220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician suspects that the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) on a Windows 10 computer is corrupt, preventing the system from booting. The technician boots from Windows 10 installation media and opens a command prompt. Which command should be used to rebuild the BCD?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse `bootrec /fixboot` or `bootrec /fixmbr` with BCD repair, but those commands target the boot sector or MBR, not the BCD store itself, which is a separate configuration database.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
bootrec /rebuildbcd
The `bootrec /rebuildbcd` command scans all disks for Windows installations and prompts the user to add them to the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store, effectively rebuilding a corrupt BCD. This is the correct tool when the BCD is damaged or missing, as it directly addresses the boot configuration store rather than the master boot record or system files.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Why this is correct
bootrec /rebuildbcd is the correct fix because it scans all disk volumes for Windows installations and prompts you to add each one to a freshly rebuilt Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store. This command directly addresses a corrupt, missing, or misconfigured BCD by regenerating the entire store from the discovered OS entries, rather than repairing individual boot components. It is the definitive tool for BCD-specific corruption that prevents Windows Boot Manager from loading.
- ✗
bootrec /fixmbr
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /fixmbr is wrong because it rewrites the Master Boot Record (MBR) code in sector 0 of the boot disk, which is needed for legacy BIOS booting to locate the active partition and hand off to a boot loader. It does not create or modify the BCD store; the MBR is a separate structure that contains bootstrap code and partition table information. MBR corruption can cause a different set of errors (e.g., 'No bootable device'), but BCD corruption requires a BCD-focused command like /rebuildbcd.
- ✗
bootrec /fixboot
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /fixboot writes a new boot sector to the system partition, making it compatible with Windows and ensuring that bootmgr can be found and loaded by firmware. However, the boot sector only contains the bootstrap code that launches bootmgr; it does not contain or manage the BCD entries. A damaged boot sector can prevent bootmgr from starting, but once bootmgr runs, it reads the BCD—so /fixboot does nothing to repair entries within the BCD store.
- ✗
sfc /scannow
Why it's wrong here
sfc /scannow runs System File Checker, which verifies the integrity of protected Windows system files and replaces corrupted ones by pulling clean copies from the component store (WinSxS). While this can repair many OS-level file issues, the BCD is not a protected system file of that type; it is a separate database-like registry hive physically stored at \Boot\BCD (on BIOS) or \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD (on UEFI). SFC does not scan or restore this boot configuration database, so it cannot fix a missing or invalid BCD.
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Windows User Accounts and Groups
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
Key term
Command Prompt
Command Prompt is a text-based interface in Windows that lets you type commands to perform tasks like managing files, troubleshooting networks, or launching programs.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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