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[SOLVED] MSCONFIG problem

FRST File Search
  1. Right-click on the file FRST64.exe and choose Run as administrator.
  2. Copy and paste BOOTMGFW.EFI;winload.efi into the Search box and click the Search Files button.
  3. When the scan is complete, a message will display that 'Search.txt' is saved in the same folder FRST was started from. Notepad will open this file also.
  4. Close Notepad and attach the file 'Search.txt' to your next reply.
 
I think something is wrong with one of the settings shown by bcdedit.
Please do following.

Get DiskPart Information
  • Click on Start - All programs - Accessories.
  • Rightclick on Command-prompt and select Run as administrator.
  • When command prompt opens, typ diskpart into it, then press enter.
  • Wait for this to complete.
  • Typ list volume and press enter.
  • Wait for this to complete.
  • Provide a screenshot of the commandprompt window.
 
Okay. Your systemdrive is C: which points to HarddiskVolume5.
The bcdedit report points to HarddiskVolume8 which is not available at all.
We are going to change that.

  1. Click the Start button and in the search box, type Command Prompt
  2. When you see Command Prompt on the list, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
  3. When command prompt opens, copy and paste the following command into it, then press enter.

    Code: 
    bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume5
  4. Provide a screenshot of the result.
 
PeterJ said:
Okay. Your systemdrive is C: which points to HarddiskVolume5.
The bcdedit report points to HarddiskVolume8 which is not available at all.
We are going to change that.

  1. Click the Start button and in the search box, type Command Prompt
  2. When you see Command Prompt on the list, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
  3. When command prompt opens, copy and paste the following command into it, then press enter.

    Code: 
    bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume5
  4. Provide a screenshot of the result.
Click to expand...

Good catch!

But if I check my bcdedit results, the entries under the bootmanager section are:
Read More:
HarddiskVolume2 is my [B]Partition 2[/B] [B]System[/B] 299 MB 401 MB and [B]Volume 4[/B] [B]FAT32[/B] Partition 299 MB Healthy [B]System[/B].
Hence my question is: shouldn't Billp use its efi system partition (ESP) instead?
According to the previous research on the other thread, it seems it's HarddiskVolume2 (i.e.: disk 1, partition 2, volume 6 --- see 15th post in msconfig problem).
 
xilolee said:
Hence my question is: shouldn't Billp use its efi system partition (ESP) instead?
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% sure. The setting partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume8 could be the reason for the error MSCONFIG is reporting.
We also found the path and file \EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI on the C: drive so that path should be valid too.

Let's see what the result is of the bcdedit command and secondly if that solves the MSCONFIG issue.
 
Does the frst search command search also in partitions without letters, like the esp?
Click to expand...
No, the Search Files option is limited to the system drive in normal mode.
 
1677122647669.png

However, this didn't work. I made the change and rebooted, and got a "Couldn't start windows" screen.

Interestingly, one of the options was to continue to launch Windows which I did. It booted from the HDD (now D:) partition which was the original
as-delivered boot partition (Alienware logo). When I got the machine, I put in my own SSD (now C:) and copied the O/S to it.

Luckily, I redid the bcdedit command and switched back to HarddiskVolume8 and rebooted again and it came up normally (from the C: SSD).
 
Last edited:
Set the bcdedit setting {bootmgr}device to HarddiskVolume6 the same way as in message #47.
Please report the result.
 
As I am not sure if what I do can be un-done like last time, just wondering if we can confirm
that it should be volume6 or volume2 to try next. If I can try either and recover by restoring
to volume8, then I don't mind trying as long as it's recoverable.
 
billp said:
As I am not sure if what I do can be un-done like last time, just wondering if we can confirm
that it should be volume6 or volume2 to try next. If I can try either and recover by restoring
to volume8, then I don't mind trying as long as it's recoverable.
Click to expand...
Try to re-check in diskpart if the ESP (the one in disk 1) is numbered 2, i.e. disk 1, partition 2, volume 6.
If it's partition 2, the bcdedit command should point to harddiskvolume2 (I know, Microsoft should have called It harddiskpartition2 to avoid this confusion!).
 
So the commands should be these ones:

Code: 
diskpart
Select disk 1
Select volume 6
Assign letter=z
Exit
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=z:
And reboot.
 
Last edited:
I made the changes above and rebooted. No issues on the reboot, it came up normally. MSCONFIG didn't change:

1677382265438.png

It looks like the bcdedit didn't "stick" after the reboot:


Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume8
path \EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
 
Then again, maybe it did... I ran bcdedit again a while later and saw this:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=Z:
path \EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI


Still no joy on MSCONFIG
 
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