Windows stop code 0xc000021a [FIXED BY EXPERTS]

Installation error 0xc000021a can be quite problematic on Windows 10, and in today’s article, we’ll show you how to permanently fix this problem.

Windows 10 installation issues, or to be exact BSoD-inflicting errors are quite rare.

However, once you bump into the installation error like 0xc000021a, the problems intensify quite quickly. Blue Screen of Death can mean a lot of things but nothing good, so you can rest assured that this is a grave issue.

The gravity of this error means that’s hard to address it, especially if you already formatted your system partition before the error occurred.

We can only suspect what is the reason for this critical error, so we presented various solutions below in order to tick all the boxes.

If you’re stuck with this installation issue and unsure how to move on and resolve it, make sure to check the steps below.

We’ve written extensively about Windows install issues before. Bookmark this page in case you need it later.

How do I solve error 0xc000021a Windows 10 install?

1. Create bootable drive again with genuine Windows
2. Unplug all peripheral devices
3. Upgrade trough OS
4. Run SFC
5. Try running DISM scan
6. Rebuild BCD
7. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement
8. Check HDD health

Solution 1 – Create bootable drive again with genuine Windows

First things first. If it’s in your capacity to try reinstalling Windows 10 on an alternative PC, make sure to give it a try. That’s the best way to check if your bootable drive is bootable in the first place.

The procedure is the same for both DVD or USB thumb drive, meaning that, if you’re able to boot on at least one PC, the problem lies in the other PC and the installation drive is probably properly configured and created.

On the contrary, if you’re unable to boot on any given device you’ve tried to, make sure to create the bootable drive with the Windows 10 installation from the scratch and try booting again.

If you’re not sure how to do it properly, follow these steps:

USB

1. Download the Media Creation Tool from here.
2. Plug in the USB flash drive with at least 4 GB.
3. Run Media Creation Tool and accept the License Terms.
4. Choose ”Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC”.
5. Select the preferred language, architecture, and edition.
6. Click Next.
7. Choose USB flash drive and click Next.
8. Wait until the installer downloads the files and, finally, you’ll have a properly created and configured bootable drive with Windows 10 installation.

Check out these tools that create multiboot USB drives with only a few clicks!

DVD

1. Download the Media Creation Tool from here.
2. Run Media Creation Tool and accept the License Terms.
3. Choose ”Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC”.
4. Select the preferred language, architecture, and edition.
5. Click Next.
6. Select ISO file.
7. Save the ISO file to a preferred location and wait until the download completes.
8. Insert DVD and use any third-party burning tool to create the bootable Windows 10 DVD.

Solution 2 – Unplug all peripheral devices

Another possible culprit that can certainly cause critical system errors involves peripheral devices. Peripheral devices can occasionally cause a stall in the loading process.

Furthermore, that halt can lead to more than a few errors, including the Blue Screen of Death crash with the 0xc000021a error code that comes along.

So, make sure to leave only the mouse, keyboard and monitor plugged in while booting from USB or DVD.

You should disable everything else just in case one of the secondary devices are preventing the Windows 10 installation process to commence.

On the other hand, if you’re still unable to boot, make sure to check the additional steps.

Solution 3 – Upgrade trough OS

With the introduction of Windows 10, users are offered multiple choices when it comes to upgrading.

By using the Windows Media Creation tool, you can upgrade to Windows 10 without deletion of the current system. How does this exactly resolve your problem?

Well, some users managed to resolve the issue by installing older Windows iteration and than upgrading to Windows 10 with Media Creation Tool.

For no apparent reason, this helped them overcome the boot error that plagues so many Windows users.

If you’re not sure how to do it, follow the steps below and we should be good to go:

1. Download Media Creation Tool by following this link.
2. Run Media Creation Tool and accept the Licence Terms.
3. Choose Upgrade this PC and the downloading process should commence.
4. Once it downloads files, Media Creation will start upgrading.

Solution 4 – Run SFC

Sometimes, the corruption of system files can lead to a world of problems in many departments, including Windows 10 reinstallation.

Due to virus infection or integrity issues, certain boot files can get corrupted which will, eventually, result in a critical system error. Just like the installation error that bears the 0xc000021a code.

There are various ways to address this, but the best way to overcome this and similar issues is to use System File Checker and scan for errors.

In addition, it’s highly recommended to perform a full scan with a third-party antivirus in order to get rid of the malware infections.

Once you’ve dealt with the malicious software, follow the steps below to utilize the SFC tool:

1. Right-click the Start menu and run Command Prompt (Admin).
2. In the command line type the following command and press Enter:
   • sfc/scannow
3. Wait for the scanning procedure to end and look for improvements.

If this wasn’t enough, make sure to continue with the additional solutions we presented below.

FAQ: Learn more about stop code 0xc000021a

• What causes 0xc000021a?

The 0xc000021a error can be caused by incompatible software present in the system or by an unsigned driver. Performing a system restore will likely make it easy to confirm and eventually identify the piece of software or driver that is causing this.

• What does stop code 0xc000021a mean?

It means that Windows encountered an internal error that it couldn’t recover from and it displayed a Blue Screen of Death. It’s an error that continues to show even after your reboot the PC.

• How do I reinstall Windows 10 without a disk?

To perform a Windows reset you go to Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Recovery. There find Reset this PC and click on Get Started. For more details see our guide to factory reset Windows 10.

Editor’s Note: This article continues on the next page with additional solutions to fix error 0xc000021a. Bookmark our hub dedicated to fixing Windows 10 errors just in case you need to fix other issues later on.