Jan 27, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions
Error code 0xc0000225 is a pretty common Windows error that many users encounter while trying to boot their system. Although the pop-up automatically disappears in many cases, there are situations when you might encounter this error repeatedly. Since it won't allow you to boot your system, things can get pretty annoying, especially if you're in the middle of an important task.
So, if you are stuck with the same error message, continue reading as we've compiled a list of all the working solutions that'll help you fix error code 0xc0000225 and successfully boot the system.
Before talking about the solutions, let's first take an insight into what does error code 0xc0000225 mean and why does it occur. As mentioned earlier, you'll encounter this error while trying to boot your system.
During the initial boot, Windows load system files to successfully boot the PC. However, when one of these system files is missing or corrupted, the OS will prompt the said error code. You are most likely to encounter this error code along with one of the following three messages.
Even though you can encounter this error on any Windows 10/8 system, it's commonly seen on systems using the latest UEFI scheme along with GPT partitions. In general, users encounter this error after a sudden crash while trying to upgrade their system.
Furthermore, here are a few scenarios where your Windows system may flash the error code 0xc0000225 on your screen.
In all these situations, there's a huge probability that the system files may have gone corrupted, causing your system to display the error. Now that you know what causes the error, let's dive into the solutions that'll help you fix the issue.
Since several factors can make your PC run into this error, you'll have to follow different working solutions to fix it. Moreover, like any boot error, you'll need Windows Installation Media to go into Advanced Repair Options and fix the error. So, before everything else, make sure to create a Windows Installation Media using tools like Rufus.
Once, you've prepared the bootable Installation media, the following methods will help you troubleshoot the error.
"Automatic Repair" is Windows built-in troubleshooter that's specifically designed to repair the system and fix various errors. So, before going into advanced solutions, try using the "Automatic Repair" tool and see if it fixes the error or not.
Follow these instructions to launch Windows Automatic Repair.
Step 1: Insert the Windows Installation Media and use it to boot your system.
Step 2: You'll be prompted to the Windows setup wizard. Here choose the right date & time, language, region, and then click "Next".
Step 3: In the next window, tap "Repair Your Computer" in the bottom-left corner.
Step 4: Go to "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" and choose "Automatic Repair".
This will initiate the system repair process. Wait for the process to complete and boot your system normally.
Apart from the "Automatic Repair" tool, Microsoft also provides several built-in utilities to fix unexpected boot errors manually. "SFC" and "CHKDSK" are two of these utilities you can use to manually scan your system. The former will scan and repair corrupt system files while the latter will check your hard drive for corrupt disk sectors.
Again, to run these utilities, you'll have to boot your system using the Windows Installation media we created earlier.
Step 1: After booting from the Installation Media, click "Repair Your Computer".
Step 2: Select "Troubleshoot" and click on "Advanced Options".
Step 3: Choose "Command Prompt".
Step 4: Execute the following commands in the same order.
sfc /scannow
chkdsk c: /r
Now, close the Command Prompt window and boot your system normally. If the error was caused due to corrupt system files, the above utilities would have most likely fixed it.
One of the major advantages of using a Windows system is that you can change the active partition and manually tell the OS where to boot from. This feature will come quite handy when the active partition has been changed due to some error and your PC is failing to boot from the accurate location.
In this case, you can simply set the active partition to its original location and say a permanent goodbye to the error code 0xc0000225.
Step 1: Follow the same instructions, mentioned in the previous method, to launch the command prompt through the "Advanced Repair" window.
Step 2: Now, type "Diskpart" to launch the Diskpart tool and list all the disks using the "List Disk" command.
Step 3: Use "Select Disk X" to select your internal disk.
Step 4: Now, execute the following commands to set an active partition on your internal hard disk.
List partition
Select partition X
Active
Again, reboot your system and see if the error is gone or not.
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How To Mark Partition as Active or Inactive in Windows 10/11
Fix "Active Partition Not Found" Error
System Restore is yet another useful Windows feature that'll allow you to fix a wide range of Windows errors. This feature will allow you to restore your system into time when it wasn't displaying error code 0xc0000225.
Here's how you can use System Restore on a Windows 10 PC.
Step 1: Use the same instructions to launch the Advanced Repair Options window.
Step 2: Click on "System Restore" and choose a restore point where you think your system was working completely fine.
Step 3: Wait for the process to complete and then restart your system. Hopefully, you won't see the error code 0xc0000225 anymore.
In case none of the above solutions worked, you can try cloning the internal hard on an identical external drive using a docking station. Though this method seems a bit complicated, it can be pretty useful when nothing helps you fix the error code 0xc0000225.
Cloning the hard drive will allow you to save all everything including the OS, applications, and other data on an external hard drive. However, this method will only work when you have an identical external hard drive and an advanced docking station like ThermalTake P/N: ST0014U-C.
When everything fails to fix the issue, you can also try reinstalling Windows from scratch. But, since reinstalling the OS usually results in data loss, many users remain skeptical about this solution.
Fortunately, there's a way to reinstall Windows without losing any data whatsoever. You can use Wondershare RecoverIt, a data recovery software that can also be used to recover files from an unbootable PC.
It means that even if the error code 0xc0000225 is restricting the system to boot normally, you can restore all your data on an external hard drive and reinstall Windows without worrying about data loss.
Follow these instructions to retrieve data from an unbootable PC and store it on an external storage device.
Step 1: First of all, install and launch Recoverit on another laptop/PC and select "Recover from Crash Computer".
Step 2: Insert a USB drive and click "Create USB Bootable Drive". Click "Create" to continue the process.
Step 3: RecoverIt will ask you to format the USB drive. Click "Format" to confirm your actions.
Step 4: The tool will start creating the bootable drive. Wait for the process to complete and then remove the USB drive.
Now, connect the USB to the PC/laptop that's displaying the error code 0xc0000225 and make it boot from the USB. For detailed steps, check out how to set the computer to boot from a USB drive.
You'll be prompted to the Recoverit's interface. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to recover all your files and save them on an external storage device.
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A Windows PC is most likely to run into the error code 0xc0000225 due to sudden system crashes or force shutdowns during a system upgrade. The best way to prevent this issue is to ensure that the system upgrade isn't interrupted at all. However, even if you encounter the error, simply follow the above-mentioned solutions to fix it instantly.
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