While trying to upgrade to Windows 8.1, the error message The Boot Configuration Data File does not contain valid information that appears during installation, which stops the installation or upgrades process.

To overcome this problem follow the troubleshooting steps given below:

Steps for Fixing Problem: 

If you are using a USB drive to install Windows 8.1, delete the USB drive partition and create a new partition with the NTFS file system so that Windows can recognize it.

If you are trying to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8, You may receive an error message while upgrading or even after successfully installing windows 8.1 saying ‘The Boot Configuration Data File does not contain valid information‘.

The Windows setup log file contains more information about the error, check the “C:\Windows\Panther” directory.

Please follow the steps to fix this problem as given below: 

1) Press the Start key and type cmd in the search box and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Yes, you need to press all 3 keys simultaneously.

2) Now at the command prompt, type or paste this command:   bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup   →Press Enter key. The above step will backup your Configuration Data to a file called BCD_Backup in root directory of C drive.

3) Next type or paste this command:   bcdedit /import C:\BCD_Backup   →Press Enter key. This will restore BCD store to default, which should fix the problem.

4) If you want to check if this has resolved the issue, open the command prompt again and type or paste this command:   bcdedit /enum Windows Boot Manager   →Press Enter key. This will show list of Operating Systems installed on your machine.

5) If you are using USB drive to install Windows 8.1, delete the USB drive partition and create a new partition with the NTFS file system so that Windows can recognize it properly during the installation process.

6) You must ensure that your computer’s BIOS is set to boot from USB drive in UEFI mode.

7) If you are trying to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8, You may receive an error message while upgrading or even after successfully installing windows 8.1 saying ‘The Configuration Data File does not contain valid information. The Windows setup log file contains more information about the error, check the “C:\Windows\Panther” directory.

8) If the problem still persists, you can create a new Configuration Data file by using the command prompt as given below:   bcdedit /create store c:\BCD_NEW.dat    →Press Enter key and follow instructions on the screen to create a new BCD store file.

9) If you get a message that says “The configuration data store contains the entry ‘Windows Boot Manager’ but no corresponding Windows Boot Loader entries, then press button Advanced options to load the BCD into a new boot configuration data store”, type or paste this command:   bcdedit /store c:\BCD_NEW.dat /create {bootmgr} /d “Windows Boot Manager”   →Press Enter key and follow instructions on the screen to create a new BCD store file.

10) Now restart your system and try installing Windows 8.1 again to check if the issue still persists.

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