author avatar
28 July 2023  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Learn about Bootsect.exe program including its definition, scope of use, and how to use it. Also, discover how to backup data to avoid loss in case of system failure.



Table of contents

table iconI. What is Bootsect.exe?
table iconII. How to use Bootsect program on Windows 7/8/10?
table iconIII. When the computer fails to start normally, use Renee PassNow for data backup
Bootsect

I. What is Bootsect.exe?

Bootsect.exe is a program that comes with the Windows system, called the boot sector repair tool, which can repair the boot sector on the computer. The program is suitable for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 systems.
The Bootsect.exe program has many functions, and you can use this tool to meet the following requirements:
● Update the boot sector code of the partition to download and run the bootloader
●Update the master boot record code of the hard disk partition without editing the partition table
● Fix boot manager errors due to corrupted volume boot code
●Fixed the error of “Missing configuration data file”
● Create a bootable USB drive
The following will introduce the relevant command line parameters of the Bootsect program.
Orderdescribe
/helpShow these usage instructions.
/nt52Applies NTLDR-compatible master boot code to SYS, ALL, or <DriveLetter>. The operating system installed on SYS, ALL or <DriveLetter> must be a system version earlier than Windows Vista.
/nt60Apply BOOTMGR-compatible master boot code to SYS, ALL, or <DriveLetter>. The operating system installed on SYS, ALL or <DriveLetter> must be Windows Vista and its later system versions, such as Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 or newer versions.
SYSUpdates the master boot code on the system partition used to boot Windows.
ALLUpdate the master boot code on all partitions. ALL does not necessarily update the boot code for each volume. Instead, this option updates the boot code on volumes that can be used as Windows boot volumes, excluding any dynamic volumes that are not connected to an underlying disk partition. This limitation exists because the boot code must be at the beginning of the disk partition.
<Drive Letter>Update the master boot code on the volume associated with this drive letter. If the <DriveLetter> is not associated with a volume or if the <DriveLetter> is associated with a volume that is not attached to the underlying disk partition, the boot code will not be updated.
/forceForce unmount volume during boot code update. You must use this option with caution.

If Bootsect.exe cannot gain exclusive volume access, the file system may overwrite boot code before the next reboot. Bootsect.exe always tries to lock and unmount volumes before every update. When /force is specified, a force unmount will be attempted if the initial lock attempt fails. For example, locking may fail if the file on the target volume is currently open by another program.

On success, force unmounting enables exclusive volume access and reliable boot code updates even if the initial lock fails. Also, a forced dismount invalidates all open handles to files on the target volume. This may cause unexpected behavior in programs that open these files. Therefore, use this option with caution.

II. How to use Bootsect program on Windows 7/8/10?

1. The operation method for Windows 7 system

Here’s how to do it in both cases:
A. There is a system installation disk
B. No system installation disk

A. If you have a system installation medium, you can refer to the following method to use the Bootsect program, the specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Insert the Windows installation disk (DVD or U disk) into the computer. When starting up, press F2 or F10 or DEL or ESC shortcut key (varies with the computer brand) in quick succession to enter the BIOS setting interface, set the first boot sequence to the Windows installation disk, save the settings, restart the computer, and make the computer start from the installation disk. Select the (Repair Your Computer) option on the Windows Installer “Install Now” screen to enter the recovery environment.
repair computer options
Step 2: Select the Windows installation you want to repair and click Next. In the System Recovery Options menu, select the option Command Prompt.
fix windows 7 when laptop won't turn on
Step 3: Next, in the command prompt window that opens, type the command bootsect /nt60 sys and press the key Enter to run the Bootsect program.
Run the Bootsect program

B. If you do not have a system installation medium, you can refer to the following method to use the Bootsect program, the specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Start the Window 7 computer and press and hold the F8 key at the same time until you see the advanced boot options interface appear on the device screen. Using the arrow buttons on the keyboard, highlight the Repair Your Computer option and press the key Enter.
how to fix blue screen on windows
Step 2: In the System Recovery Options menu, select the Command Prompt option.
fix windows 7 when laptop won't turn on
Step 3: Next, in the command prompt window that opens, type the command bootsect /nt60 sys and press the key Enter to run the Bootsect program.
Run the Bootsect program

2. Operation method for Windows 8/10 system

Here’s how to do it in both cases:
A. There is a system installation disk
B. No system installation disk

A. If you have Windows 8/10 system installation media, you can refer to the following method to use the Bootsect program, the specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Insert the Windows installation disk (DVD or U disk) into the computer. Continuously click F2 or F10 or DEL or ESC shortcut key (varies with the computer brand) to enter the BIOS setting interface when starting up, set the first boot sequence to the Windows installation disk, save the settings, restart the computer, and start the computer from the installation disk. Select the Repair Your Computer option on the Windows Installer screen to enter the recovery environment.
Repair your computer
Step 2: After entering the recovery environment, select Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
command prompt
Step 3: In the command prompt, enter the following command bootsect /nt60 sys and press the key Enter to run the Bootsect program.
Run the Bootsect program

B. If you do not have the Windows 8/10 system installation media, you can refer to the following method to use the Bootsect program, the specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: When booting into the system, press and hold the power button to force shutdown, repeat more than 3 times, and then restart the computer, this time allow the computer to fully start. Select Advanced Options in the Automatic Repair interface. You will then enter the Windows recovery environment.
Launcher page
Step 2: After entering the recovery environment, select Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
command prompt
Step 3: In the command prompt, enter the following command bootsect /nt60 sys and press the key Enter to run the Bootsect program.
Run the Bootsect program
The above is how to use the Bootsect.exe program. When your computer system fails, in order to avoid data loss, you can use a professional system rescue tool to back up important data. It is recommended that you use Renee PassNow to operate.

III. When the computer fails to start normally, use Renee PassNow for data backup

1. What is Renee PassNow?

Renee PassNow is a professional system rescue software, which can help Windows users clear Windows account passwords, create new administrator accounts; restore disk/memory card data, recover data after hard disk formatting; transfer disk files; erase or scan Disk files, etc. In addition, this software also supports repairing Windows system problems, such as: repairing MBR boot records, DBR error parameters, 0xc00000e, Windows system startup failure, and some problems that cause black screen or blue screen, etc. As a system rescue tool with various functions, it is perfectly compatible with multiple systems including Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, and can meet the system rescue needs of different users.
Hot Topic - ADsRenee PassNow – 3 Steps to transfer data from the crashed system

Easy to use 3 steps to transfer the files.

Transfer the files Transfer the important files of the computer without system.

Preview the files Preview the files while transferring the data.

Multifuctional Data recovery, Windows password reset, bootable problem recovery can be run without system.

Highly compatible Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista. Also supports UEFI boot mode.

Easy to use 3 steps to transfer the files.

Transfer the files Transfer the important files of the computer without system.

Preview the files Preview the files while transferring the data.

Free TrialFree TrialNow 2000 people have downloaded!

2. How to use Renee PassNow for data backup?

When the computer cannot start normally, you can create a startup disk through Renee PassNow on another computer that can start normally, and then start the computer through the startup disk, and then use the function of this software to back up data. Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download and install Renee PassNow on other computers that can log in and run normally, then connect the U disk to the PC, run Renee PassNow, and then check in “Step 1: Select creation method” (Create a Live USB) option. (Note: Before performing this operation, please make sure that the important files in the U disk have been saved in other locations, because the operation process will delete all the data in the U disk.)
Step 2: Next, select (x64) or (x86) according to the system type, click the (Download Now) button to download the ISO file, click the (Create a Live USB) button after the file is downloaded, and click the (Eject USB) button.
use renee passnow to create usb to reset passnword
Step 3: Connect the created boot device to the computer that needs to transfer data, turn on the computer, and then the shortcut key to enter the BIOS will be displayed on the computer screen (the display time of this interface is very short, maybe only one or two seconds), click continuously BIOS shortcut key to enter the BIOS setting interface, and then set the boot U disk as the first in the boot sequence in Boot Priority, then save the settings and restart the computer.
select boot order
Step 4: After booting the computer from the bootable USB flash drive and entering the application, select the option Data Backup. This option is equivalent to completely cloning the hard disk to other hard disks, so the hard disk capacity for saving backup files needs to be larger.
functions of Renee PassNow
Step 5: Select the hard disk to back up files in the source list, select the hard disk to save files in the destination list, and finally click the button clone and wait for the cloning to complete to successfully back up the computer files.
Select the drive
Step 6: If you only need to transfer some important files, the function Data Transfer will be more suitable for you.
Windows 10 recovery drive select data transfer function in Renee Passnow to sovle windows 10 won't boot from USB
Step 7: You can click on each disk drive letter (C/D/E/F, etc.) to find the files to be transferred. It is recommended that you transfer them to an external disk. The operation of transferring data is very simple. For example, if you want to transfer the data in the C drive to the G drive, you can first select the C drive on the upper left, select the G drive on the upper right, and then select the files in the C drive, and click the Copy function button in the middle. Disk data can be easily transferred. If there is a file you want to delete, you can also click the Delete button in the middle after selecting the file, but the deletion operation cannot be undone, please operate with caution.
data transfer in Renee Passnow
Kind tips If you find that files are lost during the process of backing up or transferring data, please select the option Undeleter on the main function interface to perform data recovery operations.