Is my HDD done for or did something weird happen?

[jpugh99]

I restarted my computer and upon booting it says
Recovery
(Random text about how to fix it. Something about a kernel missing. If you guys need it I can get it.)
Error Code: 0xc0000221
I tried restarting my computer in safe mode, making sure HDD is the 1st boot option and a few other things. I have a backup HDD but I want to see if possibly something happened to Windows for this error or if it failed. I'm on Windows 10 btw and if it helps I am using the Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD ST1000DM003, and I bought it as well as my entire computer back in August. Thanks in advance for the help, hope I can get this resolved.

 

[SBMfromLA]

Is your computer still not starting up... or was that just a one time error?

 

[jpugh99]

Is your computer still not starting up... or was that just a one time error?

Sorry, should have provided that info. It is not starting up. I still get the same exact error & error message. One time I got a different error message but I forget the error code, pretty sure it said it was a log error if that helps. Thanks for the help.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, jpugh99.

This error code is not necessarily connected to a hardware issue. Basically the most common cause for this to happen are missing system files or drivers. I'd recommend that you try to restore your OS to a previous point (a date before the day this issue occurred). Here's how to do that: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options - just click on "Restore from a system restore point". In case something was deleted or updated and this was causing the problem, your system would return to the state it was on the date which the restore point was created. You could also try this option from the same link: "Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows."
However, if you have valuable data on that drive, I'd suggest that you try it with a different computer, to see if you'd be able to access it and backup all important files which might be on that HDD. If you manage to do that, I'd also advise you to download the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics tool and run some tests on that drive, to see if anything alarming pops-up.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[jpugh99]

Hey there, jpugh99.

This error code is not necessarily connected to a hardware issue. Basically the most common cause for this to happen are missing files or drivers. I'd recommend that you try to restore your OS to a previous point (a date before the day this issue occurred). Here's how to do that: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options - just click on "Restore from a system restore point". In case something was deleted or updated and this was causing the problem, your system would return to the state it was on the date which the restore point has been created. You could also try this option from the same link: "Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows."
However, if you have valuable data on that drive, I'd suggest that you try it with a different computer, to see if you'd be able to access it and backup all important files which might be on that HDD. If you manage to do that, I'd also advise you to download the HDD manufacturer's diagnostics tool and run some tests on that drive, to see if anything alarming pops-up.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

I unfortunately cannot boot the computer as the error message pops up. How would a file or driver be missing? I updated all of my drivers and my BIOS when I built it and haven't removed any of them or any Windows files. Since it's that problem I will probably just reinstall my OS and go from there.

 

[SBMfromLA]

I highly recommend that you try my solution before reinstalling Windows... I believe it's just your boot loader that's corrupt... an easy fix. You may have to run the repair utility up to four times since each run fixes a small part.

 

[jpugh99]

I highly recommend that you try my solution before reinstalling Windows... I believe it's just your boot loader that's corrupt... an easy fix. You may have to run the repair utility up to four times since each run fixes a small part.

So just keep running the recovery then restarting it to run again? I'll give it a try and get back to you. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[SBMfromLA]

I highly recommend that you try my solution before reinstalling Windows... I believe it's just your boot loader that's corrupt... an easy fix. You may have to run the repair utility up to four times since each run fixes a small part.

So just keep running the recovery then restarting it to run again? I'll give it a try and get back to you. Thanks for the help guys.

You need the windows dvd to run the startup recovery program

 

[jpugh99]

I highly recommend that you try my solution before reinstalling Windows... I believe it's just your boot loader that's corrupt... an easy fix. You may have to run the repair utility up to four times since each run fixes a small part.

So just keep running the recovery then restarting it to run again? I'll give it a try and get back to you. Thanks for the help guys.

You need the windows dvd to run the startup recovery program

Sorry, it's late and I'm terrible at troubleshooting an OS. I don't have a disc for Windows 10. I bought a product key for it online. Would I be able to download the creation tool onto a Flash Drive and boot with it to start up the recovery tool?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I unfortunately cannot boot the computer as the error message pops up. How would a file or driver be missing? I updated all of my drivers and my BIOS when I built it and haven't removed any of them or any Windows files. Since it's that problem I will probably just reinstall my OS and go from there.

Sorry I was under the impression that you were able to boot to Windows the 2nd time and didn't see the answer to @SBMfromLA's question. If you haven't created a recovery drive, I'd recommend that you try the suggestion above (connecting the HDD to a different computer, or at least try it with a different SATA port and cables on yours). As I've already suggested, run some tests on the drive and if everything seems fine, reinstall your OS. I know it's a bit of hassle to set everything up from scratch, but there are not a lot of choices if you can't use system restore or a recovery drive.
Unfortunately repair installation cannot be performed from Safe Mode or at Boot. You can only do that from within Windows 10.
Try out @SBMfromLA's suggestion first.

Please keep us posted.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Sorry, it's late and I'm terrible at troubleshooting an OS. I don't have a disc for Windows 10. I bought a product key for it online. Would I be able to download the creation tool onto a Flash Drive and boot with it to start up the recovery tool?

If you have a product key, then this is OK, you can create a bootable USB with Win 10 by following this tutorial: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-usb-flash-drive-create-install-windows-10-a.html

 

[jpugh99]

Thanks for the help everyone, really appreciate it.

 

[SBMfromLA]

Thanks for the help everyone, really appreciate it.

Bummer... you didn't give me the "best answer".

 

[jpugh99]

Shit. I overlooked it. Long night, super tired. Is there anyway to transfer it to you? Sorry .

 

[SBMfromLA]

Shit. I overlooked it. Long night, super tired. Is there anyway to transfer it to you? Sorry .

You should be able to "Unselect Current Answer" and select a different one if you wanted.

 

[jpugh99]

There you go buddy. Thanks for the help guys, have a nice day.

 

[jpugh99]

I tried running recovery and it didn't work. Kept prompting for a restart then failed over and over. I decided to try to install Windows 7 and I still get the same error code. 0xc0000221 Info: Windows failed to load because the kernel is missing, or corrupt. I've tried reinstalling the OS twice. I've formatted the harddrive and I've also tried running the media creation tool on a USB. Nothing is working.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Try installing it on a spare drive if you have one or can borrow one, to see if the issue reoccurs. If the same thing happens, I'd suggest that you get in touch with the HDD manufacturer's customer support and ask for assistance, or even if you can RMA the drive.

 

[jpugh99]

Try installing it on a spare drive if you have one or can borrow one, to see if the issue reoccurs. If the same thing happens, I'd suggest that you get in touch with the HDD manufacturer's customer support and ask for assistance, or even if you can RMA the drive.

Sorry for the super late reply but I managed to fix it. I cleaned/formatted the disk and it worked after the third time doing so.