winload.efi missing or corrupt error when trying to use startup repair

[Naartjie1992]

Hi, this is my first thread post. This morning my laptop worked fine and I was browsing around the net when my desktop decided that it was high time it froze. So I did a hard reset as I have done many times before on many different computers. Only when I rebooted, my system shut itself down immediately after the first boot up screen.

Eventually (miraculously), after around 10 hard resets, it got past that screen to the windows logo screen, and got stuck for around 10min there, and then got through to the login screen. When I log in, I get a blank screen with only my cursor showing up. I read around that you can display the desktop again by ending the explorer.exe process and restarting it in the task manager, which unfortunately didn't work for me. Rebooting again does exactly the same, and when I open up the repair screen by pressing F8, only safe mode seems to actually load anything (so I guess there's not too much wrong with my harddrive since I can access everything through safe mode).

Both startup repair and Safe Mode with Networking give me exactly the same error:

"Your PC needs to be repaired
The application or operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors.
File: \Windows\system32\winload.efi
Error code: 0xc0000225
You'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don't have any installation media (like a disc or USB device), contact your system administrator or PC manufacturer"

So I can't use either of those options to fix whatever problem this is, and System Restore in Safe Mode says that I don't have any restore points.

As far as I'm aware I didn't install anything new on my system since 2 days ago, and like I said, it was still working this morning.

Is there ANY way that I can save some of my important files, as I have a project on this laptop that has to be handed in in 4 weeks and can't be redone in such a small amount of time?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Kopernikus3]

I´ve got the same issue, done same manouvers as copied below:


Error
Your PC needs to be repaired
The application or operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors.
File: \Windows\system32\winload.efi
Error code: 0xc0000225
You'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don't have any installation media (like a disc or USB device), contact your system administrator or PC manufacturer

Press Enter to try again
Press F8 for Startup Settings

Attempted fixes

1 - Press F8

Screen flashes quickly but nothing else happens
2 - Reboot computer with installation media (USB 3 stick)
Computer failed to get past POST check
Moved USB stick to another port and booted from it and followed this procedure:
Automatic System Repair - Didn't work
System Restore - Didn't work
BootRec /RebuildBCD, BootRec /FixBoot, BootRec /FixMBR - No difference here either
Refresh PC from repair DVD - "An error ocurred while refreshing your PC, no changes were made"

Ran diskpart etc:

Volume 0 - Ltr D - label *none* - Fs *none* - type DVD-ROM
Volume 1 - Ltr C - Label *none - Fs RAW - type Partition - Size 217GB - status healthy - info none
Volume 2 - Ltr * - Label *none - Fs RAW - Type Partition - Size 100MB - Status Healthy - info hidden
Volume 3 - Ltr * - Label *none - Fs RAW - Type Patrition - Size 900MB - Status Healthy - info hidden
Volume 4 - Ltr * - Label *none - FS RAW - Type Partition - Size 20GB - Status Healthy - info hidden
Volume 5 - Ltr E - Label WIN7AIO-SP1 - FS FAT32 - Type removable - size 28gb - Status Healthy - info hidden

bootrec.exe /fixboot = the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.
bootrec.exe /ScanOs = total identified windows installations = 0
bootrec.exe /fixmbr = the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.
bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd = total identified windows installations = 0
Startup repair does not help
Cannot restore without specified windows installation
Have no recovery image to use for system recovery
Memeory diagnostic comes out ok
cannot use disk commander = the request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.

tried running "setup" from x:/sources/recovery, did nothing (seems pretty much that there is nothing to be found to recover)

When trying to reinstall Windows with the same install and USB as I used first time it simply says I can´t install on the primary directory, listed as 217GB free out of 217GB.
Also I cannot delete or format any of the 4 partitions (0 system, 1 OEM reserved, 2 Primary, 3 OEM reserved).

At this point I´m hoping it would be possible to just wipe everything and get a clean start.
I installed Win 7 instead of win 8 a month ago on a brand new Asus laptop, was running smoothly until sudden BSOD yesterday when I was moving some files around (UEFI on GPT disk).
Now that I try the repair options etc via install USB every option takes ages to load.
Pressing "install now" and it then is stuck at "Setup is starting" for a good 30 minutes.

When booting up there was the option of choosing win 7 or win 8.1, although win 8.1 did not start if chosen.

I´ve tried to start with last known working conf, without forced signed drivers, safe mode.
If I turn on secure boot option (and off CSM) in BIOS it wont even try booting but go back to BIOS instead.
WIn bootloader shows up though in BIOS, both with and without CSM active.