There was a problem resetting your PC [Full Guide]
- Windows 10 can be reset and bring it to its default state. However, there are instances when resetting your Windows 10 computer is impossible task and you get the message: There Was A Problem Resetting Your PC. No Changes Were Made. See the solutions in the article below.
- There is no bad time to perform a registry clean. Our top12 registry cleaners might give you a pretty good idea of the software needed for that opperation.
- If you came across any system errors, you will find a solution in our System Errors hub.
- We wrote xtensively about Windows 10 errors so check out our Windows 10 errors hub for a solution.
By doing so, you can eliminate various bugs that may prevent their computers from working properly.
However, there are instances when resetting your Windows 10 computer turns into an impossible task due to the error message: There Was A Problem Resetting Your PC. No Changes Were Made.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to fix this error.
There was a problem resetting your PC message can prevent you from restoring Windows 10 to the original state.
This can be a big problem, and speaking of Windows issues, here are some similar problems that users reported:
- There was a problem resetting your PC no changes were made Windows 10, Windows 8 – This issue can affect both Windows 10 and Windows 8. Even if you don’t use Windows 10, you should be able to apply most of our solutions to Windows 8 as well.
- There was a problem refreshing your PC, no changes were made – This is just a variation of this error message. If you encounter it, try running SFC and DISM scan and check if that solves the problem.
- Can’t reset PC Windows 10 – This is a variation of the original error that you can encounter. If you notice this problem, try performing System Restore and check if that helps.
- There was a problem resetting your PC Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 2, HP Stream, Dell, Lenovo – Sometimes this error message can appear on your laptop. It seems that all laptop brands can be affected by this problem, and in order to fix it, you might have to run DISM and SFC scans outside of Windows.
- There was a problem resetting your laptop, computer – This issue can affect any device, both laptop and desktop. If you have this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions and check if that works for you.
How can I fix There was a problem resetting your PC error?
Solution 1 — Perform a system file check
According to users, this issue can often occur due to corrupted files. However, you can fix this problem by performing a simple SFC scan. To do that, you just need to follow these steps:
- Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu. Now select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list. If this option isn’t available, you can also use PowerShell (Admin).
- When Command Prompt opens, enter sfc /scannow.
- SFC scan will now start. This process can take up to 20 minutes so don’t interrupt it.
If SFC scan doesn’t solve the issue, or if you can’t run SFC, you might have to use DISM scan.
To do that, just start Command Prompt as administrator and run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command.
Keep in mind that DISM scan can take more than 20 minutes, so don’t interrupt it.
There was a problem resetting your PC
In this post, I will explain how to fix There was a problem resetting your PC error on your Windows 10 or 8. This error may occur when you try to reset your Windows 10 to its default state. I will cover the basic information related to this topic, and also provide you methods to resolve the issue.
What is There was a problem resetting your PC error on Windows 10
Whenever something doesn’t go right while booting system, Windows first runs into Automatic Repair wizard and tries to fix the issues automatically. However, if it fails, you have to Refresh or Reset the system. The situation gets really annoying when the Refresh or Reset failure or stuck issue will happen with dreaded error messages.
If you try to attempt for Refresh, the following error message will appear: “There was a problem refreshing your PC. No changes were made.”
And if you’re going to use Reset feature, the following error message will appear: “There was a problem resetting your PC.”
Microsoft officials have admitted that it is due to a bug in Windows 10 and have provided these conditions under which Windows may experience this issue. Here are the following conditions:
- Your PC came with Windows 10 pre-installed and was not an upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
- The PC manufacturer enabled compression to reduce the disk space required for preinstalled applications.
- You created a USB recovery drive using the “Create a recovery drive” feature in Windows 10.
- You booted the PC to the USB recovery drive and selected, Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
Diagnosis & Causes
There are no messages in the Event Viewer related to this error. Though the process does leave behind some nice key information for us. When you enable viewing hidden folders, or run dir c:\ /a:sh , you’ll be able to see a $SysReset folder created on the root of your OS Drive. This folder has some log files which may help, specifically, C:\$SysReset\Logs\Setupact.log read this file to see what the issue is.
The error most commonly points to either a missing or unsupported version of the recovery image. There may be some other causes like compatibility issues or malware. However, you should not worry about the cause and directly move to the solutions now.
How to Fix There was a problem resetting your PC error
Here are the 3 tried and working methods to counter the “There was a problem resetting your PC” error within few minutes. You don’t need any special skills to apply these methods. Just follow the step-wise guide that I have mentioned below every method properly.
1. Use Command Prompt
Checking system files using Command Prompt is a good option to fix this dreaded error. Follow these steps in order to do so:
Step-1: Firstly click the Power button from Start menu. Then while holding the Shift key, click Restart.
Step-2: Now follow this path: Click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
Step-3: Then select your administrator account and enter the password (if you have set one before). Afterwards, click on Continue to proceed.
Step-4: Once the Command Prompt window opens up, type the following commands in the window and hit Enter after each command:
cd %windir%\system32\config
ren system system.001
ren software software.001
Step-5: After doing this, close the command prompt window. You will be taken back to boot options page. Just click on Continue to boot into your Windows 10.
Step-6: Try resetting your PC now.
You will be able to reset your PC now without any difficulty. However, if the problem still persists, move down to the next method.
2. Use Recovery USB
If Command Prompt fails to fix the error, you can use Recovery USB to recover your computer. Follow these steps in order to do so:
Step-1: Firstly, insert an empty USB Flash drive(16GB or 32GB recommended) into your PC.
Step-2: Now type recovery drive in the search bar from Start menu. Then click on Create a recovery drive from the list of results. Click Yes when User Account Control prompts.
Step-3: Recovering your PC from a drive will remove all the present files and apps, so you should select to tick on Back up system files to the recovery drive in this step to back up your data. Afterwards, click Next.
Step-4: Now select your USB drive and click Next.
Step-5: Then click Create to make a recovery drive. Once the process is complete, click Finish.
Step-6: Afterwards, reboot your Windows 10. Press the specific key, like F12 or any other key your PC suggests to enter into the boot options page. Continue with choosing to boot from your USB recovery drive.
Step-7: Finally, click Recovery from a drive and then follow the instructions appearing on your screen.
3. Clean Install Windows
If nothing worked out for you yet, you should just consider doing a clean installation of Windows. Follow these steps in order to do so:
Step-1: Insert the Windows installation media device and start your PC.
Step-2: Now press the key to boot from the installation media (USB or DVD) and format the drive. Then reinstall your windows by following the instructions appearing on the screen.
This method shall surely fix There was a problem resetting your PC windows 10 error from your PC.
Conclusion
“There was a problem resetting your PC” has become a severe error these days. These were the 3 best methods to fix the issue. There are some other methods that might work like using DISM, SFC, System Restore, etc. You can also visit the official Microsoft thread related to this topic. For any queries, suggestion or doubts regarding this topic, feel free to comment down in the Comments section below. Hope I helped you to find the cure for the suffering of your computer.
Reader Interactions
Comments
I came across your article while searching for a solution for resetting my laptop. The original problem was failure uninstalling an application (missing .msi). But after a while, I decided to reset my laptop instead trying to uninstall the application. But when the process reached 48% it stopped with a message said there was a problem resetting the PC. So I try to use your command prompt method. But then after typing the 3rd line, a windows said the program was being used by another application or something like that. I don’t have any problem with my laptop for now but still can’t get rid the unwanted apps. Quite frustrating since it takes huge disc space. Do you have any suggestion?
Saquib Hashmi says
You can try the Piriform’s CCleaner Free to remove the unwanted apps in order to free up disc space. It is one of the finest tools present.
Saquib Hashmi says
here is the link of CCleaner.
“ren software software.001”
I have the same problem and the exact message is:
“The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.”
Sander Buitenhuis says
Help I got the same problem, have you found a solution yet?
Fix: There was a problem resetting your PC on Windows 10
Performing a reset on your windows surely is a good way to solve a lot of windows based problems. But if you are resetting your Windows 10 then there’s a chance that the reset won’t work. This means that either after or during the process of Windows 10 reset, you might see an error message like “There was a problem resetting your PC”. After this error, you might not be able to boot into Windows 10.
The reason behind this issue is that it’s a bug in Windows 10 that Microsoft officials have admitted. They are working on fixing this issue but until then there are a few things that you can do to get around the issue. Since Microsoft knows about the bug, they have given the specific conditions under which you might face this issue.
The conditions are:
- Your PC came with Windows 10 pre-installed, and was not an upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
- The PC manufacturer enabled compression to reduce the disk space required for preinstalled applications.
- You created a USB recovery drive using the “Create a recovery drive” feature in Windows 10.
- You booted the PC to the USB recovery drive and selected, Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
If all of the above conditions are true then you are highly likely to face this issue and it can be solved with method 1. However, you can also face this issue in other conditions as well. So if method doesn’t work then try other methods.
Note: If you don’t have Windows 10 installation files then go here and download the Windows 10 installation media files and create a bootable USB or burn it on a CD/DVD (instructions available on the link) or you can use Rufus to do this.
If you can see the login screen on your system, then you can also get to Advanced Options by pressing and holding the SHIFT key and choosing Restart.
Method 1: Startup Repair
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- If it doesn’t say that then you might have to change the boot order from the bios. Do that by following the given steps
- When you restart your computer, press either Esc, F8, F12 or F10 when your manufacturer’s logo appears. You can also check what button to press because it is mentioned on the corner of the screen when the manufacturer’s logo appear. The button changes from manufacturer to manufacturer.
- Once you press the button, select the BIOS setup or BIOS setup utility or Boot options This may vary depending on your manufacturer.
- If you selected the Boot options then you will be shown a few options to choose from. Select boot from USB (or CD/DVD depending on what you are using).
- If you select BIOS Setup then use the arrow keys to move to the Boot section.
- Go into the Boot order and make sure your USB recovery drive is on the top of the order
- Save the changes and then restart your computer
- Note: The options varies from computer to computer. Use your computer manual for accurate instructions
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Click Startup Repair
It might ask you to choose the Windows, select the account, enter password and administrator privileges. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and provide all the necessary information.
Method 2: Recover From Drive
Note: This method might delete all your personal files so follow it only if you are absolutely sure.
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Select Recover from drive or System Image Recovery
- Follow the instructions on the screen
Method 3: Using bootrec.exe To Fix Windows Issues
Bootrec.exe is a powerful tool that comes with your copy of Windows. You can use this tool to solve and fix issues related to Windows boot. Although bootrec.exe doesn’t guarantee success in solving your boot problems but it’s certainly worth a try.
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Click Command Prompt
- Type the lines given below and press Enter after each line
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
You should be able to see messages telling you whether or not the process was successful after each line. Once you are done, restart your computer and check if the booting problems still persists.
Method 4: Using Command Prompt for Reinstalling
This is for people who are having trouble in reinstalling the Windows.
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Click Command Prompt
- Type notepad and press Enter
- When the notepad opens, click File then select Open
- Select All Files (*.*) option from the drop down list (in front of the section File Name).
- Find and locate your USB drive letter (like D or F) that you are using to boot into Windows.
- Go into the command prompt type d: and press Enter (replace “d” with your drive letter that you found in the step 6).
- Type Setup and press Enter
This should open your Window installation guide. Now follow the on-screen instructions to install the Windows. You can reinstall it on your previous version or do a clean install.
Method 5: SFC and DISM from Command Prompt
Sometimes the issue might be because of corrupted Windows files or registry files. This type of issue can be solved using the SFC scan and DISM from the command prompt. Even if you can’t access the Windows, you will still be able to use the SFC scan from outside of Windows.
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Click Command Prompt
- Type sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=d:\windows and press Enter. Here, “d” in “offbootdir=d:” is the drive where your Windows is installed and “d:\windows” in “offwindir=d:\windows” is the path for your Windows files.
- Replace the drive letter with your Windows drive letter. However, keep in mind that Windows drive letters are not the ones that they appear to be in your “My Computer”. In Windows 10, 8 and 7, if you have your Windows installed on drive “C:” then it will actually be in drive “D:”. So if your Windows was installed on drive “C:” then the above written command should work.
- Wait for the scan to complete and give results.
- Once the scan is done, you will either be shown a message saying that the system didn’t find any errors or it will show a message saying that the problems were fixed
- Repeat the scan at least 3 times to make sure your computer is thoroughly scanned
Once you are done, it’s advised to perform the DISM tool as well regardless of whether or not SFC found/solved the issues. The DISM will repair your Windows using the installation disc provided. To run the DISM, follow the steps given below in the same command prompt
- Type mkdir c:\mount and press Enter
- Type DISM.exe /mount-Image /ImageFile:d:\sources\install.wim /index:1 /mountdir:C:\mount\ /readonly and press Enter
- Now wait for the system to mount your image. You should see the message saying mounting image and it should show the “Operation completed successfully” message at the end
- Now type dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth /Source:c:\mount\windows /LimitAccess and press Enter
Once you are done, re-run the SFC scans again just to make sure. Repeat the SFC scans 3 times (the first part of this method) and then restart your computer. This should fix any corruption issues that you might have in your Windows files.
Method 6: Perform a System Restore
Performing a System Restore might also be able to solve your problem. This method won’t work if you don’t have any System Restore points on your computer. If you don’t know whether you have any System Restore points or not then simply follow this procedure. It will let you know if you don’t have any System Restore points.
- Connect your USB recovery drive to the computer
- Restart your computer
- Press any key when it says Press any key to boot from device…
- On the Install Windows page, select Repair your computer
- Click Troubleshoot
- Click Advanced Options
- Now select System Restore
Now follow the on-screen instructions to select the most recent System Restore point that you want to go to.
Method 7: Clean Install
Finally, if nothing else works, it’s time to do a clean install of the Windows either from a USB or DVD. Just simply insert the Windows installation media device and start your PC. Press the key to boot from the installation media (USB or DVD) and format the drive. Now reinstall your windows by following the instructions on the screen.
If you are facing troubles in installing the Windows then check method 3.