Recovering partition from Windows Vista in case of corrupt BCD store

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When a Windows Vista system is switched on, the boot sector loads the bootmgr file to access the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store, which uses its information to load the operating system. The BCD store is a firmware-independent database, which is used to store the boot time configuration data, and is very significant for the boot process. However, sometimes the BCD store gets corrupt and results in making the system unable to boot. In such cases, you should use appropriate corrective measures to resolve the issue. However, if you are not able to address the problem then you should use a Windows data recovery software to recover the trapped data.

Consider a scenario wherein your Windows Vista system is unable to boot. An error message is displayed, that is:

“File: \Boot\BCD

Status: 0xc0000034

Info: The Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing required information”

Cause:

The most possible cause of the aforementioned error message could be either (or both) of the following reasons:


· The entry of the Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr) is missing in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.


· The Boot\BCD file on the active partition is either corrupt or missing.

Resolution:


To resolve this error message and to be able to access the Windows Vista system, you should perform the following methods, preferably in the given order:


· Repair the BCD store by using the Startup Repair option: In the Windows Recovery Environment, use the Startup Repair option to repair the BCD store.


· Rebuild the BCD store by using the Bootrec.exe tool: If the previous method is not able to resolve the issue, then you should use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to resolve the issue.


· Rebuild the BCD store manually using the Bcdedit.exe tool: If you are still not able to rebuild the BCD store, then you should do it manually using the Bcdedit.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment.


Either of the aforementioned methods will be able to resolve the error. However, if you are still not able to address the issue then you should use a third-party partition recovery software to recover the lost partition. Such read-only tools are able to recover partition from all instances of corruption using sophisticated scanning algorithms.

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Recovering hard-deleted files using file recovery software

Nearly each one of us has experienced the data loss situations some way or the other. And we all know how painful it is to lose data especially when it is not possible to recover it. Such scenarios occur because of various reasons such as emptying the Recycle Bin, hard-deleting the files, deleting files from the DOS prompt, virus infections, shutting down the system abruptly, etc. In most of the cases, you do not have a backup of these files, which makes the situation even more depressing and calls for file recovery. In such cases, you should use a third-party file recovery software to recover deleted files.

Consider a scenario wherein you are working on an important document for your monthly report. Once you are done with the document, you hard-delete the rest of the files using 'Shift+Delete'. However, after deleting these files, you realize that you have mistakenly deleted the actual file. After deleting these files, you realized that it was the file that you required for the report. And to make the matters worse, the file also skipped the Recycle Bin because of shift-deleting it. Now, as usual you must be cursing yourself for this great folly of yours. But wait a minute, the file may still be recovered even after hard-deleting.

Actually when a file is deleted from a Windows system, it is not removed from the file system database. Only its reference is deleted and the file is still there. Thus, Windows makes a note that the space reserved by the deleted file is now available for a new file. So, until a new file is created and saved at the location where the deleted file was stored, it can be recovered from there. However, to recover such deleted files you need to use a third-party file recovery software. Such read-only tools are able to perform file recovery without overwriting the existing data.

READ MORE » Recovering hard-deleted files using file recovery software