How to Fix Invalid Partition Table on Windows Computer?

I. What is the invalid partition table error, and what is the reason for this error?

The so-called “invalid partition table” (Invalid partition table) error means that when the system boot process cannot find the partition containing the boot data, or the MBR is damaged, it usually causes this error message to appear, and the computer cannot start normally.

Proper organization of files is essential for efficient data storage on hard disks. Partitions are created to keep data organized, and their information is recorded in the partition table allowing the operating system to easily access them. When the partition table is damaged or invalid, the system fails to locate the partition with the boot data, causing the system to fail to start normally.

The causes of invalid partition table errors generally include the following aspects:

● Corrupted partition table (located in the MBR of the boot sector)

●Boot sequence error

● Corrupted MBR (Master Boot Record)

●Multiple active partitions appear

After understanding the reasons that may cause the invalid partition table (Invalid partition table) error, let’s learn how to fix the error.

II. How to fix the error that the Windows computer prompts that the partition table is invalid?

1. Reset the BIOS boot order

Resolve the “Invalid Partition Table” error on your computer caused by an incorrect boot sequence in the BIOS when multiple external hard drives are connected by disconnecting the extra drives, restarting the computer, accessing BIOS setup, setting the disk containing the operating system as the boot preference, and restarting the computer again to see if the issue is resolved.

Step 1: Turn on the computer, and immediately press the F2 or F10 or Esc or Del key several times to enter the BIOS menu (the shortcut keys to enter the BIOS are slightly different due to the different models of the computer motherboard, and you can observe the black screen that appears when starting up. prompt).

Step 2: After that, use the “arrow keys” in the keyboard to switch the function option to the tab Boot, and then set the bootable hard drive containing the operating system as the priority boot item. Restart the computer after the operation is complete to see if the problem is resolved.

2. Rebuild the MBR using the command prompt

The Bootrec command can repair corrupted master boot record MBR or boot configuration data files. This method needs to enter the recovery environment and then operate. Proceed as follows:

To access the Windows recovery environment, press the power button to turn on your computer, but be sure to turn it off before the startup logo appears. Repeat this process three times. Alternatively, you can use a Windows installation disk to start your computer and choose the option Repair your computer on the Install Now interface to access the recovery environment. Want to learn how to create a Windows installation disk? Click here for more information.

Step 2: After entering the recovery environment, select Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

Step 3: In Command Prompt, enter the following command. Each time you enter a command, you need to press the key Enter. After the repair is complete, restart the computer to see if the problem is resolved. If you want to know the specific meaning of the following commands, you can click on the official Microsoft help page to learn more.

bootrec.exe /fixmbr

bootrec.exe /fixboot

bootrec.exe /scanos

bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

3. Use the Diskpart command to change the partition status

When more than two active partitions are running on a computer, an “Invalid partition table” error may be encountered. Therefore, you only need to set the partition where Windows is installed as the active partition, and ensure that other partitions are inactive. The specific operation steps are as follows:

Step 1: Insert the Windows installation disk (DVD or U disk) into the computer (click here to learn how to make a Windows installation disk). Continuously click F2 or F10 or DEL or ESC shortcut keys (varies with the computer brand) to enter the BIOS setting interface when starting up, set the first boot sequence to the Windows installation disk, save the settings, and start the computer from the installation disk. Select the Repair Your Computer option on the Install Now screen to enter the recovery environment.

Step 2: After entering the recovery environment, select Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

Step 3: Next, enter the command diskpart in the command prompt window and press the key Enter.

Step 4: Enter the following commands and press the key Enter after entering each command. Restart the computer after the operation to see if the problem is resolved.

list volume (list all volumes)

select volume D (replace D with the drive letter of the partition that needs to be set as an inactive partition according to the actual situation)

inactive (mark the selected partition as inactive)

exit (exit)

If you do not know whether the partition is an active partition, you can enter (select volume n) (n can be replaced with a different volume number or drive letter) after the partition is listed in (list volume), and then enter (detail partition) to view The partition attribute of the selected volume, as shown in the figure below, shows “Active: Yes”, which means that the selected volume/partition is an active partition.

The above are three commonly used methods to fix invalid partition table errors. If none of the above methods can solve the problem, and you cannot enter the Windows system normally, you can use a professional system rescue tool——Renee PassNow to transfer or restore important files in the computer, and then consider reinstalling the system or replacing the system hard disk. Here’s how to do it in detail.

III. Use Renee PassNow to transfer or restore important data when you cannot enter the system

1. What is Renee PassNow?

Renee PassNow is a professional system rescue software, which can help Windows users clear Windows account passwords, create new administrator accounts; restore disk/memory card data, recover data after hard disk formatting; transfer disk files; erase or scan Disk files, etc. In addition, this software also supports repairing Windows system problems, such as: repairing MBR boot records, DBR error parameters, 0xc00000e, Windows system startup failure, and some problems that cause black screen or blue screen, etc. As a system rescue tool with various functions, it is perfectly compatible with multiple systems including Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, and can meet the system rescue needs of different users.

2. How to use Renee PassNow to transfer or restore data?

When the computer cannot be started and used normally, you can create a startup disk through Renee PassNow, then start the computer through the startup disk, and then transfer or restore data through the software function. The specific steps are as follows:

Step 1: Download and install Renee PassNow on other computers that can log in and run normally, then connect the U disk to the PC, run Renee PassNow, and then check in “Step 1: Select creation method” (Create a Live USB) option. (Note: Before performing this operation, please make sure that the important files in the U disk have been saved in other locations, because the operation process will delete all the data in the U disk.)

Step 2: Next, select (x64) or (x86) according to the system type, click the (Download Now) button to download the ISO file, click the (Create a Live USB) button after the file is downloaded, and click the (Eject USB) button.

Step 3: Connect the created boot device to the computer that needs to transfer data, turn on the computer, and then the shortcut key to enter the BIOS will be displayed on the computer screen (the display time of this interface is very short, maybe only one or two seconds), click continuously BIOS shortcut key to enter the BIOS setting interface, and then set the boot U disk as the first in the boot sequence in Boot Priority, then save the settings and restart the computer.

Step 4: Wait for a while, after Renee PassNow is loaded, select (Data Transfer). If you need to transfer the data of the entire hard disk, you can select the (Data Backup) option.

Step 5: You can click on each disk drive letter (C/D/E/F, etc.) to check whether important files are lost. If not, it is recommended that you transfer them to an external disk. The operation of transferring data is very simple. For example, if you want to transfer the data in the C drive to the G drive, you can first select the C drive on the upper left, select the G drive on the upper right, and then select the files in the C drive, and click the Copy function button in the middle. Disk data can be easily transferred. If there is a file you want to delete, you can also click the (Delete) button in the middle after selecting the file, but the deletion operation cannot be undone, please operate with caution.

Step 6: If you find that there is data loss, please select the (Undeleter) option on the main interface of the function, and click the (Run) button.

Step 7: Select (Fast Partition Scan) to scan the target hard disk.

Step 8: After the scan is complete, select the file to be recovered, click the (Recover) button to execute the data recovery command, please save the file in another external disk, eject the U disk after the recovery is complete, and then perform other operations on the computer, such as maintenance , replace the hard disk or reinstall the system, etc.