0xc0000001
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Microsoft · Windows
An unsuccessful operation has occurred. This is a general boot failure error indicating that the system cannot start due to a missing or corrupted file, driver, or registry hive.
Quick Answer
Error code 0xC0000001 on your Microsoft Windows means: An unsuccessful operation has occurred. This is a general boot failure error indicating that the system cannot start due to a missing or corrupted file, driver, or registry hive.. This is usually fixable — see the step-by-step guide below.
Affected Models
Applies to all models
Likely Causes
How to Fix It
1
Attempt Startup Repair: Boot from Windows installation media, click 'Repair your computer' > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Run it up to 3 times as each pass may fix additional issues.
2
Boot into Safe Mode: From the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press F4 for Safe Mode. If Safe Mode works, the issue is likely a recently installed driver or update.
3
Restore the system registry from backup: Boot from installation media to Command Prompt. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config. Create a backup of current hives, then copy the backup hives from C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack: copy RegBack\SYSTEM ., copy RegBack\SOFTWARE ., copy RegBack\SAM ., copy RegBack\SECURITY ., copy RegBack\DEFAULT .
4
Run sfc /scannow from recovery: sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows.
5
Run DISM offline: DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
6
Check the system drive health: From recovery Command Prompt, run: chkdsk C: /f /r.
7
If a recent update caused this, uninstall it: From recovery Command Prompt, run: dism /Image:C:\ /Get-Packages to list installed updates, then: dism /Image:C:\ /Remove-Package /PackageName:<package_name> for the most recent one.
8
If the registry backup (RegBack) folder is empty (common in Windows 10 1803+), you may need to use System Restore from the recovery environment if a restore point exists, or perform a repair install.
Pro Tip
This issue typically requires professional diagnosis. Attempting this fix without proper training could cause further problems.
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