Hey everyone, I need some serious help with my Windows 10 PC. I recently updated my BIOS because I was about to upgrade my CPU to a Ryzen 7 5700x, which requires this update. My current setup includes a Ryzen 5 2400G and an MSI B350M PRO-VDH motherboard, and I updated to BIOS version E7A38AMS.AL6. Suddenly, Windows stopped booting and now I get an error code 0xc0000098 with the message about the BCD file.
I've tried everything I could find online, including sticking a Windows Installation USB created with the Media Creation Tool in and using the Repair Tools from there. Here's what I attempted:
- Ran `fixmbr` and `bootrec /fixboot` (which gave an "Access Denied" error at first but I fixed it with `bootsect /nt60 sys`). `bootrec /rebuildbcd` didn't find any installations.
- Fixed the EFI partition using diskpart—tried `bcdboot` multiple times but no luck.
- I've also messed with the boot order and tried both UEFI and Legacy modes, tested `chkdsk`, and rerun `sfc /scannow`, which said there were no issues.
- Did a BIOS downgrade to E7A38AMS.AL3, but the problem didn't change.
- Tried a system restore point made before the BIOS update; still no improvement.
Every now and then, I also get an 'Inaccessible Boot Device' message along with a black screen, especially after retries. I'm trying to avoid a full reinstallation if possible. Has anyone dealt with this issue before? What should I do?
2 Answers
Another thing you might want to try is to reset your BIOS settings to default again, just to make sure there's nothing strange left over from the updates. Sometimes, a complete reset after downgrading can help clear out lingering issues. If that doesn’t work, I’d recommend getting in touch with MSI support; they might have specific fixes for this kind of problem after a BIOS update.
Hey there! It sounds like you've done a ton of troubleshooting already. Since you mentioned you've tried various boot repairs and a system restore, have you considered checking the physical connections? Sometimes a loose cable can lead to boot issues, especially after a BIOS update. Also, if possible, try removing any non-essential peripherals during boot-up to see if that helps. Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check the connections and see if disconnecting the peripherals helps.
I already reset the BIOS to default, but I’ll contact MSI support if I can’t find a solution soon. Appreciate the advice!