CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)Software TroubleshootingHard
A technician runs 'bootrec /rebuildbcd' on a Windows workstation with a corrupted boot configuration, but the tool reports 'Total identified Windows installations: 0' even though Windows is clearly installed on the drive. Which command should the technician run FIRST to have the tool search all disks for compatible installations before rebuilding the BCD?
- Abootrec /scanos
- Bchkdsk /f
- Cbootrec /fixmbr
- Dbootrec /fixboot
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. bootrec /scanos
bootrec /scanos scans all disks for Windows installations that are not currently listed in the BCD store, populating the list that /rebuildbcd relies on. Running /scanos before /rebuildbcd resolves the '0 installations found' error in many cases.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Checks disk for file system errors, unrelated to boot configuration detection.
- C. Writes a compatible master boot record but does not scan for OS installations.
- D. Writes a new boot sector, unrelated to detecting installations for the BCD.
bootrec /scanos
A Windows Recovery Environment command that scans all disks for Windows installations not currently listed in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
- Run before /rebuildbcd if 0 installations are found
- Part of the bootrec toolset
- Doesn't modify boot sector or MBR itself
Memory trick: 'Scan before you Rebuild' — find it, then fix it.