Windows stops with error 0xc00000e
How do I fix error code 0xc00000e, the connection to the device was lost?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
This code means the firmware found the drive at some point, but Windows could not reach the boot files when it tried to start. Usually the boot entry points at a drive letter or disk that has moved, a cable has worked loose, or the drive dropped out because a power setting or a firmware setting changed. The quickest thing to try first: turn everything off properly and unplug the extras — Hold the power button for ten seconds. Remove USB sticks, external drives, memory cards and phone cables, then start again. Windows sometimes tries to boot from an empty USB device and reports the connection as lost. On a desktop that has just been moved, open the case and press the SATA and power cables firmly back into the drive. Most people are done in about 25 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows, rated careful.
Sounds like this
- •A blue recovery screen says your PC needs to be repaired
- •The message mentions 0xc00000e or a lost connection to a device
- •It happens right after the maker logo, before the sign in screen
Why it happens
This code means the firmware found the drive at some point, but Windows could not reach the boot files when it tried to start. Usually the boot entry points at a drive letter or disk that has moved, a cable has worked loose, or the drive dropped out because a power setting or a firmware setting changed.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Turn everything off properly and unplug the extras
Hold the power button for ten seconds. Remove USB sticks, external drives, memory cards and phone cables, then start again. Windows sometimes tries to boot from an empty USB device and reports the connection as lost. On a desktop that has just been moved, open the case and press the SATA and power cables firmly back into the drive.
- 2
Put the correct drive first in the boot list
Tap F2, F10 or Delete during the maker logo to open the firmware setup. Look under Boot for Boot Priority or UEFI Boot Order and make sure Windows Boot Manager, on the drive that actually holds Windows, sits at the top. If your drive is not listed at all, the fault is the connection or the drive itself, not Windows.
- 3
Rebuild the boot record from the recovery menu
Start the PC and hold the power button as soon as the logo appears, three times in a row, to reach Automatic Repair. Choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Command Prompt, then type these four lines, pressing Enter after each: bootrec /fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot, bootrec /scanos, bootrec /rebuildbcd. Answer Yes if it asks to add the Windows installation. Restart afterwards.
- 4
Repair the boot files on a UEFI machine
If bootrec /fixboot answers Access is denied, you are on a UEFI system and the small boot partition needs rebuilding. In the same Command Prompt run: bcdboot C:\Windows /s C: /f UEFI. If Windows sits on another letter, run notepad, open File, Open, and look at the drives to find the one with a Windows folder, then use that letter.
- 5
Switch off Fast Startup once you are back in
Fast Startup saves part of the system to disk and often causes this code to return on machines with a fast NVMe drive. Open Control Panel, Power Options, Choose what the power buttons do, click Change settings that are currently unavailable, and untick Turn on fast startup. Save the change.
- 6
Check the health of the drive
Open Command Prompt as administrator and run: wmic diskdrive get model,status. Anything other than OK, or a drive that keeps disappearing from the firmware screen, points to a failing SSD. Copy your files off before doing anything else and plan a replacement.
If none of that worked
If the drive vanishes from the firmware setup screen, no software repair will help. Try a different SATA or M.2 slot, and if it stays missing the drive has failed and needs replacing.
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The CommonFixes team
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This guide was last updated on 15 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
A gentle reminder: back up anything you cannot afford to lose before major repairs. If a step ever feels risky, stop and ask a technician. There is no shame in that.