9 Solutions to Windows 10 Error 0xc00000e9 [Step-by-Step Guide]

What Is 0xc00000e9?

Some users may encounter error code 0xc00000e9 when they power on computers. This error will prevent the computer from booting up. They may receive messages shown like the following pictures. Sometimes, “File: Boot BCD” will appear above the error code 0xc00000e9.

Many people will search how to fix 0xc00000e9 boot BCD in Google or seek help in forums. Fortunately, the status 0xc00000e9 will indicate the causes of the BSOD problem. The error code 0xc00000e9 may be caused by an unexpected I/O error that is related to storage devices, a missing or corrupt system registry file, or something else.

Then, how many factors will cause error code 0xc00000e9? Here are some of them:

1. Loose or damaged connection of removable storage devices.
2. Missing or corrupt system files such as the registry file.
3. Out-of-date drivers.
4. Hard drive problems such as corrupted MBR, bad sectors, hard drive failure, etc.
5. Problematic Windows update.
6. Virus attack.

How to fix error code 0xc00000e9 Windows 10? This may be a question for many of you. If so, please read on to get solutions.

Method 1. Run SFC and DISM

If 0xc00000e9 boot BCD error is caused by missing or corrupt system files, you can run SFC and DISM to replace or repair them.

SFC (System File Checker) is a Windows built-in tool used for replacing damaged, lost, or changed system files with good system files. DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) is a tool used to restore system files.

Here is a tutorial for running the SFC command.

Step 1: Enter WinRE. You can enter it through two consecutive failed attempts to start Windows.

Step 2: Navigate to Troubleshoot>Advanced options>Command Prompt.

Step 3: Type “sfc /scannow” and press the Enter key. Then, wait until the procedure ends.

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If SFC fails to repair system files, you can run DISM.To run DISM, you should type the following commands one by one.

• exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
• exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Finally, you can close the Command Prompt window after the procedure ends and test whether the error is solved.

Method 2. Uninstall Incompatible Windows Update

It is possible that status 0xc00000e9 is caused by a problematic Windows update. If so, you can uninstall it in Safe Mode.

Here is the tutorial for uninstalling Windows update in Safe Mode.

Step 1: Enter WinRE and navigate to Troubleshoot>Advanced options>Startup Settings.

Step 2: Click F5 key to choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking option, thus booting into Safe Mode with networking.

Step 3: Open File Explorer. Right-click on This PC and choose Properties.

Step 4: Click Control Panel Home at upper the left corner of the pop-up window. Then, select Programs and Features in the next pop-up window.

Step 5: Click View installed updates on the program uninstalling interface.

Step 6: Right-click a problematic update to uninstall.

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Method 3. Update Drivers

A device driver is a special program that allows computers and devices to communicate. The operating system can only control the operation of the hardware device through this interface. If drivers of hard drives are not properly installed, they will not work properly.

So, you can try updating disk drivers to fix 0xc00000e9 Windows 10.This method is available when users can boot in Safe Mode. You can refer to the following tutorial.

Step 1: Press “Windows + X” keys and select Device Manager in the pop-up menu.

Step 2: Expand Disk drivers directory and right-click on these hard drive drivers one by one to select Update driver.

Step 3: Select Search automatically for updated driver software in the pop-up window.

Method 4. System Restore

System restore can revert your computer’s state to that of a previous point in time with a restore point created before. Restore points contain Windows system files, installed applications, Windows Registry, and system settings. You can use it to delete problematic changes you have made to your computer.

Therefore, you can system restore your PC to solve the “an unexpected i/o error has occurred 0xc00000e9” issue. System restore won’t affect your personal files, so it won’t cause data loss. If you find your data is lost after system restore, it must be caused by Windows errors.

Click How to Restore Computer to Earlier Date in Windows 10/8/7 to get a detailed tutorial.

Method 5. Check the Connection of Removable Storage Devices

As mentioned above, error 0xc00000e9 may be caused by the loose or damaged connection of removable storage devices. So, you should make sure the storage devices are properly connected to your PC.

You can refer to the following tutorial.

Step 1: Remove all external storage devices like USB drives, external hard drives, RAID, etc.

Step 2: Enter into BIOS or use the DiskPart command to check the number of hard drives connected to the PC.

Check the connection in BIOS:

1. Follow the wizard that appears on the screen when you power on the system to enter BIOS.
2. Skip to Boot Expand Hard Drive directory to see how many disks your PC can detect.

Check connection with DiskPart:

Open the Command Prompt window from WinRE and enter the following commands one by one. Then, you can see the number of hard drives detected by your PC.

• Diskpart
• List disk

Step 3: Remove the internal hard drives and plug them in correctly if the hard drives can’t be detected by your PC. If the hard drives still can’t be detected by your PC after you reconnect them, you should check whether there are problems with cables or the hard drives.

If there is a problem with your hard drives, but they are still detected by your computer, you can get them repaired through method 6 to 7.

If your computer can’t detect the hard drive, you should send it to a data recovery lab to get your data back.

Method 6. Rebuild MBR

MBR (Master Boot Record) is the first sector on the hard drive accessed by a computer in booting process. MBR records the relevant information about the hard disk itself and the size and location information of each partition on the hard disk.

If it is destroyed, the basic data structure information on the hard disk will be lost. Error 0xc00000e9 may happen and the computer won’t start. Fortunately, you can rebuild MBR through Bootrec.exe. This tool allows you to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) issue, boot sector issue, and Boot Configuration Data storage issue (including 0xc00000e9 boot BCD error).

Here is the tutorial on how to rebuild MBR.

Step 1: Buy MiniTool Partition Wizard and launch it on a normal running computer.Click Bootable Media on the toolbar.

Step 2: Follow the wizard and choose USB Flash Drive as the media destination. The boot.iso file will be burnt into the USB drive directly to complete a bootable disk.

Step 3: Set the Firmware to make the computer boot from the bootable disk.

• Plug the bootable disk into the computer that can’t boot.
• Enter BIOS.
• Set Removable Devices at the first place of the boot sequence. Then, boot the computer.

Step 4:Wait a few secondswithout any operations and go to the following interface. Click Command Console to open Command Prompt input windows.

Step 5: Execute the following command lines one by one.

• bootrec /fixmbr
• bootrec /fixboot
• bootrec /rebuildbcd

Method 7. Scan for Bad Sectors

If a hard disk serves for a long time, it may generate bad sectors, which will probably cause the error “an unexpected i/o error has occurred 0xc00000e9,” making the computer not bootable. If so, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard to scan for bad sectors. If there are many bad sectors on the hard drive, replacing it is recommended.

Here is the tutorial on how to scan for bad sectors.

Step 1: Make a bootable disk of MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 2: Boot the computer with the MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable disk.

Step 3: Wait a few seconds without any operations to make MiniTool Partition Wizard open automatically. Then, click Partition & Disk Management to go to its main interface.

Step 4: Right-click the system disk and choose Surface Test.

Step 5: Click Start Now to begin. If there are bad sectors, they will be marked with red blocks.

Method 8. Replace Hard Drive

If the above methods can’t repair your hard drive, you should consider replacing it. Before you replace the hard drive, you may want to recover data first.

As for data recovery software, you should choose a reliable one, which also allows you to recover data when the computer fails to boot.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is such a piece of software. I will show you how to recover data with it. Of course, if there are no important files on your computer, you can skip the data recovery work.

Here is the tutorial on how to recover data when the computer can’t boot.

Step 1: Boot the computer with MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable media.

Step 2: Go to its main interface and click Data Recovery.

Step 3: Choose the system disk and then click Scan.

Settings: This feature allows you to limit the scanning range by selecting file systems and file types.

Step 4: Find the lost files with built-in tools.

• You can find files according to their paths, and file types.
• Show Lost Files feature only displays the lost files.
• Find feature allows you to find files by typing continuous parts of their file names.
• Filter feature allows you to find files through narrowing down the files range according to filename/extension, file size, creation/modification date, etc.
• Preview allows you to preview the files that don’t exceed 100 MB before the data is recovered.

Step 5: Select files and then Save them into a safe position.

Then, you can replace your hard drive. Please click How to Install Windows 10 on a New Hard Drive (with Picture) to get a detailed guide.

Method 9. Kill Virus

The error code 0xc00000e9 may be caused by a virus. If so, you can run an antivirus to fix this problem. But, please note that a virus attack may cause data loss. You should recover important files first. Then, you should make a bootable antivirus disk and kill the virus according to its instruction.

0xc00000e9 FAQ

Here are 9 solutions to error code 0xc00000e9. If your computer won’t boot due to this error, this article will help you out.Click to tweet

Bottom Line

Has this article been helpful for you? We need your feedback. If you have problems in performing any of the above methods, you can leave a comment below or email us at [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible. If you have any better solutions, please also leave a comment below to share.