After updating my Microsoft Surface RT to Windows 8.1, it failed to start up again.
It will prepair and attempt auto repair, which also keeps failing and will give me:
1. First Start System Recovery Options. To start system recovery options. a) Boot from the disk, Once you get the welcome screen of installation with the option “Install now”
b) Click on Repair your computer
c) On the next page click on Advanced Options
d) Now click on Troubleshoot
e) Lastly click on Command prompt and follow the on screen instructions
2. At the prompt, type the bootrec command as shown below and then press Enter:
bootrec /rebuildbcd
The bootrec command will search for Windows installations not included in the Boot Configuration Data and then ask you if you'd like to add one or more to it.
3. You should see the following message. Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
Please wait, since this may take a while...
Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 0
The operation completed successfully.
4. Since the BCD store exists and lists a Windows installation, you'll first have to "remove" it manually and then try to rebuild it again.
At the prompt, execute the bcdedit command as shown and then press Enter:
bcdedit /export c:\bcdbackup
The bcdedit command is used here to export the BCD store as a file: bcdbackup. There's no need to specify a file extension.
The command should return the following on screen:
The operation completed successfully.
Meaning the BCD export worked as expected.
5. At this point, you need to adjust several file attributes for the BCD store so you can manipulate it.
At the prompt, execute the attrib command exactly like this:
attrib c:\boot\bcd -h -r -s
What you just did with the attrib command was remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from the file
bcd. Those attributes restricted the actions you could take on the file. Now that they're gone, you can manipulate the file more freely - specifically, rename it.
6. To rename the BCD store, execute the ren command as shown:
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
Now that the BCD store is renamed, you should now be able to successfully rebuild it, as you tried to do in Step 2.
Note: You could delete the BCD file entirely since you're about to create a new one. However, renaming the existing BCD accomplishes the same thing since it's now unavailable to Windows, plus provides you yet another layer of backup, in addition to
the export you did in Step 5, if you decide to undo your actions.
7. Try rebuilding the BCD again by executing the following, followed by Enter:
bootrec /rebuildbcd
which should produce this in the Command Prompt window:
Scanning all disks for Windows installations.
Please wait, since this may take a while...
Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 1
[1]D:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? Yes<Y>/No<N>/All<A>:
meaning that the BCD store rebuild is progressing as expected.
8. At the Add installation to boot list? question, type Enter Y or
Yes, followed by the Enter key.
You should see this on screen:
The operation completed successfully.
meaning that the BCD rebuild is complete.
9. Restart your computer.
Assuming that an issue with the BCD store was the only problem, Windows should start as expected.
If not, continue to troubleshoot whatever specific issue you're seeing that's preventing Windows from booting normally.
Important: Depending on how you started System Recovery Options, you may need to remove a disc or flash drive before restarting.
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