Fix 0xC0000460: No Ranges Processed in Windows

You're staring at a black screen with 0xC0000460 and thinking, "What the hell does 'No ranges for the specified operation were able to be processed' even mean?" It's a boot-time error, and it's rarely hardware failure. Let's get you back in.

The Fix: Rebuild the BCD and Check the Disk

This error almost always points to a corrupted Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store or a file system problem on the boot drive. You'll need a Windows installation USB or recovery drive. If you don't have one, you can create it on another PC using the Media Creation Tool.

1. Boot from the USB. Choose your language, then click Repair your computer (bottom-left corner).
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
3. Run diskpart to find your drive letters. The Windows partition might not be C: in this environment. Type:

diskpart
list volume
exit

Note which volume is your Windows partition (it'll have a size matching your C: drive). Let's say it's D:.

4. Now run these commands one by one:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd

If /fixboot throws an access denied error, that's normal. It happens when the BCD is missing. The /rebuildbcd command will scan for Windows installations and ask if you want to add one. Type Y and press Enter.

5. After that, run a disk check on your boot partition. Replace D: with your actual Windows drive letter:

chkdsk D: /f /r

This will take a while. Let it finish, then reboot. Nine times out of ten, you're back in Windows.

Why This Works

Here's what's actually happening. The BCD store is a tiny database that tells Windows where to find the boot loader and which partition to use. When it gets corrupted—whether from a botched update, a power cut during startup, or a partition tool that didn't know what it was doing—the boot loader can't figure out which ranges of disk sectors to process. Hence the "no ranges processed" message.

bootrec /fixmbr rewrites the master boot record, which is the first thing the BIOS/UEFI looks at. /fixboot writes a new boot sector, and /rebuildbcd regenerates the entire BCD from scratch. The disk check handles the other side: if the NTFS file system has errors, the boot loader might not be able to read the specific sectors it needs. chkdsk repairs those inconsistencies, so the whole chain works again.

One thing to note: if you're running Windows 11, the boot process is slightly different (UEFI + GPT instead of BIOS + MBR), but these commands still work. The MBR fix is harmless on a GPT disk; it just doesn't do much.

Less Common Variations

That fix handles the typical case, but this error can also pop up in weirder situations.

1. After a Linux Dual-Boot Setup

If you recently installed Linux or used a tool like EasyBCD to dual-boot, the GRUB bootloader might have stomped on your Windows BCD. The /rebuildbcd command should still fix it, but you might need to run bootrec /scanos first to see if Windows is actually recognized. If not, your partition table might be messed up—see below.

2. Third-Party Partition Managers

Tools like EaseUS or MiniTool Partition Wizard are great, but they sometimes resize the boot partition without updating the BCD. If you used one recently and then hit this error, the BCD rebuild is your friend. If it doesn't take, you might have to manually set the active partition. In diskpart, do:

select disk 0
select partition 1
active

But be careful—make sure you're selecting the right partition. Selecting the wrong one can make things worse.

3. Dying Hard Drive

If chkdsk finds a ton of bad sectors, or if you see CHKDSK is verifying file data taking forever, your drive might be failing. The error is then a symptom, not the main problem. Back up your data immediately, then run a full drive diagnostic with CrystalDiskInfo or the manufacturer's tool (SeaTools for Seagate, Data Lifeguard for Western Digital).

Prevention

You can't fully prevent a random BCD corruption—it happens, and it sucks. But you can reduce the odds significantly:

• Always shut down properly. Pulling the power plug or holding the power button to force shutdown corrupts disk state way more often than people think. I've seen this error appear after a sudden power loss more times than I can count.
• Keep system restore points enabled. Even if you don't use them often, they can save your ass when something goes sideways.
• Be cautious with partition tools. If you're resizing or moving partitions, back up the system first. The tools have gotten better, but they're still not perfect.
• Run chkdsk periodically. Once a month or so, open an admin command prompt and run chkdsk C: /f during a reboot. It catches file system errors before they become boot problems.

That's it. You've got the fix, the reasoning, and the edge cases. If you're still stuck after all this, it's probably hardware—your drive is on its way out. Time to budget for an SSD upgrade.