[Solved] RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED BSOD Error

About 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED

The error “RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED” is a BSOD that can prevent PCs from booting normally, hindering users’ work. The RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED bug check has the value of 0x000000F8, indicating an initialization failure while attempting to boot from the RAM disk.

Have you also experienced the same error? Don’t worry. This post provides a full guide.

Possible Causes of 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED Error

After investigating extensive user reports and posts, I find that the 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED error can mainly be caused by these reasons:

• Corrupted system files
• Faulty hardware
• Driver issues
• Problematic installation media
• Outdated Windows
• Malware or virus infection
• RAM issues

After knowing the possible causes of the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED BSOD error, you can continue reading and then try the corresponding solutions to fix the 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED error on your PC.

Preparation: Recover Data to A Safe Place

To prevent data loss after fixing the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED BSOD error, it is important to recover data to a safe location before attempting any of the methods mentioned in this post to fix the error. To do that, I recommend using MiniTool Partition Wizard.

It is also a professional and reliable data recovery tool. The Data Recovery feature of it can help you easily recover lost/deleted data.

Besides, this software is also a multifunctional partition manager that can be used to migrate OS to SSD without reinstalling OS, change cluster size, format USB to FAT32, rebuild MBR, convert MBR to GPT, check for disk errors, partition hard drives, set partitions as logical/primary, and more.

Here’s how to use it:

Part 1. Create a MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable USB Disk

To recover data from a PC that runs into a blue screen error, using a MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable USB flash drive to recover data from WinRE mode is a better choice. Here’s how to create the bootable USB flash drive:

Step 1. Click the Download button to get the MiniTool Partition Wizard installation package, and then follow the on-screen instructions to install it on a working computer. Then, connect your USB flash drive to this PC.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2. Launch it into its main interface, click Bootable Media in the top right corner, and then click WinPE-based media with MiniTool plug-in to continue.

Step 3.  In the Choose media destination window, check the USB Flash Disk option and select the correct USB flash drive if there are many. Next, click Yes in the pop-up window to start burning the boot flash drive.

Step 4. Wait for the process to complete, and then click Finish to close the window.

Part 2. Recover Data to A Safe Location

After creating a bootable USB flash drive, you can plug it into your computer which encounters the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED 0x000000F8 error, and boot with it to recover data. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1. After booting from the bootable USB flash drive, follow the on-screen instructions to enter MiniTool Partition Wizard’s main interface.

Step 2. Then, click Data Recovery from the top toolbar. On the next screen, go to the Devices tab, select the system disk, and then click Scan.

Step 3. Wait for the process to complete. While the program scans your disk, you can preview the files and click pause or stop when you find what you need. Here are some of the tools that can assist you:

Step 5. Tick the box before the files that you want to recover, click Save, choose a safe location to store the recovered files, and then click OK to confirm.

12 Solutions to Fix 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED Error

How to fix the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED error? In this section, I summarize 12 useful ways to help you get rid of the error. If you encounter the same error, you can try these methods one by one until the error gets fixed.

# 1. Unplug External Hardware and Restart

The external hardware may cause errors sometimes, including the 0x000000F8 error. So, the first way you can try to fix the 0x000000F8 RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED blue screen error is to unplug external devices and restart. If this way does not work for you, continue with other ways.

# 2. Start Windows in Safe Mode

When you boot your computer in Safe Mode, it loads Windows with only the essential drivers. This can help you diagnose if a driver or software conflict is causing any errors. If you’re having trouble accessing the normal Windows interface, you can try booting Windows in safe mode. If you don’t know how to enter the safe mode, you can do as follows:

Step 1. Repeatedly restart your PC to trigger the Automatic Repair mode.

Step 2. Once in the Automatic Repair screen, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings, and then click on the Restart button.

Step 3. After your system restarts, press F5 to start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 4. Once done, your Windows will now boot in Safe Mode.

# 3. Update Windows

Outdated Windows may also cause the 0x000000F8 BSOD error. In this case, you can try updating Windows to the latest version to fix the error. To do that, you just need to press the Win + I keys to open the Settings window, go to Update & Security > Windows Update, and then click Check for updates.

# 4. Scan for Virus

Malware or virus infection may also cause the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED blue screen error. In this situation, you can try running a virus scan to fix the error. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press the Win + S keys simultaneously to open the Search window.
2. Type “virus & threat protection” and press Enter.
3. In the pop-up window, click Scan options.
4. Select Full scan and then click Scan now.

# 5. Uninstall Corrupted Drivers

Corrupt drivers can also lead to the 0x000000F8 RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED blue screen error. In this situation, you can try uninstalling and then reinstalling drivers to fix the error. Here’s the guide:

Step 1. Press the Win + X keys simultaneously to open the Quick Link menu, and then choose Device Manager from the menu.

Step 2. Look for devices marked with a yellow exclamation mark, indicating a driver problem.

Step 3. Right-click on the problematic driver and choose Uninstall device.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, click Uninstall to confirm.

Step 5. After uninstalling, restart your PC. Windows will try to reinstall the driver during the reboot.

# 6. Update Drivers

Also, outdated drivers may trigger the 0x000000F8 RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED BSOD error. In this case, you can try updating the outdated driver to fix the RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED BSOD error. Here’s the way:

Step 1. Open the Device Manager window, and expand the category that has outdated drivers.

Step 2. Right-click the outdated driver, and select Update driver.

Step 3. In the new window, select Search automatically for drivers.

Step 4. Once done, restart your computer and check if the error has been resolved.

# 7. Run CHKDSK

File system errors and bad sectors in the disk are also reasons for the RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED BSOD error. So, you can try running the CHKDSK command to check the disk for file system errors and bad sectors and then fix it. Here’s the way:

1. Press the Win + S keys simultaneously to open the Search window.
2. Type “cmd” in the search box, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
3. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type “chkdsk driver letter: /f /r” and press Enter.
4. After that, it will start scanning and repair any found disk errors.

In addition, you can also run MiniTool Partition Wizard’s Check File System feature to check and fix disk errors, and the Surface Test feature to scan bad sectors. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard on your computer. Then, launch it into its main interface.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2. Do the following steps to run the Check File System feature to check and fix disk errors.

1. Choose the problematic partition from the disk map.
2. Select the Check File System feature from the left panel.
3. In the pop-up window, select Check & fix detected errors.
4. Next, click Start.

Step 3. Next, you can follow the steps below to run the Surface Test feature to scan bad sectors:

1. Choose the problematic partition/disk from the disk map.
2. Select Surface Test from the left panel.
3. In the Surface Test window, click Start Now.
4. Then, this software will automatically test the disk surface and show the result. 

# 8. Run DISM and SFC

If you suspect the RAMDISK BOOT INITIALIZATION FAILED BSOD error on your PC is caused by corrupted system files, you can also try running DISM and SFC to help you fix the error. Here’s the tutorial:

Step 1. Open the Search window and type “command prompt” in the search box.

Step 2. Then, click Run as administrator under the Command Prompt app.

Step 3. In the elevated Command Prompt window, type “sfc /scannow” and press the Enter key.

Step 4. Once done, restart your computer to check if the error is fixed. If not, proceed by initiating a DISM scan. Here are the DISM commands:

• DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
• DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Checkhealth
• DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

# 9. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

If the recently-installed Windows updates are incompatible with the system, it can cause system instability as well. So, you can try uninstalling them to cancel changes that might be causing the INSUFFICIENT_SYSTEM_MAP_REGS BSOD error. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Open the Search window, type “control panel” and press Enter to open the Control Panel window.

Step 2. In the Control Panel window, set View by as Categories,and then select Uninstall a program under the Programs section.

Step 3. Next, select the View installed updates link on the left side of the window.

Step 4. Select the most recent update and choose Uninstall.

Step 5. Confirm that you wish to uninstall the update.

Step 6. After the process is complete, restart your PC and verify if the error has been resolved.

# 10. Run System Restore

Some people report that they fixed this RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED 0x000000F8 error successfully by using the system restore point you created before to revert your computer to a previous restore point. You can also have a try. Here’s the way:

1. Press the Win and I keys simultaneously to open the Settings window.
2. Go to System > About, and then select the System protection link on the right panel.
3. In the new window, click the System Restore button.
4. Select Next, and then select the restore point you want to use from those in the list.
5. After that, click the Next button.
6. Next, click Finish. Then choose Yes to the “Once started, System Restore cannot be interrupted. Do you want to continue?” question.
7. Then the System Restore process will now begin. Wait for this process to be completed.
8. Once done, your Windows will revert to the previous state as you select. 

# 11. Reset Windows

If restoring your system to a previous state is still unable to fix the 0x000000F8 BSOD error, you can try resetting Windows to fix the error. To reset Windows, you can take these posts as references:

• How To Factory Reset Windows 10: Full Guide
• How to Reset Windows 11? [Step-by-Step Guide]

# 12. Reinstall Windows

If none of the above ways can help you fix the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED blue screen error, you can try reinstalling Windows to fix the error. To do that, you can refer to these posts:

• Detailed Steps and Instructions to Reinstall Windows 10
• How to Reinstall Windows 11 Without Losing Apps? Use Win11 Setup

I bump into the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED 0x000000F8 error on my computer. This error prevents me from my work and I don’t know how to fix it. Luckily, MiniTool Partition Wizard provides several useful ways to help me solve it successfully. I want to share it with you guys!Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

How to fix the RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED error? This post lists all the possible causes of the error and offers some practical ways to help users get rid of the error. So, if you run into the same RAMDISK_BOOT_INITIALIZATION_FAILED blue screen error, you can try the ways here to fix the error.

In addition, if you encounter errors while using the MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can contact us via [email protected]. We will send the reply back to you as soon as possible.