Fix Error Code 0xc0000225 on Windows 7/8/10/11& Mac?

"Your PC/Device needs to be repaired. The operating system couldn't be loaded because the system registry file is missing or contains errors. Error code: 0xc0000225" This may pop up on your screen when you start up your PC or Mac. You may be confused about this situation and want to restart your PC or Mac, but you will find it's not working. The same error code still pops up. 

In addition to the error info mentioned in the first sentence, you may also see the following:

So, what error code 0xc0000225 is, why it pops up on the blue screen and how to fix it? It may be difficult for you to understand. But you can find the answer in this post and fix error code 0xc0000225 on Windows 7/8/10/11 or Mac. And then, you can start your PC or Mac as usual.

What is error code 0xc0000225?

Error code 0xc0000225 means Windows cannot find the right system files for booting a computer. Important information is called BCD (Boot Configuration Data) which tells Windows how to boot when running on the PC. 

Sometimes, this error code may pop up on your screen if your system files are corrupted or lost, or if the file system of your disk is incorrectly configured. 

Or else, your data cable is damaged, your hardware has some problems, you have installed malware or you have connected an external device. And these may also cause the same problem. But one of the most common reasons for this error is that BCD is lost or damaged. 

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How to fix error code 0xc0000225 on Windows 7/8/10/11?

Before you fix error code 0xc0000225, you need to create a Windows repair USB flash drive or CD. You cannot fix error code 0xc0000225 from inside the Windows like other boot errors, but you are allowed to use the repair tools via repair medium when you fail to boot the system. 

And what you need is a CD or USB with 8GB capacity without any data, so that you can erase all the data during the creation process. After you successfully create it, insert it into your PC and then change the startup order in BIOS and start your PC.

Now, you can do the following to fix error code 0xc0000225 on Windows 7/8/10/11.

Use Windows Startup Repair

The easiest way to fix error code 0xc0000225 is to use a built-in troubleshooter in Windows. It can help to check for system issues and try to fix them. So it can also fix the corrupted BCD.

You can do the following to cooperate on Windows 7/8/10/11.

After these operations, you can try to restart your PC to check whether the error code still pops up, if not, you can use your PC as usual. But if the error code still pops up, you need to continue troubleshooting.

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Use SFC to check the system file and disk

One reason causing the error code mentioned above is the system file is corrupted or the disk is incorrectly configured so that you can run SFC to check whether the system file or disk is corrupted. 

Till now, you can start your PC again to check whether the same error code still pops up, if it is, you need to take other ways to fix it.

Rebuild BCD

We have mentioned that one of the most common reasons for the error code is that BCD is lost or damaged, so if all the above solutions are not working, at this time, you need to rebuild BCD. And you need to turn to Command Prompt first.

The first command scans your disk to help you find your missing Windows installation. Commands two and three will write a new MBR and boot sector to your disk. And the last command will rebuild your BCD and scan your disk again. And you can restart your PC to check if the error code has been fixed.

Set active partition

If you have done all the above ways to fix the error code 0xc0000225, but they are not working, which may have something wrong with the active partition.

An active partition is a computer boot partition and you can change it to tell the system where to boot from. However, some wrong operations may be due to the active partition may not be set correctly, so the error code 0xc0000225 occurs.

Do the following to set the active partition correctly.

The first command will list all the disks on your PC. Type in command two to select your system disk. And command three will list all the partitions in the selected system disk. Commands four and five select a partition and make it become an active partition. 

"X" means the number of system partitions. After you type in all the commands, you can type in "exit" to exit, and restart your PC to check whether you have fixed the error.

Use Last Known Good Configuration

The Last Known Good Configuration is a shortcut to solve the blue screen of death on Windows. Generally, it can solve most abnormalities, but it is not working if your PC cannot be started.

But what you need to pay attention to is that if you use this way to start your PC, you will lose all the settings which you've done since the last time you successfully start this PC.

Restore system

If all the above ways cannot help you to start your PC successfully, the only way for you is to restore the system. Before this operation, you need to make sure you have backed up your data.

How to fix error code 0xc0000225 on Mac?

The error code 0xc0000225 occurs not only on Windows but also on Mac. When you erase your disk and restart your Mac, you may see the error code 0xc0000225 on your screen like Windows. So do the following steps to fix error code 0xc0000225 on your Mac.

Reinstall macOS

If you can't install the system on your Mac, you need to turn it back and format your startup disk. During the installation, your Mac may restart and show a progress bar a few times.

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Also read: This Device Cannot Start (Code 10) Error: How to Fix it on Windows?