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When Windows 8 was first released with Metro UI, users complained about lot of issues. While most of such issues were addressed by Microsoft in updates released at regular intervals, some issues still remain un-solved.
One of them is error with hex code 0xc000021a which is associated with Blue screen of death showing message “Your PC ran into problem and needs to restart“. It isn’t only in Windows 8 alone, rather the legacy continued to Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 too.
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Mainly, this annoying error occurs when a service like WinLogin (winlogon.exe) or CSRSS (Client Server Run-time Subsystem – csrss.exe) stops responding due to some security compromise. Once this occurs, Windows goes into Kernel mode where this service cannot be run. Both of these services are necessary for both Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 to run.
This in turn, throws a STATUS_SYSTEM_PROCESS_TERMINATED 0xc000021a error.
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Guide to Fix Error 0xc000021a in Windows 8/8.1/10
We will share two different methods to help you get rid of this annoying error on your Windows desktop PC or laptop. Lets begin!
Fix # 01: Perform Clean Boot on Windows 8/8.1/10
If you are able to go to your Windows desktop after bypassing the error 0xc000021a somehow, follow the steps below to ensure that you don’t face this error again.
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- Press Windows + R key simultaneously to open Run utility.
- Type in msconfig and press Enter.
- From the new System Configuration Window, select General tab.
- Select the 3rd option – Selective startup.
- Uncheck Load startup items from sub-options.
- Select Services tab.
- On bottom right corner, check Hide all Microsoft services. This will hide all Windows/system services and will only show services from software that you have installed.
- Now click on Disable all button to disable all other services.
- Now go to Startup tab.
- If there are any startup items listed, disable each one of them by right-clicking on item and selecting Disable.
- Restart your system.
If you don’t get the error 0xc000021a after the next few reboots, it means that there’s something wrong with the services installed with the software you installed later. After this, enable each non-Microsoft service one-by-one to pinpoint the service which was causing the issue.
Fix # 02: Run SFC scan on your Windows PC
SFC command scans your entire PC to check if various Windows functions are working properly or not. To run SFC scan, follow the instructions below.
- Open Command Prompt by right-clicking on Start menu button and selecting Command Prompt (Admin). Remember, you must open it with Administrative privileges.
- Type the command sfc<space>/scannow in CMD and press Enter.
- Scanning will start. Wait for the process to end.
- If you see an error message like Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log, it means that there were some issues that are now fixed by Windows.
- If you see an error message like Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log, it means that Windows was not able to automatically fix these issues. To repair these files manually, follow the Microsoft guide and then manually replace corrupted files.
These were couple of methods to help you solve the error 0xc000021a in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
Muhammad Qasim is a long time contributor at Geekspie.com. Muhammad has years of experience writing about tech, including tutorials to resolve common problems users experience with Windows and Mac computers, iOS and and android devices, and software of all kinds. He can be reached through the contact us form.