# Fixing Windows from FreeBSD



## balanga (Apr 1, 2020)

Is it possible to fix a Windows boot problem from FreeBSD?

In the process of trying to create a Windows virtual disk on my ThinkPad X220 somehow the Windows file \boot\bcd disappered. The system which has been running for several year is installed on an mSata drive and I was trying to create a Windows VHD using VMware's Standalone Converter, but that wouldn't allow me create a VHD from the disk I was booted from, so I tried booting from another disk which I inserted into the hard disk slot. After rebooting and renoving the hard disk, I was no longer able to boot from the mSata disk, getting an error complaining about a missing \boot\bcd file. After reading numerous 'solutions' about fixing this using the `bootrec` command with various options, none of them worked.

Given that I can access the NTFS partition from FreeBSD, is it possible to fix this from FreeBSD? Anyone know what each of the various parameters /fixmbr /fixboot /rebuildbcd do and whether I can achieve these functions from FreeBSD? Would installing FreeBSD's boot manager boot0 allow the system to boot?


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