How to Fix “There Was a Problem Resetting Your PC”

Resetting your PC is a viable option whenever you run into a problem in Windows and can’t fix it through other methods. But what if you face the problem amidst the reset process itself?

This kind of issue mainly has to do with the system files. Since those files play a crucial role in the Windows Reset, the whole process can fail if they are missing or corrupted.

In this article, we will discuss several solutions to fix your issue.

Fixing “There Was a Problem Resetting Your PC”

Before jumping directly to the fixes below, you can start with a preliminary fix, such as restarting the system. After you restart, try to reset the PC again. 

Even if this doesn’t work, you can try out several other fixes mentioned in this article. Moreover, you can go through each of them and check if your problem has been solved.

Also, since resetting the PC can erase all of your data, we strongly recommend you create a backup of the essential data and save them on an external hard drive or on the cloud storage.

Perform SFC and DISM scans

Since the corruption of system files can affect the reset process, you can use the System File Checker (SFC) and the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) to scan and replace the corrupt files. 

To perform SFC and DISM scans,

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run and type cmd.
2. Now, press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter key simultaneously to open cmd as an administrator.
3. Please type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each of them.
   • sfc /scannow
     
   • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
   • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
   • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
     
4. Reboot your system and try to reset it again.

Using REAgentC.exe

REAgentC.exe is a windows tool that helps to configure a Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) boot image and a push-button reset recovery image. Here’s how you can use it to solve your issue.

1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run and type cmd.
2. Now, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter key to open cmd as an administrator.
3. Please type the following commands in sequential order and press Enter after each of them.
   • reagentc /disable
   • reagentc /enable
4. Restart your PC and see if your issue has been solved.

Rename the System and Registry Hives

The reset problem can even occur if the system or software registry hives are damaged or corrupted. So they need to be repaired. You can do it by following the steps below.

1. Hold the Shift key and click on Restart to get to the Windows Recovery Environment. (Windows RE)
2. Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
3. Now choose the Command Prompt option.
   
4. Enter your windows credentials if asked.
5. Please type the following commands in sequential order and press Enter after each of them.
   • cd %windir%\system32\config
   • ren system system.001
   • ren software software software.001
     
6. Now, navigate to Troubleshoot.
7. Choose the Reset this PC option.
   

Use the System Restore Feature

System restore is a Windows utility that helps revert your system to an earlier time. Basically, it creates a backup or snapshot of your system from a particular moment. However, you must have created the system restore point before the reset error occurred for this method to work as expected.

1. Press the Windows + R key and enter the command SystemPropertiesProtection.
2. Click on the System Restore button.
3. Select the restore point you had created while your system was working in good condition and click on Next.
   
4. Follow the on-screen instructions and wait until the system restore process is finished.
5. See if you can successfully reset the PC now.

Using the Startup Repair

Startup Repair is a Windows recovery tool that runs diagnostics to determine the cause of the complex startup problems. Furthermore, it looks for missing or corrupt system files and fixes them automatically. To perform a startup repair,

1. Click on Restart while pressing the Shift key simultaneously.
2. After entering the Windows Recovery Environment(Windows RE), navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
3. Under the Advanced Options, click on the Startup Repair option.
4. After the Startup Repair has finished diagnosing and fixing the problems, restart your system.
5. Check if you can successfully reset your system now.

Reinstall Windows

If none of the above methods worked for you, you can install a fresh copy of Windows to solve your issue. To reinstall the Windows,

1. Go to the Microsoft official page.
2. Click on the Download tool now button to download the Windows installation media.
   
3. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose the options according to your preference.
4. Select the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) for another PC option to download the ISO file.
   
5. Plug in a USB with at least 8GB of free space into your system.
6. Under the Choose which media to use prompt, choose the USB flash drive option.
   
7. Reboot your system and boot from the USB.
8. Follow the on-screen instructions and install the Windows. 
9. Select the Custom: Install Windows only option to reset your PC.