Bootrec /Fixboot Access Is Denied On Windows 10 [Fixed]

While trying to fix booting problems with Boot Manager, you may receive an access denied message. So, when you perform basic recovery with the “bootrec /fixboot” command, there are few reasons why your access is denied.

The bootrec is a very important command as it rebuilds the Boot configuration Data (BCD). BCD helps rebuilding data of files that are missing, corrupted or not configured properly. 

Below are the different solutions you can try to fix the problem while accessing bootrec on Windows 10. 

Solution for Bootrec /Fixboot Access is Denied Error on Windows 10

There are a few solutions you can try to fix this access denied problem. But first, you need to create a bootable device for your Windows 10.

Create a Bootable Device

Windows 10 gives you an option to create your recovery media and use it to fix the booting issue.

1. From the Microsoft website, download Media Creation Tool software. Open the software after downloading and accept the terms and conditions.
2. As you run the software, you will get two options – to upgrade this PC or to create installation media. Choose the second option to create installation media via USB flash drive, DVD for another PC from the initial screen.
3. Based on your computer, the basic settings like the architecture, language, and other preferences will be updated automatically. But, as you are making this bootable for a different PC, using the recommended option should be avoided.
4. When prompted to choose a device, select either DVD or USB, depending on the media where you want to store the bootable installer. 
5. Thereafter, choose the name of the storage drive that is connected to your device.
6. Choose Next and wait for the Media Creation Tool to start downloading all the important files, which can create the bootable or installation device.

With the recovery tool, you can easily solve the booting issue by accessing the Command Prompt from the recovery drive.

Fix 1: Name the Hidden Boot Partition

Sometimes, you might have a reserved boot partition in the main storage drive on your PC or laptop without any name. Then repairing it won’t be possible unless you name the hidden partition for booting purposes. 

So before proceeding further, a simple Google search can help you know the status of your drives.

With diskpart, you can easily assign a name to your unnamed disk and follow the steps to repair it.

• To start the booting process, install the device in which you created the bootable media.
• In Windows 10, you will see a layout window. For using Command Prompt, navigate to Troubleshoot> Advanced Options.
• In Command Prompt, enter these commands.

• Diskpart
• Sel disk 0
• List vol

           Try running them and make sure you press Enter after every command.

• Next, verify that the EFI partition is using the FAT32 file system and assign a letter to the drive.

            To assign letter to a drive, use following code in Command Prompt:

• Set vol <number of volume>
• Assign letter= <drive letter>
• exit

Note: <number of volume> this needs to be replaced with the number next to the EFI partition. And <drive letter> can be any letter you want to assign as long as the letter is not used by another volume.

1. To access the drive you just named, type the “cd /d <drive letter>:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\” command in Command Prompt. Also, replace <drive letter> with the same name you used for EFI partition.
2. Use the “bootrec /FixBoot” command to fix the EFI partition which is used to boot the computer. You won’t receive any “Access denied” message this time while running it.
3. The last step is rebuilding the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) using the Command Prompt. Use the following commands:

• Ren BCD BCD.old 
• Bcdboot c:\Windows /1 en-us /s <boot letter>: All

So, the first command will prompt a backup of the old BCD. Whereas the second command will recreate the old BCD.

Note: If you receive “Access Denied” during the 6th step, then enter “bootrec /rebuildbcd” and completely skip the 7th step.

After finishing the command execution, press Exit and check whether Windows 10 exhibits bootrec /fixboot access is denied message. 

Fix 2: Run Automatic Repair

After you complete with the naming of the volume, you can use Windows Automatic Repair utility to fix the problem regarding bootrec /fixboot access denial.

1. Install the bootable drive you just created for your computer.
2. As Windows starts running the bootable device, navigate to Troubleshoot. Then go to Advanced Options to find Startup Repair/Automatic Repair.
3. After clicking the appropriate repair option, Windows 10 will prepare for the automatic repairing process. Next, enter your login credentials to carry out the repair procedure.
4. A new window will appear with a set of instructions to process the Automatic Repair. So, follow the onscreen instructions to complete your troubleshooting successfully.

Now, check if the automatic repair wizard has managed to solve your problem on your Windows 10.

Fix 3: Disable Quick Boot in BIOS  

In the BIOS menu, there is an option to Fast Boot your computer. It speeds up the booting process of your computer as compared to the normal time. However, this can cause more problems than booting a computer normally. 

Your computer performs different system tests while booting up but, most of them are not always required. So, Fast Boot skips those steps and boot computer much faster. To turn off this feature, here are the steps:

1. Switch on the system and enter into the BIOS settings by pressing the BIOS keys (F1, F2, Del, or depends on brand).
2. The Fast Boot option will be located in the  Boot Configuration tab. It can be also located on the general display or below the Advanced BIOS Features tab.
3. Disable the Fast Boot or Quick Boot option by following the on-screen instruction provided on the right-hand side.
4. Also, use the navigation key to select the Secure Boot option. You can modify the settings to disable it in the Secure Boot Configuration menu.
5. The Boot Mode of the computer also needs to be changed for fixing the error. It is located under different tabs for each manufacturer. So, you need to change the settings from UEFI to Legacy.
6. Navigate to Exit screen or press ESC to quit the BIOS settings menu.

After you exit from the BIOS settings, your system will boot normally and perform several tests before booting completely.

Fix 4: Update Target Volumes Using BOOTMGR Compatible Bootcode

You can use Command Prompt as Administrator to change the Boot Manager settings in order to target boot volumes. To apply this method, you can follow the steps below:

1. After installing the bootable driver, navigate to Command Prompt from the Advanced tab as discussed in the Fix 1.
2. Enter “bootsect/nt60 sys” command and press Enter.
3. Wait till you get a confirmation message of successfully executing the code.
4. After the process is completed, try entering “bootrec/fixboot” command to check if you are receiving “Access Denied” message.

These are the probable fixes you can apply for resolving the error of bootrec /fixboot access is denied on Windows 10.