How to fix BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO error in Windows 10

What is BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO error

A number of reasons can be the culprit for BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO appearing on PCs. Usually, this error can be related to registry, drivers, configuration, hardware, and other issues. The most obvious symptom reflecting the BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO issue is an abrupt shutdown and display of the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). Sometimes Windows cannot fix the problem and keeps crashing without having a chance to finish the boot up successfully. Users have to correspond to other devices to learn fixing instructions. Luckily, there are some options designed by Windows to solve issues without accessing the desktop itself. You will find instructions upon the problem elimination in the article below.

1. Update drivers

As you might know, drivers play a significant role in the proper operation of physical components. Graphic cards, processors, and other elements require proper configuration established by drivers. This is why it is important to keep them up-to-date by running regular updates. On the contrary, in some cases, the update of drivers can lead to crashes because of flaws and incompatibilities delivered by developers. Follow the steps below to roll back or update drivers.

To update drivers manually:

1. Right-click on the Start Menu button and select Device Manager.
2. In the opened tab find the malfunctioned driver (marked with a yellow rectangle) and expand a drop-down menu.
3. Locate the driver, right-click on it, choose Update Driver, and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Windows will start searching for available updates and automatically install them on your computer.

To roll back drivers:

If you knew which driver has been updated recently, you could find and roll it back to the previous version.

1. Navigate to Device Manager as we did above.
2. Locate and right-click on a previously updated driver.
3. Choose Roll Back Driver and follow instructions.
4. Once finished, reboot your PC and see if the problem dissipates.

You can also use IObit Driver Booster to perform automatic updates. It is way faster than going through the manual process because the utility will find aged or malfunctioned drivers and update them. Here is the link to download it.

Driver Booster start screen

Driver Booster scan results

Driver Booster tools section

2. Run the bcdedit command

Sometimes, the system configuration may be corrupted causing the BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO issue. To resolve this, we will type a special command meant to restore bootup settings. For this, you have to insert a bootable drive to enter the Recovery Environment. In some cases, your PC crashes and enters the Recovery Environment itself allowing to do the following:

1. Go to Troubleshoot & Advanced options and click Command Prompt.
2. Once the console appears, copy and paste these commands clicking Enter after each:


bcdedit/deletevalue {default} numproc
bcdedit/deletevalue {default} truncatememory


3. When finished, simply restart the PC.

If you manage to access the Windows desktop temporarily, you can run these commands on it:

1. Open Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box next to the Start Menu button.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
3. Do the same process illustrated above and restart your PC.

Did not help? Proceed to the next step below.

3. Restore the BCD file

Another option to eliminate the above-mentioned problem is to restore the file responsible for bootup settings. The method implies the deletion and recreation of Master Boot Records. It may be risky to perform, so make sure to create a backup before doing so. You will also need to insert a bootable drive (USB). If you do not have one, you can create it via Media Creation Tool.

1. Open the Troubleshoot Environment and launch Command Prompt using a bootable drive.
2. Then copy and paste these commands clicking Enter after each:


bootrec /repairbcd
bootrec /osscan
bootrec /repairmbr


3. When done, close the console and reboot the computer.

4. Fix the Registry Entries

Faulty registry entries can bring up the error of BSOD. This is why we are going to fix them by running the following steps:

1. Open the Recovery Environment.
2. Go to Troubleshoot & Advanced options and click Command Prompt.
3. Once the console appears, copy and paste these commands clicking Enter after each:


cd C:\Windows\System32\config
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\DEFAULT DEFAULT.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM SAM.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SECURITY SECURITY.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE SOFTWARE.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM SYSTEM.old


4. This measure is meant to make Windows forget the required folders by changing their names.
5. Then you should enter the second portion of commands:


copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\DEFAULT C:\Windows\System32\config\
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\DEFAULT C:\Windows\System32\config\
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SAM C:\Windows\System32\config\
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SECURITY C:\Windows\System32\config\
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SYSTEM C:\Windows\System32\config\
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SOFTWARE C:\Windows\System32\config\


5. Use System Restore

Rolling back to the recent backup can work out very well. Windows might have saved a point where BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO did not exist. So let’s try it according to these steps:

1. Open the Recovery Environment as we did before.
2. Go to Troubleshoot & Advanced options and click System Restore this time around.
3. Then, in the appeared window, select a backup point by a date when you did not have the issue.
4. Click Next and wait until Windows restores your system.

6. Check hardware for corruption

There is a chance that the reason for the BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO error is not about software. It can be any piece of hardware corrupted, which is hard to determine by yourself. The main suspects are RAM and hard drive, so make sure to check them first. If you are not experienced enough to run manipulations with checking hardware, it might be better to contact specialists to help you do this.

Summary

Overall, these are the steps that have been proven to be effective in rectifying the BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO issue. Note that most Windows errors happen because of malfunctioned settings. Usually, it happens when users download and install badly-configured updates for Windows or other components leading to such circumstances. Some system updates turn out to be unstable nowadays and might behave differently on many PCs. If you struggle to deal with other BSOD crashes, type in the name of the error on our website and use the articles, if found.