Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is the firmware-independent database that stores boot-time configuration settings for Windows 11.
During the boot process:
1. Firmware (BIOS/UEFI) loads the Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR).
2. The Windows Boot Manager reads the BCD store to determine which operating system loader to execute and what boot parameters to use.
3. The BCD store contains entries with unique GUIDs, specifying the device location (partition), path to the OS loader (winload.exe), and boot options (like safe mode or debugging flags).
4. If multiple boot entries exist, the Boot Manager presents a menu for the user to select.
5. The selected entry launches winload.exe, which continues the startup process
For UEFI systems, the BCD store is typically located in the EFI System Partition (ESP) at \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD. The Boot Manager uses standard UEFI APIs to locate it, falling back to the hardcoded path if needed. For BIOS systems, the BCD is located on the system partition at \Boot\BCD
To fix boot errors, boot from a Windows installation USB/DVD, select "Repair your computer," then use Command Prompt to run
Following commands, pressing Enter after each.
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Once the operations are complete successfully, remove the USB/DVD and restart the computer.
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