Windows Boot Error 0xc000014C

The error 0xc000014c is signaling that a part of the Registry is corrupt. When one or more file structures that contain registry data become corrupted and Windows encounters an error at the first booting sector, the error 0xc000014c will be displayed. The 0xc000014c error code is essentially stating that important booting information is either missing or corrupted in the area of the HDD.

Cause of this Error

One of the most common causes of this error is the BCD that became missing or corrupt. That could happen because of disk write errors, power outages, boot sector viruses, or errors made while configuring the BCD manually.

The system files may also become corrupt or damaged for the same reasons.

Fixing Error 0xc000014C

Method 1: Rebuild BCD via Easy Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials’ one-click automated system repair feature incorporates full repair and reconstruction of the BCD to resolve the “0xc000000f” error, even in cases where Windows won’t boot as a result of the error.

Easy Recovery Essentials can fix many errors such as this automatically using its built-in Automated Repair option. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and can be downloaded and created on any PC.

• Download Easy Recovery Essentials. Make sure to note your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) before you download EasyRE. This guide can help you identify what version of Windows you have installed.
• Burn the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image very carefully, as making a bootable CD can be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explain how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
• Boot up your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB you created.
• Once EasyRE is running, choose the “Automated Repair” option and click Continue.
• After EasyRE scans your computer’s drives, identify and select the drive letter for your Windows installation from the list, and then click on the Automated Repair button to begin.
• Easy Recovery Essentials will start analyzing the selected drive for problems. EasyRE will test for and attempt to automatically correct errors with the disk, partition, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, as EasyRE’s repair is fully automated.
• Once the process is complete, EasyRE will report its findings. Click on the Restart button to reboot your PC and test the changes.
• The “0xc000014C” error should now be fixed as your PC begins to load.

Method 2: Restoring the registry files from the RegBack folder

All Windows versions will store a copy of your most vital registry files in a folder called RegBack. If the issue is indeed related to an underlying registry issue, copying the folder from the backup folder to the regular directory will remove the 0xc000014c error. The steps are the same in every Windows version. Here’s what you need to do:

• Remove the hard drive accommodating the Windows files from the PC displaying the 0xc000014c error and connect it to a working PC as a secondary drive.

Note: Make sure the working PC boots from the healthy Windows and not from the one displaying the 0xc000014c error.

• From the other PC, access the HDD that you’ve just connected and navigate to /Windows / system32 / config / RegBack
• Copy the contents of the Regback folder and backtrack one layer to the config folder.
• Paste the contents of the RegBack folder over the files in config. When asked if you want to override the files in config, hit Yes to All.
• Power off the PC, disconnect the HDD and move it back to the PC that’s displaying the 0xc000014c error.Allow it to boot up from the HDD, and see if it’s now able to boot up normally.