a new boot sector to the system partition. If your system is Windows 7, FixBoot will write a Windows 7-compatible boot sector and so on.
bootrec /ScanOs
will scan the hard drives for any installations. ScanOs will also print installations that are not currently in the BCD.
bootrec /RebuildBcd
will scan for installations on your hard drive and allows you to select which to add to the BCD.
You cannot download bootrec.exe as it’s a command line utility part of Windows.
To access the utility, you have these options available:
Instructions if you use Easy Recovery Essentials:
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe without the installation disc:
Instructions on how to access bootrec.exe with the installation disc:
If bootrec /RebuildBcd
does not fix the error, you can also try to completely rebuild the BCD. TO do so, you need to run these steps:
c:
, where c: is where your Windows is installedcd boot
If Bootrec shows the “The requested system device cannot be found” error, follow the steps from bootrec /RebuildBcd doesn’t work.
It’s possible that the bootrec /ScanOs
command can find 0 Windows installations:
Total identified Windows installations: 0
In this case you can try the steps from bootrec /RebuildBcd doesn’t work or try:
ren c:\bootmgr bootmgrbackup
, where c:
is where your Windows is installedbootrec /RebuildBcd
bootrec /FixBoot
Various bootrec commands, like bootrec /RebuildBcd
or bootrec /FixBoot
, can print this error:
Element not found
In this case, try any of the following tips:
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
, where 0
is the number of your disklist partition
select partition 0
, where 0
is the number of your partition numberactive
exit
If the bootrec /FixMbr
or bootrec /FixBoot
commands don’t work in Windows 7, try the following steps to restore the boot sector code for your system:
This solution works only if you have the original Windows 7 installation disc. Otherwise, use Easy Recovery Essentials to access Command Prompt or run Automated Repair for automatic repairs.
D:
below with the letter of your media drive:exit D: cd boot direxit
If the bootrec utility doesn’t fix your Windows 8 system, you can also try to fix the EFI bootloader of your system:
2
is the number of the FAT32 partition printed by Command Prompt above.exit
to quit the diskpart utility (step 4):exitx:
with the letter of the partition you chose earlier:cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\x:
with the letter of the FAT32 partition mentioned earlier:bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALLexit
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