When I start Windows 11, I get a blue recovery screen saying the operating system could not be loaded because the registry file is missing or corrupted. It identifies the file as \Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM and shows error code 0xc000014c. Booting from a Windows 11 installation USB and choosing "Repair your computer" only causes the machine to restart and return to the same error. The recovery environment behaves the same way. How can I repair the registry and get Windows booting again?
2 Answers
First confirm that the computer is actually booting from the USB: enter the BIOS or one-time boot menu and select the installation drive. From the setup screen, choose “Repair your computer,” then open Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command Prompt. In Command Prompt, use diskpart and `list volume` to identify the Windows partition, since it may not be C: in the recovery environment. You can then restore the SYSTEM hive from a restore point under `System Volume Information` rather than relying on the old RegBack method. RegBack is normally empty on modern Windows 10 and 11 installations. Make a backup of the damaged hive first, and be careful to use the correct Windows drive letter and restore-point folder.
If selecting repair simply restarts the USB installer, the recovery tools may not be loading correctly or the USB may not be the device being booted. Recreate the Windows installation USB using another computer, verify the BIOS boot order, and try the USB again. If the recovery tools still fail, prioritize copying important files from the Command Prompt or a live recovery environment before attempting registry replacement or reinstalling Windows.
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