STATUS_BAD_DATA (0XC000090B) Fix – Bad Data Error

Quick Answer

Run this in an admin Command Prompt: sfc /scannow then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. If that doesn't work, go to Device Manager, find devices with yellow exclamation marks, and roll back or reinstall their drivers.

What's Happening Here

You're seeing STATUS_BAD_DATA (0XC000090B) – the system tried to process data from a driver or a system call, but the data was corrupt, mismatched, or formatted wrong. It's not your hard drive failing or RAM dying. It's almost always a driver that installed wrong, or a Windows update that didn't finish cleanly. The error comes from ntstatus.h – it's a kernel-level code that says “this data doesn't match what I expected.” Think of it like trying to open a PDF file with a text editor – the program rejects it because the structure is off. Real world scenario: you plug in a new USB device, Windows auto-installs a driver, but the driver is from a different version or got partially downloaded. Next time you start an app that uses that device, boom, 0XC000090B.

Fix Steps – Do These in Order

1. Run System File Checker (SFC). Open Command Prompt as admin (Win + X, choose “Command Prompt (Admin)” or “Windows Terminal (Admin)”). Type sfc /scannow. Wait for it to finish – it checks all protected system files and replaces corrupted ones. If it finds errors and fixes them, reboot and test.
2. Run DISM to fix system image. If SFC doesn't help, SFC itself might be broken. Type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. This restores the Windows component store from Windows Update. It takes 5-15 minutes. After it finishes, run sfc /scannow again.
3. Check Device Manager for bad drivers. Press Win + X, select Device Manager. Look for any device with a yellow exclamation mark. Right-click it, choose Properties. On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver if available – this reverts to a previous driver that worked. If Roll Back is grayed out, click Uninstall Device, then restart your PC. Windows will reinstall the driver fresh.
4. Update the problematic driver manually. Find the device manufacturer's website, download the latest driver for your exact Windows version (10 22H2, 11 23H2, etc.). Uninstall the old driver in Device Manager (check “Delete the driver software for this device” if offered), then install the new one.
5. Check Windows Update history. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history. Look for any failed updates around the time the error started. Uninstall that update (click “Uninstall updates” at the top). Reboot.

If Still Broken – Alternative Fixes

If the steps above don't cut it, try this:

• Clean boot. Run msconfig, go to Services tab, check “Hide all Microsoft services”, click Disable all. Then go to Startup, open Task Manager, disable all startup programs. Reboot. If the error disappears, a third-party service or startup app was the cause. Re-enable services one by one to find the culprit.
• Event Viewer deep dive. Open Event Viewer (Win + R, type eventvwr). Go to Windows Logs > System. Look for errors with Source “BugCheck” or “Service Control Manager” around the time 0XC000090B appeared. Right-click the error, copy details, paste into Google – often you'll find a specific driver name.
• System Restore. If you have a restore point from before the error started, go to Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore, pick a point, and roll back. This is a sledgehammer – use it if nothing else works.

How to Prevent It Next Time

Always let Windows Update finish completely before turning off your PC. When installing new hardware, download the driver from the manufacturer's site first – don't let Windows Update guess the driver. Also, keep a system restore point before any big driver update: go to Control Panel > System > System Protection, create a restore point. That way, if you see 0XC000090B, you're 10 minutes away from a fix.