I'm in the middle of wiping my PC to install a fresh version of Windows when I hit a major roadblock. During the wipe, I received a notification that it failed, and now I'm stuck. I can't install anything—BIOS updates, upgrades, you name it. I tried cleaning my M.2 drive through the BIOS and plugged in a new Windows copy on a USB stick, but I keep getting this pesky error code: 0xc000021a. I suspect there's some sort of corruption happening, but I'm out of my depth here. Can anyone lend a hand?
1 Answer
That error 0xc000021a usually means Windows couldn't start because something went wrong. This can happen from a failed install or corrupted system files, often related to issues with the BIOS configuration, or even bad install media. First, check your BIOS settings: make sure you're set to UEFI, turn off Secure Boot, and confirm your M.2 drive is recognized. Also, try recreating your Windows USB with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to ensure your installation files are good. If the boot keeps failing, fully wipe the drive using diskpart from the Windows Install USB and try again.
I can't even boot from the USB drive; it just gives me that error before restarting. Tried fixing the USB and updating BIOS! What now?