How to Fix The ‘MBR (Master Boot Record)’Issue in Windows 10 – Guide

Ransomware encrypts files and demands money in Bitcoin. Hackers who do this can cause problems for users by overwriting the Master Boot Record (MBR) on a computer. If this happens, the PC won’t be able to start up and will need to be repaired. Recently, there has been a new strain of ransomware that causes MBR issues. Then, in August, an annoying malware appeared on FossHub that replaced the MBR on computers.

When the MBR 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.” ..

Fix MBR (Master Boot Record) in Windows 10

Startup Repair via Windows Automatic Repair

If you are experiencing problems with your computer, it is important to troubleshoot them as soon as possible. One way to do this is by using the Startup Repair feature. This option can be found in the Advanced Options menu on your computer. ..

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.

Bootrec.exe is a tool used 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.

  1. Type “rebuild” in the command prompt.
  2. After the rebuild is complete, type “export BCD” to export your boot data to a new location.
  3. Type “reboot” to restart your computer.

The atrib command prints the contents of a file as a list of bytes. The -s option tells atrib to print the contents in standard output, while the -h option tells atrib to print the contents in human-readable format. The -r option tells atrib to reverse the order of the bytes in the file. ..

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 that focuses 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

If you have a 32-bit system, choose the i686.iso version of GParted Live. 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 of GParted Live. GParted Live is available in two versions: the i686.iso for 32-bit systems and the amd64.iso for 64-bit systems. The i686.iso version works on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, but there are some limitations; the amd64.iso version is specifically for 64-bit systems and has more features. ..

Burn GParted Live to Bootable Media

To burn a disk image to a bootable media type:

  1. Open UNetbootin.
  2. Select Diskimage at the bottom of the panel.
  3. Press the three dots icon to navigate to the GParted Live ISO.
  4. Select the ISO and press Open.
  5. Once complete, remove the bootable media and shut down the system

Booting into GParted Live

The GParted Live bootable media can be inserted 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.

If you have a hard drive that is not working, you will need to fix it. You can do this by selecting your hard drive and then continuing. ..

Now select the partition table type. In this case, select the Intel/PC partition and press Enter.

Select Analyze and then Quick Search. This will allow you to search for specific keywords or phrases. ..

Fix MBR Problems in Windows Using Boot Repair Disk

If you’re having problems with your Windows 10 bootloader, a boot repair disk like Boot Repair Disk can help. It includes a copy of GParted, which can be helpful if you want to restore your MBR. But Boot Repair Disk makes the restoration process much simpler by including it as a single program with easily switched boxes. ..

If you’re using a 64-bit system, download the 64-bit version of Boot Repair Disk. If you’re using a 32-bit system, download the 32-bit version of Boot Repair Disk. ..

Burn Boot Repair Disk to Bootable Media

To burn the disk image to a bootable media type:

  1. Burn the disk image to a USB flash drive or DVD.
  2. Use UNetbootin to create a bootable media type for your computer.

Open UNetbootin. Select Diskimage at the bottom of the panel, then press the three-dot icon to navigate to the Boot Repair Disk ISO.

To create a bootable disk to repair your computer, you will need the ISO of the operating system you want to install, the USB flash drive you want to use as the bootable media, and your computer’s power cord. First, open the ISO file of the operating system you want to install. Next, insert the USB flash drive into your computer and plug in your power cord. Once the USB flash drive is detected, select it from the ISO file’s list of files and press Open. Finally, select Boot Repair from the menu that appears and press OK. Once complete, remove the bootable media and shut down your computer. ..

Booting to Startup Repair Disk

If the MBR on your computer is corrupted, you can use a boot repair disk to fix it. Power on the computer by pressing the hotkey of the boot process for your system to bring up the boot device selection menu. 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

To repair your computer, you will need to use the Boot Repair Disk. This disk will help you to fix any problems that may have occurred while your computer was running. To load the Boot Repair Disk, open a terminal and type: fdisk -l

If you are having trouble starting your computer, try the following:

  1. 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.
  2. If that still doesn’t work, try to start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Safe Mode with Networking starts your computer in a limited mode that allows you to troubleshoot problems without affecting your personal files or settings. To start in Safe Mode with Networking, follow these steps: a) Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Start menu and click on “Safe Mode with Networking”. b) Click on “OK” to confirm that you want to start in Safe Mode with Networking and then wait for your computer to restart into Safe Mode with Networking. c) Once it has restarted into Safe Mode with Networking, click on “Restart” button to restart your computer back into normal mode. d) After your computer restarts, log on as usual using your user name and password. ..

Final note

If you’re experiencing problems with your Windows 10 computer, there’s a good chance that the Master Boot Record (MBR) is at fault. This guide will show you how to fix the MBR issue in Windows 10. If you have any questions about this process, don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments below or on our Facebook page. Finally, please share this article with your friends so they can also fix their Windows 10 computers! ..