The “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” error can appear while booting a Windows computer. As soon as this message appears in front of the user, further loading of the PC is simply impossible. The error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” appears on absolutely all versions of Windows, from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Of course, when this error appears, many users immediately start to panic, which is not necessary, because it can usually be solved very simply …
Reasons for “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb”
- Secure boot protocol active. Secure boot (or secure boot in Russian) is an additional layer of protection against malicious software and rootkits. An extremely useful thing, which, unfortunately, can cause a number of problems for the user’s system during its work. If you are using a cloned SSD / HDD or some hardware components in your PC under overclocking, then you can expect a variety of problems with Secure boot enabled.
- Problems with the boot order of the system. The error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” could occur if the files responsible for the boot order in the system were damaged. In such a situation, it is worth using the appropriate utilities and commands in order to restore the normal operation of the system.
- The register parameter prevents Windows from booting. It turns out that a certain memory management parameter in the OS register can make it “forget” about the correct boot order. But everything is solved by a small adjustment in the system register.
- The Above 4G Decoding function is disabled. If you encounter the error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” on a cryptocurrency mining farm with two or more high-performance video accelerators, then you probably have disabled the Above 4G Decoding function in the motherboard BIOS.
- Damage to system files. The error in question could also be caused by damage to a number of extremely important system files. In this case, the Bootrec.exe utility alone is indispensable: system recovery / reinstallation is required.
Methods for solving “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb”
Method # 1 Disabling Secure Boot
The secure boot feature in the motherboard BIOS / UEFI may cause the “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” error to appear when the computer boots. The solution is to disable this feature. To do this, you need to do the following:
- as soon as your computer starts booting, press the button responsible for entering the BIOS settings;
The note: this is usually the “Delete” button, but you may need to check on the Internet which button is needed.
- now you need to go to the “Security” tab;
- find the “Secure Boot” option and set it to “Disabled”;
The note: again, the location of this option may vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer, so you’ll have to look for it.
- after disabling Secure Boot, save the changes made to BIOS / UEFI.
After saving the settings, your computer should restart. If it really was Secure Boot, then the “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” error should have gone away.
Method # 2 Restoring the boot order
In most cases, the “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” error is due to problems with loading the operating system. The most effective solution is to restore the boot order using the system utility Bootrec.exe.
The note: to complete this method, you will need to have a Windows installation disc.
With the Windows installation disc in hand, do the following:
- start the Windows installation process and get to the “Windows Setup” window;
- click on the “Repair your computer” button;
- select “Advanced options”;
- then click on “Diagnostics” and select “Command line”;
- at the command prompt, run the following commands:
- bootrec.exe
- bootrec.exe / fixmbr
- bootrec.exe / fixboot
- bootrec.exe / scanos
- bootrec.exe / rebuildbcd
- after completing all the above commands, restart your computer.
Check for the error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” while booting the computer.
Method # 3 Editing memory management parameters in safe mode
It turns out that your BIOS can “forget” which HDD / SSD is the first in the boot priority. The reason for this forgetfulness is certain memory management parameters in the Windows system register. To fix the problem, it is enough to slightly correct the parameters in the register. Do the following:
- start your PC and press F8 until you get to the Boot Options screen;
- press the “F4” button to boot the system in safe mode;
- press Windows + R;
- copy “regedit” and press Enter;
- once in the register, go to “Computer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control Session Manager Memory Management”;
- double click on the parameter “ClearPageFileAtShutdown”;
- set the value to “1” and the hexadecimal number system for the parameter, and then click “OK”;
- restart your computer and try to log in as usual.
Now let’s see if the error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” has disappeared.
Method # 4 Activating Above 4G Decoding
If you use your computer to mine cryptocurrency and your system has two or more video cards installed, then the error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” may appear if the Above 4G Decoding technology is deactivated. Here’s how to enable it:
- go to BIOS / UEFI of your motherboard;
- go to the “Peripherals” tab;
- activate Above 4G Decoding by setting the value “Enable”;
- save your settings and restart your computer.
The note: The location of Above 4G Decoding may differ depending on the motherboard manufacturer, so you may need to look for it.
Method # 5 System recovery / reinstallation
Couldn’t get rid of the error? Well, we sympathize. Perhaps the only thing left for you to do is restore or reinstall your operating system. First, let’s try to restore:
- boot from Windows installation media;
- click the item “Repair your computer”;
- then select “Troubleshooting”;
- now go through Advanced Options → System Restore.
Wait for the restore process to complete. Well, how did it help? If not, then let’s reinstall your OS. To do this, follow all the steps listed above, but instead of the “System Restore” item, select “Reset this PC”. Next, you need to choose whether to keep your personal files or not. After returning the system to its original state, the error “BlinitializeLibrary failed 0xc00000bb” will no longer appear.