My HP Desktop PC is showing error code 0xc0000098 with a blue screen
It needs recovery but O do not remember. my administrator password to get that done

Please advice on what I need to do.
Yhanks

Force shutdown a few times and see if it will run the automatic repair?

ChatGPT says:

The blue screen error 0xc0000098 you're seeing on your HP desktop means:

"The Windows Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file is missing or contains errors."

What's actually happening?

When your PC boots, it looks for a file called the BCD store, which tells Windows where to find its system files and how to start up.
The error 0xc0000098 means the BCD is damaged, incomplete, or missing entries for your Windows installation.



Common causes of 0xc0000098:

Corrupt BCD store
Often happens after a power failure, sudden shutdown, or disk errors.

File system errors or bad sectors
If your hard drive or SSD has damaged sectors where the BCD is stored.

Disk corruption or failing drive
Mechanical failure or SSD wear-out can corrupt boot data.

Improper shutdown during updates
An interrupted Windows Update can sometimes leave the BCD in a bad state.

Malware
Rare, but some malware can damage boot files.

New hardware
Adding or removing drives without updating the boot order can confuse the BCD.



How to fix it:

You'll need to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or from a Windows installation USB/DVD.

Option 1: Automatic Repair

1 Boot from a Windows 10/11 install USB/DVD.
2 Choose Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
3 Let it scan and repair automatically.



Option 2: Rebuild the BCD manually

If Startup Repair fails:
1 Boot from the Windows install USB/DVD again.
2 Select Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
3 Run these commands one by one:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

4 Reboot and see if it works.



Option 3: Check disk for errors

In the same Command Prompt, you can run:

chkdsk C: /f /r

(replace C: with your Windows drive if it's not C).



If none of the above work:
The disk might be failing you can use tools like CrystalDiskInfo or HP's built-in hardware diagnostics (usually accessible by pressing F2 or Esc on boot) to check.
In rare cases, a clean reinstall of Windows may be required if the OS installation itself is too corrupted.

Thank you for the timely replies. Are windows 10// 11 install USB/DVD available from places like Amazon?
I still do not remember my administrator password if it is needed in the installation.

I suggest to ask ChatGPT because I suspect you'll have more questions.

Jsaba7 said:

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Thank you for the timely replies. Are windows 10// 11 install USB/DVD available from places like Amazon?
I still do not remember my administrator password if it is needed in the installation.

---

Download Windows Media Creation Tool to make a bootable USB stick. Plug the bootable USB into your computer, turn it on, and spam the ESC key while it's booting. That should get you into the HP boot menu where you can select to boot from the USB stick. You should come to a screen that looks like this:



Select "Repair Your Computer" and there should be an option in there somewhere to select "Startup Repair".

And after you do all that, i would be SHOCKED if the automatic repair actually works...

Excellent guys. I will try that and find out what happens.
Thank you very much!

Get another computer or your cell phone with ChatGPT going. Ask your questions and follow the steps it gives you for troubleshooting.

No one on here will be able to tell you exactly what your problem is and any troubleshooting would require a constant back and forth of step by step troubleshooting. It will take you weeks to do that posting on TexAgs, even if someone can help.

Thanks

Download this ISO. https://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd
Use a tool like BalenaEtcher to write ISO to thumb drive.
https://etcher.balena.io/
Boot machine to Hiren recovery. Use NTPWD to reset your administrator password (or any account on the system). There are tools on the recovery disk to address your boot corruption as well. NTPWD works. I recovered/reset passwords for a server that was inaccessible for years for a company recently with it.

Good Luck