How to Fix The ‘MBR (Master Boot Record)’Issue in Windows 10 – Guide
A nasty new strain of ransomware wreaks havoc on computers. Hackers who encrypt your files and demand money from you in the form of Bitcoin are bad enough, but some versions also overwrite the Master Boot Record (MBR) of your Windows PC. Master Boot Record is an important part of your PC’s boot system. It contains information about the computer’s hard disk partitions and helps to load the operating system. Without a properly functioning MBR, your PC just won’t work. More recently, the Petya variant of ransomware has been causing MBR issues. Then, in August, annoying malware appeared on FossHub that replaced the MBR, causing headaches for affected users. And the Master Boot Record can also sometimes be corrupted by less hostile actions. The Master Boot Record (MBR) is part of the Boot Record along with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD). MBR is created when the first partition is created on the hard disk and it is a very important data structure in the first sector of the hard disk that contains the partition table of the drive as well as a small amount of executable code for booting. Once the MBR file is corrupted or inaccessible, you may fail to boot your system and you will see error information like “OS not found”, “OS loading error”, “OS is missing” or “Invalid partition table” ” it will show up.
Fix MBR (Master Boot Record) in Windows 10
Startup Repair via Windows Automatic Repair
When you first boot your Windows 10 system, it should detect that there is a problem and enter automatic repair mode. The screen reads Your PC did not start correctly. From here, select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Startup Repair.
Command Prompt via Windows Automatic Repair
If the Windows 10 boot repair process does not fix the MBR issue, or if you simply prefer a faster and more straightforward approach to fixing your system, you can use the command prompt via automatic repair. When the system detects a problem and the Automatic Repair screen appears, select Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt. You will use bootrec.exe tool to repair corrupt MBR. Bootrec has a variety of commands designed to recover the boot process from problems and is already on your Windows 10 system as part of the basic installation. Type bootrec.exe /fixmbr and press Enter. Then type bootrec.exe /fixboot and press Enter. You should see The operation completed successfully below each command. If you don’t see the operation completion message and instead get an error, type bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd and press Enter. The “rebuildbcd” command attempts to rebuild your system boot configuration data (BCD). Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work the first time. In this case, Microsoft suggests exporting the BCD storage (the location where your boot data is kept) and completely rebuilding from scratch. It sounds scary, but it only takes a brief moment. Enter the following commands in order: The export and rebuild process should completely repair your MBR issues. Users still working with Windows 7 or an earlier version can also use the command bootrec.exe /scanos. This command verifies and repairs legacy BCD settings.
Fix MBR issues on Windows using GParted Live
GParted Live is a bootable Linux distribution focused on partition management. However, it also allows you to work on your Windows partitions outside of the operating system, which means you can try to fix and restore your MBR issues. To complete this part of the tutorial you need a working alternative system.
Download GParted Live
First, you need to download GParted Live. There are two versions. If you have a 32-bit system, choose i686.iso version. This version works on 32-bit and 64-bit systems, albeit with some limitations. If you have a 64-bit system (and you’re pretty sure it’s a 64-bit system!) download the amd64.iso version.
Burn GParted Live to Bootable Media
Then you need to burn the disk image to a bootable media type. I’m using an 8GB USB flash drive, but a smaller drive will work, as will a proper disk. You must also download UNetbootin. Open UNetbootin. Select Diskimage at the bottom of the panel, then press the three dots icon to navigate to the GParted Live ISO. Select the ISO and press Open. Then select the USB flash drive you want to record in GParted Live as well and press OK. Once complete, remove the bootable media and shut down the system.
Booting into GParted Live
Insert GParted Live bootable media into the system with a corrupted MBR. Power on the system by pressing the hotkey of the boot process for your system to bring up the boot device selection menu (e.g. F11 on my PC and laptop). You must identify the GParted Live media as a potential bootable source. Select it and let the media load. You will have to make some minor selections like language and operating mode.
Using GParted Live and TestDisk to Fix MBR
After the GParted Live environment is loaded, open a Terminal window, type sudo fdisk -l and press Enter. This command will list all drives and partitions currently available on your system. Now open a new Terminal window, type testdisk and select No Log.
Fix MBR Problems in Windows Using Boot Repair Disk
Boot Repair Disk is another extremely useful Linux distribution that you can use to fix Windows 10 MBR issues. In fact, the boot repair disk includes a copy of GParted, just in case. However, it simplifies the MBR restore process in a single program with easily switched boxes. First, download the 64-bit or 32-bit version of Boot Repair Disk, depending on your system. Like the GParted Live image, the 32-bit version only works with 32-bit systems, while the 64-bit version works with both.
Burn Boot Repair Disk to Bootable Media
Then you need to burn the disk image to a bootable media type. I’m using an 8GB USB flash drive, but a smaller drive will work, as will a proper disk. You must also download UNetbootin. Open UNetbootin. Select Diskimage at the bottom of the panel, then press the three-dot icon to navigate to the Boot Repair Disk ISO. Select the ISO and press Open. Then select the USB flash drive you want to burn to boot repair disk as well and press OK. Once complete, remove the bootable media and shut down the system.
Booting to Startup Repair Disk
Insert the boot repair disk media into the system with a corrupted MBR. Power on the system by pressing the hotkey of the boot process for your system to bring up the boot device selection menu (e.g. F11 on my PC and laptop). You must identify the boot repair disk USB flash drive or disk as a possible bootable source. Select it and let the media load.
Using Boot Repair Disk to Fix MBR
Once the Boot Repair Disk environment is loaded (Boot Repair Disk uses the lightweight Lubuntu environment), select LXTerminal from the taskbar. Type fdisk -l and press Enter to list your current drives and partitions. Then select the B logo in the bottom right corner (where the Windows Start menu is) and go to System Tools > Startup Repair. The program will analyze your system and you will be able to choose an automatic repair session or view advanced options. First, try the automatic repair option. Automatic repair fixes the vast majority of startup issues right away. If that doesn’t work, open advanced options and go to MBR options tab. Cross-referencing the list of drives and partitions in the LXTerminal session created earlier, locate your Windows boot partitions. The boot-repair disk marks them out a little clearer than the basic commands of GParted Live! When you are sure, press Apply and restart your system.
Final note
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