Lenovo T440 Boot Error: Bad System Config, HDD Detection Failure, and BCD Corruption

Question

Lenovo T440 Boot Error: Bad System Config, HDD Detection Failure, and BCD Corruption

Dave Salvatore 25

I was using my Lenovo ThinkPad T440 when it suddenly crashed and showed a blue screen with the message "Bad System Config Info." I followed some steps online and created a Windows 10 installation USB using the Media Creation Tool to try and repair the PC.

When I booted from the USB, there was no option to reset the PC, only Advanced Options. None of those worked — Startup Repair failed, and it couldn’t remove previous updates either.

Since something similar happened the day before (and the system randomly came back to normal after turning it on and off a few times), I kept restarting the laptop, hoping it would fix itself again. But this time, it showed a new error:

Detection Error on HDD0 (Main HDD)

I kept trying, but eventually this message appeared:

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause.

File: \Boot\BCD

Status: 0xc0000098

Info: The Boot Configuration Data file doesn’t contain valid information for an operating system.

Now I can’t boot into Windows, reset the PC, or install anything. I would really appreciate help figuring out how to fix this and get the system working again. I also tried what Q&A Assist suggested, the fixboot prompt was denied.

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Answer accepted by question author

Ramesh Srinivasan 85,090 Independent Advisor

Looks like there is an underlying hardware issue. The disk is being detected intermittently.

I think the best option is to connect a new HDD/SSD and clean install Windows or clone HDD0 to the new disk.

Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:35:37.6033333+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I understand — if the disk is being detected intermittently, then replacing it does sound like the best option.

I’ll get a new SSD and proceed with a clean Windows installation. If possible, I’ll also try cloning the old drive or recovering files later.

Thanks again for all your help.
Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:38:20.0666667+00:00

Sorry, I just got this blue screen code "0xc0000218"

6 additional answers

Your answer

Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:35:37.6033333+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I understand — if the disk is being detected intermittently, then replacing it does sound like the best option.

I’ll get a new SSD and proceed with a clean Windows installation. If possible, I’ll also try cloning the old drive or recovering files later.

Thanks again for all your help.
Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:38:20.0666667+00:00

Sorry, I just got this blue screen code "0xc0000218"

Answer 1

Good Luck, Dave. The following clean install guide can help.

https://pureinfotech.com/clean-install-windows-10/#windows10_clean_install_usb

Note:

When cleanly installing Windows, please disconnect all other hard drives, especially if the EFI partition is on one of them. Disconnecting the other drives ensures the EFI and MSR partitions are created on the new drive.

Standard Disclaimer: There is a link to a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to provide accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Answer 2

Ramesh Srinivasan 85,090 Independent Advisor

Hi Dave,

Please give it some more time. If you get any errors, post the error message.

Meanwhile, you can try to boot into Safe mode to see if it works fine.

Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:24:27.9066667+00:00

It went to the blue screen that said bad system config info and then it restarted, showing "2100: Detection error on HDD0 (Main HDD)

Answer 3

Ramesh Srinivasan 85,090 Independent Advisor

Hi Dave,

The OS disk is GPT. But the BCD path mentioned in error message in the original post is for MBR disks.

Can you please verify the boot mode in UEFI settings? It should be set to UEFI (or UEFI-only) and CSM must be turned off.

Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:16:59.88+00:00

Thanks — I checked the UEFI settings and confirmed that the system is set to UEFI-only, with CSM disabled as advised.

After saving and restarting, the laptop is now stuck on the Lenovo logo with the loading animation. It's been like that for a few minutes.

Should I wait it out, or is there something else I should try next?

Answer 4

Ramesh Srinivasan 85,090 Independent Advisor

Hi Dave,

The BCD error 0xc0000098 can generally be resolved by rebuilding it, but in this case, there appears to be a problem with disk drive. The error "2100 - Detection error on HDD0 (Main HDD)" denotes a hardware issue.

Please see page 45 of the Lenovo manual.

https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t440_hmm_en.pdf

It states:

Detection error on HDD0 (Main HDD)

Reseat the hard disk drive.

Replace the main hard disk drive.

Replace the system board.

Note: While this is not a Microsoft website, it is the official site of Lenovo.

We can try rebuilding the boot files anyway.

Boot into Windows RE using the USB setup disk. In the WinRE Command Prompt, run these commands:

diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
list part
list vol
exit

Take a photo of the output screen using your phone and share the image(s) here. Don't quit WinRE yet.

Dave Salvatore 25 Reputation points

2025-07-13T14:01:58.3233333+00:00

Hi Ramesh,

I've run the commands as instructed and taken photos of the output. Please find it attached.

Let me know what you think based on the results. I’ll hold off on exiting WinRE until I hear back.

Thanks again for the guidance!