Windows 11 system32 winload.efi error code 0xc0000225

Hello,

Thanks for posting to Microsoft Community!

According to the description, you're experiencing issue with your Windows 11 system. The error code 0xc0000225 related to winload.efi usually indicates a problem with the Windows Boot Manager. Since the recovery options didn't work and the Windows Update repair didn't resolve the issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Boot into Advanced Startup Options by restarting your PC and pressing F8 or Shift + F8 before Windows starts loading.
2. Select "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Command Prompt."
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each one: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
4. Restart your PC and see if the issue is resolved.

If the problem persists, you may need to consider performing a clean installation of Windows 11 or seeking further assistance from a professional technician. Let me know if you need any more help.

When everything is resolved, feel free to mark this thread as answer and helpful. Otherwise, please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Best Regards, Van Johnson | Microsoft Community Moderator

It looks like your system’s EFI partition (Volume 2) is present, but since it doesn’t have a drive letter assigned, you may need to manually assign one before attempting to rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD). In order to resolve this issue, follow the given steps:

1. Assign a Drive Letter to the EFI Partition Since Volume 2 is your EFI partition (FAT32, 100MB, System), try assigning it a drive letter using Diskpart:
   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type diskpart, then press Enter.
   • Type select disk X (replace X with the disk number containing your EFI partition).
   • Type select partition X (replace X with the EFI partition number—should be Volume 2).
   • Type assign letter=Z (you can replace Z with any unused letter).
   • Type exit to close Diskpart.
2. Once the EFI partition has a drive letter, run this command in Command Prompt: bcdboot C:\Windows /s Z: /f UEFI (Replace Z: with the letter you assigned to the EFI partition.)
3. After running the command, restart your PC and check if it boots properly.

Hi, appreciate the help! When I use diskpart and list volume to find the EFI partition, there's no letter assigned to it:

I assume the Volume 2 is the diskpart. Any advice on how to proceed?

Since you can still boot into Windows using an alternative boot manager, you might have more options to fix the issue without a clean installation. Here are a few additional steps you can try:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands: sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth These commands will check for and repair corrupted system files.
2. Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Manually If the previous bootrec commands didn’t work, try these additional steps: bcdboot C:\Windows /s X: /f UEFI Replace X: with the correct EFI partition drive letter (you can find it using diskpart and list volume).
3. If the EFI partition is corrupted, you may need to recreate it. This process is more advanced but can be done using Diskpart.
4. Boot into Windows Recovery Mode and select Startup Repair under Advanced Options.
5. If you have a restore point, you can attempt a System Restore to revert Windows to a previous working state.

Hi! Thanks for the reply!

I've tried the CMD steps you mentioned and it unfortunately did not fix the problem. Is there any way to avoid doing a clean installation of Windows 11? I have apps and files that I would like to keep. Does it help that I can still boot via an alternative boot manager? It might open up more options given that I am able to access and use Windows.