4 Best Ways To Fix Master Boot Record In Windows 10

Master Boot Record windows 10

The most crucial piece of data that enables a computer to detect and identify the location of the operating system is to enable Master Boot Record in windows 10 (MBR), often known as the “master partition table” or “partition sector.”

The Master Boot Record can occasionally become corrupted due to malware, system configuration modifications, or improper shutdowns. You may sometimes see the Bootmgr Is Missing error message, which will prohibit the device from booting.

If you ever have this issue, you will need to use install media and a few Command Prompt commands to repair the MBR so that Windows 10 can load once again.

You will discover how to fix the Master Boot Record on a Windows 10 device in this article.

What causes an MBR error?

If you check through your hard drive, you will find a file of around 512 bytes. That is your MBR file. A corrupt MBR prevents Windows from booting, and several conditions might cause MBR damage. Some of them are as follows:

  • Errors in loading the operating system
  • Error with the operating system
  • Error with an invalid partition table
  • An error occurred because no bootable media was identified.
  • Reboot and select the appropriate boot device error
  • Other kinds of mistakes triggered by current factors

How to Fix and Repair Master Boot Record In windows 10

Here is a list of fast solutions for MBR repair. Each approach is explained in depth for simple comprehension. Use any of these to repair and fix MBR.

  1. Startup Repair via Windows Automatic Repair
  2. Use Command Prompt Via Windows for Automatic Repair
  3. Fix MBR Issues using Gparted Live
  4. Fix MBR Issues Using Boot Repair Disk

Let’s go into the solutions in detail:

1. Startup Repair via Windows Automatic Repair

When you boot your computer, Windows identifies any problems and enters what is known as an automatic repair mode. This message will be displayed to you: “Your pc did not start correctly.

  • To resolve difficulties, choose Advanced Options.
choose Advanced Options
  • Then select Troubleshoot and Startup Repair. 
  • The Startup tool will automatically resolve the faults, after which your Windows will restart.
Startup Repair via Windows Automatic Repair

2. Use Command Prompt Via Windows for Automatic Repair

If Startup does not resolve the issue or you prefer a quick solution, you can use the command prompt via Auto repair. If Windows 10 detects a problem, the Repair screen will appear.

  • To begin, bootable Windows media must first be inserted into the affected PC.
  • Create a bootable USB or DVD drive by downloading the most recent Windows 10 ISO if you don’t already have one.)
  • Press ESC or Delete to access the BIOS configuration after restarting your computer.
  • Then boot your computer using the bootable media and launch the Windows 10 setup, changing the boot order.
  • To boot from installation media and bypass the first screen, press Any Key.
  • Click Repair your computer in the lower-left corner of the next screen.
Click Repair your computer

Use bootrec.exe to repair MBR to finish the repair process. As it includes a large selection of system commands designed for recovering boot processes, Bootrec.exe is strongly advised. Additionally, Windows may be installed with this utility.

  • To access the advanced command prompt and repair the MBR, choose the Troubleshoot option, then Advanced options, and finally Command Prompt.
choose the Troubleshoot option, then Advanced options, and finally Command Prompt.

Use the command listed below to repair MBR and restore regular PC booting.

  • Bootrec.exe

When you are in an advanced command prompt, you may use the Bootrec.exe utility to repair the Master Boot Record on your Windows 10 PC. Depending on your circumstances, Bootrec.exe provides a variety of alternatives. 

  • bootrec /fixmbr

To begin, use the fixmbr command in conjunction with the bootrec utility to restore the corrupted or broken MBR.

When you run the command, you will receive a notification confirming that the process was successful.

  • bootrec /fixboot

If you believe your boot sector has been destroyed or replaced by other bootloaders, run this command to wipe the present one and establish a new one.

  • bootrec /rebuildbcd

Boot record issues can arise when the “Boot Configuration Data” is damaged or corrupted, in addition to faulty boot records. Use the following command to regenerate the Boot Configuration Data in such instances. 

If the BCD is corrupted or damaged, Windows will display the identified Windows installations so that the entire BCD can be rebuilt.

  • bootrec /scanos

If you have many operating systems installed on your Windows PC, you should use the “ScanOS” parameter.

This option instructs Windows to check the Boot Configuration Data and add any missing OS systems. This allows the user to select an operating system while the computer is starting.

Then, type quit to exit the command prompt and restart Windows. You should now be able to restart your Windows PC without issue.

If the error message shown is “Bootmgr Is Missing”, you can use the following instructions to export and wipe the BCD store before attempting to boot Windows 10 again with the RebuildBcd command.

Use Command Prompt Via Windows for Automatic Repair

To repeat, open the command prompt from the Advanced menu and enter the following commands, one at a time:

  • BCDedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
  • C:
  • CD boot
  • Attrib BCD -s -h -r
  • Ren C:\boot\bcd bcd.old
  • Bootrec /RebuildBcd

Press Y to confirm adding Windows 10 to your computer’s list of bootable operating systems.

Press Y to confirm adding Windows 10 to your computer's list

3. Fix MBR Issues using Gparted Live

Gparted live is partition management software for Linux. This program is quite successful at resolving MBR-related difficulties. Here are the steps to using Gparted.

  • Install Gparted (32-bit or 64-bit). Both versions are 32/64-bit compatible. If your system is 32 or 64-bit, use an i686.iso; if it is 64-bit, use an am64.iso.
  • Add Gparted to the Boot Media. Download UNetbootin to create a bootable CD for your media type. To get to Gparted ISO, click Diskimage and then the three dots icon.
Fix MBR Issues using Gparted Live
  • Select ISO and then press the open button. Choose USB drive and then click OK. When the operation is finished, remove the bootable disk and shut down the machine.
  • Launch Gparted.

Insert the Gparted media into the device to repair a corrupt MBR. Turn it on in the open boot selection menu. Look for Gparted Live as a bootable source when the option appears. Click on it and wait for it to load. 

Change the language from the default to your favorite language.

  • When Gparted has finished loading, open a Terminal Window and execute sudo fdisk-l, then press Enter. This command returns a list of all partitions and disks. Select No Log.
  • The system will inquire about the disk that has to be repaired. Choose a drive.
  • Choose the partition table. In our case, the Partition table is Intel. Press the Enter key.
Choose the partition table.
  • Click Analyze, then the Quick search icon.

Testdisk will do a brief search on your drive to determine the primary partition. Partitions with “*” should be avoided.

The faulty MBR is located on this main partition. If you can’t find it, use a Deep search. Live Gparted will also provide a list of faults discovered.

  • If all the partitions identified are in the right sequence, write the partition table; otherwise, use the arrow keys to toggle them. (Use the figure below as an example.) Scrolling over a partition exposes the files contained within it).
  • Because the first duplicated partition is incorrect, an error warning appears in the diagram below.
Because the first duplicated partition
  • The replicated partition contains folders from the original disk.
The replicated partition contains folders from the original disk
  • The first is marked for deletion with the D (Delete) signal, whereas the second is marked as L. (Logical).

Close Terminal, log out of Gparted, then shut down the machine before removing Bootable media. Only after this should you reboot your computer.

4. Fix MBR Issues Using Boot Repair Disk

Download a Boot Repair Disk in either a 33-bit or 64-bit format. Select the Gparted Icon. Now, create a bootable disk image. Download UNetbootin as well.

  • Select Diskimage from the UNetbootin area. To launch the Boot-Repair ISO, click the three-dot symbol.
  • Select ISO and then press the Open button. Tap OK after selecting the USB device.

Once finished, remove the bootable disc and power down the machine.

When the boot repair screen appears, select Terminal from the Taskbar, run fDisk -l, and then press Enter to inspect the drive’s partitions.

  • Navigate to the System Tools area and choose Boot Repair. This software will perform a system scan, following which you may select Automatic Repair to view Advanced choices. To resolve difficulties quickly, select the first Automatic option.
Boot Repair Disk
  • If it doesn’t work, go to the Advanced area and choose MBR options. Find the Windows partitions. When you have found it, click Apply and restart your computer.
If it doesn't work, go to the Advanced area and choose MBR options

Conclusion

If you’re unsure what’s wrong with your computer, try all of the commands in this article to see if they fix the problem and enable you to boot into Windows 10.

While the “bootrec” program should be sufficient for repairing the Master Boot Record, other associated issues may necessitate using additional command-line tools (such as Bootsect.exe or BCDboot), which are outside the scope of this instruction.

This post focuses on Windows 10, but the methods should also work