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Top 7 Fixes to Stop Code 0xC00021a on Windows 10 Installation
When you would like to have Windows 10 installed on your PC, you get the error code and don’t know how to fix it. This guide will save you with the provided top 7 fixes to install Windows 10 with ease.
By Clytze Updated on January 11, 2023
Scenario
How do I fix Windows 10 stop code 0xC000021a while installing?
I want to do a clean install of Windows 10 on my 120GB SSD. I created a bootable USB drive with Windows 10 on it. When I try to boot from it, it will read the USB, then after about 10 seconds it gives me a 0xc000021a error. I tried booting from the USB on my laptop and it went to the update prompts just fine. I can find plenty of info of the 0xc000021a error code affecting startup, but not an update. I did update using the same USB file without a clean install and it worked, but would still like to have a clean install. Any help would be appreciated.
- Question from Microsoft Community
The 0xc000021a error is one of the many blue screen of death errors that affect all versions of the Windows operating system. When you failed to install Windows 10 on your computer, you will receive the stop code 0xc000021a along with the “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart” error message, too. Why does this error happen to you? Here, I will analyze the possible causes and corresponding solutions on this page. Just keep reading carefully.
What causes error code 0xC000021a on Windows 10 installation?
So far, many users complained about Windows 10 installation stop code 0xc000021a. This error shows up when they want to boot their computer after updating the operating system or while installing. Then, your PC won’t boot normally and will show you the blue screen as well as the error code 0xc000021a. This error will occur when updating Windows.
» It seems like File corruption. The stop code 0xC000021a means there are some corrupt system files. Try to fix the corrupted system files.
» It could be a compatibility issue with the version of Windows 10 you are installing or the USB media had corrupt files. Try re-downloading Windows ISO then flashing it into USB or just extract it into USB.
» The winlogon.exe and csrss.exe files also are mainly responsible for the error. This is a common BSOD error that occurs when WinLogon or (CSRSS) Client Server Runtime Subsystem are causing a BSOD or it could be Winlogon or CSRSS are corrupted.
• Winlogon.exe: As the file name implies, this file is in charge for login and logout operation inside Windows. It can be damaged because of mismatch of system files or third-party software.
• Csrss.exe: It belongs to Microsoft server or client. If this file gets damaged, the BSOD Windows 10 0xc000021a will occur.
Since you have known the possible causes of the 0xc000021a error, let’s explore the most working stop code 0xc000021a fixes now. The following content will give you 7 ways to solve the error when Windows 10 installation has failed. Just try them one by one to get rid of the issue and use your PC normally.
How to fix 0xc000021a in Windows 10
When installing the operating system, you may come across the error Windows 10 installation has failed. This error may occur in the middle of the installation. So, in the following section, I will show you how to fix Windows 10 stop code while installing.
Fix 1. Check whether your computer meets the minimum requirements
If the Windows 10 installation fails with a stop code, you should check whether your computer meets the minimum requirement in order to install Windows 10. The following parameters you need to check.
RAM: 1GB for 32 bit and 2GB for 64 bit
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32 bit and 20 GB for 64 bit
CPU: 1GHz or faster
Screen resolution: 800 x 600
Graphics: Microsoft DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Internet access
If your computer cannot meet the above requirements, you may come across the error that Windows 10 installation has failed with stop code 0xc000021a.
Fix 2. Run Startup repair
1. Completely shut down your system, then turn it on. Once your system starts booting, press and hold the power button again to force your system to shut down. (Repeat twice)
2. On the third time, allow your computer to boot normally. Your system will automatically go into Automatic Repair mode.
3. Click Troubleshoot＞Advanced Options＞Startup Repair, wait for the repair to complete.
Fix 3. Convert drive or partition from NTFS to GPT
Many PCs now include the ability to use the UEFI version of BIOS, which can speed up boot and shutdown times and can provide additional security advantages. To boot your PC in UEFI mode, you'll need to use a drive formatted using the GPT drive format. Thus you need to convert the drive.
1. Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation USB. Boot PC with the USB in UEFI mode.
2. From inside Windows Setup, press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window.
3. On the command prompt window, type the following commands in turn.
diskpart
list disk
select disk
clean
convert gpt
exit
4. Close the command prompt window.
5. Continue the Windows 10 Setup installation. When choosing an installation type, select Custom. The drive will appear as a single area of unallocated space.
6. Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows begins the installation.
Fix 4. Run SFC and CHKDSK
Due to virus infection or integrity issues, certain boot files can get corrupted, which will eventually result in a critical system error, just like the installation error that bears the 0xc000021a code.
You need to make a Windows media creation tool and boot from it. Then, follow the steps below:
1. Select the language preference. Then, click Repair Your Computer.
2. Click Troubleshoot and then choose the advanced options. Click Command Prompt.
3. When the Command Prompt opens up, type chkdsk C: /r and press Enter.
4. Enter sfc/scannow and tap the Enter button.
5. Once you have done with the above steps, don't forget to restart your system.
Fix 5. Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data
1. Insert the Windows installation disc into the computer and then boot the PC.
2. Click Repair your computer option from Windows Installation Setup window, select the operating system partition from the options you get and click Next.
3. Go to the bottom-left corner, then select Repair Your Computer.
4. Choose Troubleshoot, then select Advanced Options＞Command Prompt.
5. Launch Command Prompt window, and run the following command lines one by one:
bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /ScanOs
bootrec /RebuildBcd
6. After running the command lines above, you should be able to begin the Windows 10 installation process.
Fix 6. Disable secure boot
1. In the Troubleshooting menu, go to Troubleshoot > UEFI Firmware Settings > click Restart.
2. Once in the BIOS, select the Authentication section or Boot, Security tab.
3. Set Secure Boot to Disabled.
4. Save the BIOS settings and exit.
Fix 7. Recreate Windows 10 installation media
Another possibility is that the USB you prepared is faulty or the Windows system file on it is corrupted, thus causing the installation to fail. Therefore, you can get a Windows 10 ISO and reinstall it to a USB stick to do the installation.
1. Download Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and launch it.
2. Choose Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC. Then click Next.
3. You can set Language, Windows Edition, and Architecture by yourself, or you can accept the recommended options. Then click Next.
4. Choose USB flash drive and click Next.
5. Select the removable drive from the list, and click Next to continue.
6. It will start downloading Windows 10 as well as any available updates to the USB drive and make it bootable so that you can install Windows 10 later.
7. When you see the message Your USB flash drive is ready, it means the process is successful. Then click Finish to exit.
Extra tip: always backup Windows 10 to protect OS from errors
Once you have done the Windows 10 installation, you should note that in order to avoid encountering similar situations in future upgrades, it is recommended that you backup your Windows 10 computer before upgrading. This way, if you encounter similar system problems next time, you can restore your computer to a normal state quickly with the image file.
AOMEI Backupper Standard is a free backup and restore tool that you can use to easily create a Windows 10 system backup to continuously protect your PC. It has an easy to use interface so even you are a novice you can start it easily. It not only helps you backup your system for free, but also provides various backup functions to protect your data in all aspects.
You can download this freeware and refer to the illustrated steps below to create a Windows 10/11 system backup image.
Step 1. Open the software and click Backup > System Backup.
Step 2. It will select system partition and boot-related partitions automatically. And you just need to select a destination.
Step 3. Click Start Backup to backup the Windows 10 system.
Conclusion
If you encounter stop code 0xC000021a on Windows 10 installation, don’t be panic, you can apply for the top 7 effective fixes presented on this page. Also, when you manage to install Windows 10, you can master the most secure way – AOMEI Backupper to protect your OS from any failure just like the error code above. Or when you unluckily encounter one severe problem, you can create a bootable USB to troubleshoot the error with its Create Bootable Media feature.
Furthermore, it can continuously protect your disks. Thus when you accidentally cleaned disk in Diskpart, you won’t be afraid. With numerous outstanding features like backup, restore, sync, clone and other tools, you won’t regret to try it out!
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