What does HRESULT 0x80390003 (ERROR_BCD_NOT_ALL_ENTRIES_SYNCHRONIZED) mean?

ERROR_BCD_NOT_ALL_ENTRIES_SYNCHRONIZED

ERROR_BCD_NOT_ALL_ENTRIES_SYNCHRONIZED — 0x80390003

ERROR_BCD_NOT_ALL_ENTRIES_SYNCHRONIZED means that Windows updated only part of the boot-entry relationship between the BCD store and firmware environment.

Meaning in the subsystem

BCD repair should begin with an export and an inventory of both BCD objects and firmware entries. Object GUIDs, EFI System Partition paths, referenced device elements, firmware NVRAM capacity, and boot order must be correlated; editing one representation in isolation can create a second inconsistency.

This is not merely a BCD file-write error; the incomplete boundary includes firmware/NVRAM representation.

Minimum useful evidence

• UEFI/BIOS mode, BCD object GUIDs, firmware NVRAM boot entries, and display order
• BCDBoot/BCDEdit operation, EFI System Partition identity, free space, and mount state
• Firmware write permissions, NVRAM capacity, secure-boot state, and vendor firmware events
• Before/after output from firmware and BCD enumeration

Isolate the responsible condition

• Synchronize a backed-up test store to the correct EFI System Partition.
• Remove stale duplicate firmware entries in a controlled maintenance window.
• Compare firmware order and BCD display order without assuming they are identical models.

Regression proof

Repair the failed contract rather than the surrounding system: Restore writable firmware/ESP state, clean stale entries if necessary, and rerun the supported BCDBoot/synchronization workflow.

Close the incident only when the intended Windows Boot Manager entry exists once, points to the correct ESP, survives reboot, and firmware order remains stable.

Technical references

These references define the HRESULT family and subsystem contract used above:

• Microsoft Open Specifications: HRESULT values.
• Microsoft: boot options in Windows.
• Microsoft: BCDEdit command-line options.
• Microsoft: BcdStore class.