Windows 10 cannot boot with error code 0xc0000221

Question

My desktop keeps failing to boot with error code 0xc0000221. It reports that the program "\windows\system32\winload.exe" is corrupted and the check code does not match with computed check code.

I can enter the safe mode by pressing "F8" and then "boot with safe mode".

What can I do to correctly restore my system without losing my data?

My computer spec is:

Intel Core i9-7900X

Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 3866 8GB*2 (CMD16GX4M2B3866C18)

Gigabyte AORUS X299 Gaming 7

Nvidia GTX Titan Xp

Samsung 960 PRO

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I appreciate the efforts taken by you in resolving the issue. I understand that you receive an error when trying to boot the computer. I’ll certainly assist you with the issue.

As you have mentioned that you are able to boot the computer to Safe Mode, I suggest you to perform a clean boot and see if you are able to boot the computer.

Performing a clean boot will start the computer with minimal set of drivers and programs, to determine whether a background program is causing the issue. Some of the Startup programs will not load after performing a clean boot on the computer. However, that functionality will return when you reset the computer to start normally after finishing the troubleshooting.

To perform a clean boot on the computer refer to the article How to perform a clean boot in Windows.

If performing a clean boot fixes the issue then, please refer to the section How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean bootto check which program is causing the issue.

Note: Please refer the section Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshootingto boot the computer in to normal mode after troubleshooting.

If the issue persists, we can perform try performing a Startup Repair on your computer and see if that helps.

Refer the steps mentioned below:

1.         Create a bootable media and boot the PC using the media.

2.         On the initial setup screen, select the language and other preferences and click on Next. (If you don't see the setup screen, your PC might not be set up to boot from a drive. Check your PC manufacturer's website for info on how to change your PC's boot order, and then try again.)

3.         Now, click on Repair your computer.

4.         On the System Recovery Options screen, select Troubleshoot> Advanced options > Startup Repair.

5.         Restart the PC.

If Startup Repair doesn’t work, we can try performing System restore on the computer. Refer the section Use installation media to restore your PCfrom the article Recovery options in Windows 10.

Note: Restoring your PC won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made.

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator