UEFI: file /windows/system32/winload.efi Error code 00xc000221

The op states the error as 0xc0000221

that is different from more common 0xc0000225

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/wi...cksum-mismatch

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/an...n-the-computer

I have tried to use a USB install of windows, but that won't even load into the Windows Set Up. I have pressed F8 and I get the Start Up list bt selecting anything on it seems to do nothing. When I use the USB install of windows it just goes to a completely blue screen (I can't seem to upload picture files here as it gives me a error) and then the computer shuts off a few minutes later.

Sounds like it could be a hardware problem. I would first try a different psu and see if that helps. Then the usual process of elimination, detaching peripherals, swapping ram sticks and so on.

spunk said:

Test your USB Windows Installer Flash Drive on another computer. Can you boot that computer with that?
If not, then start again and Burn it using the Media Creation Tool.
If it woks on another computer, then on the troubled MSI Motherboard computer, boot into Setup (Bios) and go to the Boot tab, turn off Fast Boot.
You should UEFI Bios enabled, you can add CSM/Legacy Boot.
Restart with the installer in and press F12 continuously. You should get a list of Bootable drives.
Select the flash drive and the computer should boot to it.

Choose your Language, choose Install Now. Choose Custom Install. In Wherre would you like to install Windows? select the new SSD, it should be all Unallocated Space, if not, Delete ALL partitions on the drive and then Press Next. This will start the Windows install.

So I tried to use the USB Drive on my laptop (not the broken desktop) but when I went into BIOS to tell it to boot from the USB Drive it just beeped angering at me and didn’t change its setting. I don’t know much about the HP BIOS as I haven’t used it much so I don’t know if this means that the USB Drive is faulty or I am just missing something I needed to do to allow me to change where the laptop boots from.

I did try another USB Drive (a Type C if that matters) on the desktop and it did the same as the other one., as in nothing happened and I got stuck at a blue screen, could only get to the F8 Start Up Menu but could not actually select any options.


I did turn of MEMORY FAST BOOT and it didn't help, instead of a blank blue screen I got a screen full of orange stripes.

Aside from that I tried changing it to legacy mode (my computer calls it’s CSM and that didn’t seem to change anything. I did spam F11 (as on my board it is F11 not F12) and I got a list of the Hard Drives, SSDs, and the USB Drive slotted into the desktop. I selected the USB drive (tried with both separately) and still stuck at the blue screen.

I also tried while having only my new blank SSD slotted in and the same thing happened where I was taken to a blank blue screen


I did spammed F10 + Shift when stuck on the automatic repair screen as it did nothing but make the screen blink and some times through up different errors like 0xc0000428 or 0xc000014c. But then it changed to a black screen with EDIT BOOT OPTIONS that says this:


Edit Windows boot options for: Windows 10

Path: \Windows \system32\winload. efi

Partition: {af028680-b777-4ac7-bfd5-5eadf94eb357}

Hard Disk: {8dd37ed0-326b-484-932a-018da04e9388}


[ /NOEXECUTE OPTIN /NOVGA



When I try to use a USB and spam F10 on the blank blue screen I get a black screen with EDIT BOOT OPTIONS that says:


Edit Windows boot options for: Windows Setup

Path: windows\ system32\ boot\winload.efi

/MININT /NOVGA RDIMAGEOFFSET-8192 RDIMAGELENGTH=3161088 RDPATH=multi (O)disk O)rdisk(O)partition(1)\sources\boot.wim


In both cases when I was on the black "EDIT BOOT OPTIONS" screen the desktop did NOT shut itself off after five or so minutes.


I don’t know if this is helpful information or not.

- - - Updated - - -

spunk said:

Test your USB Windows Installer Flash Drive on another computer. Can you boot that computer with that?
If not, then start again and Burn it using the Media Creation Tool.
If it woks on another computer, then on the troubled MSI Motherboard computer, boot into Setup (Bios) and go to the Boot tab, turn off Fast Boot.
You should UEFI Bios enabled, you can add CSM/Legacy Boot.
Restart with the installer in and press F12 continuously. You should get a list of Bootable drives.
Select the flash drive and the computer should boot to it.

Choose your Language, choose Install Now. Choose Custom Install. In Wherre would you like to install Windows? select the new SSD, it should be all Unallocated Space, if not, Delete ALL partitions on the drive and then Press Next. This will start the Windows install.

Forgot to mention that when I did the MEDIA CREATION TOOL I selected the USB. I do not know if you were referring to the ISO file when you said "BURN"? Though that seems to only work for DVD disks?

I'm seeing several double fails here. When you trobleshoot you suppose that only one thing is failing, and in replacements you want them to be good (it would be pointless that a driver replaces his puctured wheel with another punctured one, or if the wheel isn't puctured because it's the steering what fails). I also think you should stick to a line instead of jumping at random. At first the USB install media fails, what could be due to the USB install media or the rest of the computer. You have nothing less than another full computer that works to check the install media itself. Stick to that line, otherwise you end up with a solid mess and nothing clear: maybe Linux fails too, maybe there's an error 0xc0000428, maybe the USB-A pendrive is broken, maybe the USB-C pendrive is broken, maybe I need a DVD recorder and a DVD,... Instead of adding new maybes, read the laptop manual, download it first if you don't have it, and answer the question "is my broken computer able to boot from a KNOWN GOOD pendrive, or did it fail to boot from this pendrive because the pendrive is BAD, regardless of how is the computer?"

Beeping is a serious message system, it's like a screen but with sounds instead (for very basic messages obviously) because there's no screen available. The only reason why PCs have an internal speaker at all is to beep it short after the POST (Power On Self Test) succeeds. Afterwards makers used it to report different kinds of messages (like why has the POST failed, or even post-POST conditions) using beeping schemes written in the manual (they haven't agreed a common "code"), like "3 short beeps means A), 1 long beep plus 2 short beeps means B),...". And you must get that info, you cannot take the shorcut of saying "bah, if it beeps the pendrive is broken". Maybe it's not bootable, maybe the laptop is set to not boot up from anything different from its HD (only with these two maybes, you already know that you don't know if the pendrive is good or bad, and there're more),... No shortcut, why is the laptop saying it can't boot the pendrive? Is it a puncture or the steering?

Very thorough work. If after doing the above you cannot at least read the USB, I would think it's not the motherboard, because you're having the same symptoms with two. If at all try several ports. fyi, USB3 has the same row of 4 pins as USB2 plus another additional row of 5 pins, that might be more visible.

To check the RAM, put only one module. If it fails check the others one by one.

If the CMOS battery is low, computers can do very strange things. Buying a new battery is a cheap proof. If you already have a multimeter, it would be free. If you ask me, don't use the shortcircuiting pins to clear the CMOS, nothing like taking the battery out and waiting 2 minutes.

Motherboards use to have USB voltage regulators, but it's your 2nd motherboard with the same problem. It could be the PSU. It could also be the vcard but that would be more "exotic". The problem is that these parts are expensive, but your processor consumes 65W only. You might consider a cheap vcard and a low wattage PSU to test and for emergency.

Congratulations :) .

So you just took out one stick? 48 GB RAM and 4 sticks means 2x16 + 2x8 isn't it? Were the sticks of the same capacities in the same coloured slots? This is the correct way, otherwise the system might not boot. I'd also plug the 16 GB modules in the lower slot numbers but that's not so mandatory. The processor has 2 memory channels and two slots each, one of each color. The same coloured slots work together (in different channels at the same time, lower slot numbers have the lower part of the memory map, with some addresses interleaving between both, to share memory regions among the two modules so that both work at the same time, like in a RAID 0). The vehicle can have front wheels and rear wheels of different sizes, but not a big one and a small one in each axis.

If the modules were correctly placed, its either one module, one slot or a frequency mismatch. As it was the same in two mobos I'd discard any slot. The frequency mismatch can happen if all slots are populated (although officially your processor supports up to 3200 MHz regardless of number of modules, ranges, etc) or if the modules maximum frequency is through an XMP (or AMD's equivalent) profile, what means something like "tested overclocking". The "totally official" frequency is the one of the highest JEDEC profile. Do you have CPU-Z installed? It's free, and it will tell you in Windows everything about your currently connected modules (JEDEC and XMP profiles, working frequencies, latencies,... besides processor and some motherboard and vcard characteristics).