Bootsect.exe Guide – What is it, Uses, Command Line

Bootsect.exe, also referred to as the Boot Sector Manipulation Tool, is a crucial part of the Windows Operating System. The main function of  Bootsect.exe is to manage the master boot code for hard disk divisions. It can also be utilized to restore the boot sector on the system.

The full form of BootSect is Boot Sector Manipulation Tool.

File Size and Location

Bootsect.exe is classified as a Win64 file type and its accessibility generally varies depending on the system. Bootsect.exe uses up to around 106 KB of space and resides under the C:\Windows\System32\ folder. However, you might find multiple copies (usually 2) in Windows 10 that is located under C:\Windows\WinSxS\ folder.

This is how the original bootsect.exe looks like in Windows 10:

Quick Overview:

Bootsect.exe Functionality

The boot sector of a system is an essential sector of a consistent information repository, such as a hard drive (like hdd or ssd), and it has machine code that gets loaded into RAM. This RAM is then executed by the system’s firmware and it is the boot sector that provides inter-functionality between varied firmware and operating systems.

bootsect.exe is a command-line tool that can be used to make a USB or Pendrive to make it a bootable device.

In short, Boot Sector is used to select which Operating System will be loaded first during the starting up the PC. This Boot Sector is a very crucial part of any Operating System that consists of important information of the hard drive.

Thus, the program bootsect.exe is incredibly important for maintaining the boot sector and is primarily used when the boot code becomes corrupted.

Syntax

There are several syntax that can be used like:

• /help
• /nt52
• /nt60

To run the /help, you will have to first open the command prompt and enter the below code that will list all options:

bootsect /help c:

This is how the bootsect help command line looks like:

Common Parameters

1. SYS: This parameter updates the system partition master boot code and on the same system partition that is used to update Windows.
2. ALL: This parameter updates all of the system partition’s boot code. But rather than updating all of the partition volumes, only the volumes that can boot Windows are updated, so normally, dynamic volumes that are unconnected to an implicit disk partition are excluded.
3. /force: This parameter must be employed cautiously, as it forcibly dismounts volumes during the master code update. It should be noted that bootsect.exe always tries to lock and dismount the volumes before an update, so a forced dismount can result in invalidation on open handles to the destination volumes.
4. /mbr: This is used to upgrades the master boot code with an unchanged partition table.

Bootsect.exe Errors

1.   Bootsect.exe – Application error

It is possible that the program is outdated, or there simply isn’t enough memory for its operation. Delete some simultaneous processes to free up some space.

2.   Bootsect.exe – Access denied

You may need to alter the permissions of the file, as this error message implies that you don’t have the required permissions to run the program. Another cause could also be that the antivirus software might have restricted access to the bootsect.exe file. Inspect your antivirus’ log.

3.   Faulting Application Path: bootsect.exe

The file bootsect.exe is missing or corrupt.

For such errors, we have listed below 3 suitable resolutions.

How to Fix Bootsect.exe Errors

The most common disk is unreadable..exe an error that a user can see is the disk is unreadable. Here are few common ways to fix this issue:

Method 1: Uninstall Speakonia (or any connected software)

1. Click the Start button and enter ‘Uninstall’ in the search bar.
2. Select ‘Add or Remove Programs’ in the search results.
3. Find the Speakonia or related entry and select ‘Uninstall’.
4.  The user must follow any instructional prompts provided by the Uninstall Wizard.

Method 2: Windows Update

1. Click the Start button, type ‘Update’ in the search bar, and hit ‘Enter’.
2. In the resulting dialog box, select ‘Check for Updates’.
3. Select ‘Install Updates’ if there are any existing updates.
4. Reboot the system once updated.

Method 3: System Restore

This method should be tried at last if all of the above method not working:

1. Click the Start button, type Recovery
   
   
2. Click on Open System Restore
3. The System Restore window will open
4. Follow the steps instructed by System Restore Wizard to administer a suitable restore point and restore the system.

Alternatively, you can use the command line for system restore.

Another issue that can arise with executables such as bootsect.exe, is that oftentimes malware can disguise itself by employing the titles of such files, so take care that all of your executables are installed from a safe and reliable source.

How to Download Bootsect.exe?

If you are not able to create a Bootable device then you have to download a fresh copy of bootsect.exe. Make sure to download it only from the official Microsoft website. Here are the steps:

1) Go to https://www.microsoft.com/

2) Choose your Operating system like Windows 7 or 10

3) Verify by entering your product key

4) Now find ‘Additional download options’

5) Now choose ’32-bit ISO’ from the drop-down menu

6) Save it on your system.