Winload.exe error code 0xc000000e on an Azure VM

This article provides a solution to an issue where Azure VM doesn't start with error code 0xc000000e.

Original product version:   Virtual Machine running Windows
Original KB number:   4010129

Symptoms

Windows doesn't start. Instead, the system generates the following error:

File: \Windows\system32\winload.exe
Status: 0xC000000E
Info: The application or operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors.

Cause

The issue occurs when a device that doesn't exist is specified in the Boot Configuration data.

Resolution

To fix the issue, follow these steps:

Step 1: Attach the OS disk of the VM to another VM as a data disk

1. Delete the virtual machine (VM). Make sure that you select the Keep the disks option when you do this.
2. Attach the OS disk as a data disk to another VM (a troubleshooting VM). For more information, see How to attach a data disk to a Windows VM in the Azure portal.
3. Connect to the troubleshooting VM. Open Computer management > Disk management. Make sure that the OS disk is online and that its partitions have drive letters assigned.
4. Identify the Boot partition and the Windows partition. If there's only one partition on the OS disk, this partition is the Boot partition and the Windows partition.

If the OS disk contains more than one partition, you can identify them by viewing the folders in the partitions:

The Windows partition contains a folder named "Windows," and this partition is larger than the others.

The Boot partition contains a folder named "Boot." This folder is hidden by default. To see the folder, you must display the hidden files and folders and disable the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) option. The boot partition is typically 300 MB~500 MB.

Step 2: Repair the Boot Configuration data

1. Run the following command line as an administrator, and then record the identifier of Windows Boot Loader (not Windows Boot Manager). The identifier is a 32-character code and it looks like this: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx. You will use this identifier in the next step.

   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /enum /v
   

2. Repair the Boot Configuration data by running the following command lines. You must replace these placeholders by the actual values:

   Note

   This step is applied to most Boot configuration data corruption issues. You need perform this step even if you see the Device and OSDevice are pointing to the correct partition.

   <Windows partition> is the partition that contains a folder named "Windows."

   <Boot partition> is the partition that contains a hidden system folder named "Boot".

   <Identifier> is the identifier of Windows Boot Loader you found in the previous step.

   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} device partition=<boot partition>:
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} integrityservices enable
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {<Identifier>} device partition=<Windows partition>:
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {<Identifier>} integrityservices enable
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {<identifier>} recoveryenabled Off
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {<identifier>} osdevice partition=<Windows partition>:
   
   bcdedit /store <Boot partition>:\boot\bcd /set {<identifier>} bootstatuspolicy IgnoreAllFailures
   

3. Detach the repaired OS disk from the troubleshooting VM. Then, create a new VM from the OS disk.

Contact us for help

If you have questions or need help, create a support request, or ask Azure community support. You can also submit product feedback to Azure feedback community.