If you encounter a systemic problem on your PC that is too complex to fix or not able to be completely fixed, the usual route is to reset your PC. However, there are times when even resetting the PC is not working and you are faced with an error message, “There was a problem resetting your PC.”
If that’s the case with you too, just follow the instructions below and you’ll be able to reset your PC in no time.
1. Run SFC and DISM
The Deployment Image Servicing and Management Scan will check and repair existing operating system files currently installed on your device, along with other system files on your PC. This has been known to fix the problem for many users.
Go to the Start Menu and type Terminal to find it. Then, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and select the ‘Run as administrator’ option from the context menu to proceed.
Next, if you are not logged in with an administrator account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed.
After that, click on the ‘chevron’ (downward-facing arrow) icon and select the ‘Command Prompt’ option.
Then, type or copy+paste the below command and press Enter on your keyboard. This will reinstall the OS image currently installed on your device.
DISM/ Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth
Once completed, type or copy+paste the following commands to check and repair system files on your PC. SFC is a free tool from Microsoft that can help you find and recover corrupted files on your PC.
SFC/ scannow
After the scan is successful, restart your PC and check if the method resolved the issue.
2. Run Automatic Repair
Usually the ‘Automatic Repair’ tool is used to fix boot related problems. However, some users have been able to resolve the issue by running the tool.
First, go to the Start menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile.
After that, make sure you have selected the ‘System’ tab from the left sidebar.
Then, from the right part of the window, scroll down and click on the ‘Recovery’ tile to proceed.
Afterward, locate and click on the ‘Restart now’ button to proceed. This will bring up a separate window on your screen.
Next, click on the ‘Restart’ button from the alert to restart your PC immediately.
After the PC restarts, click on the ‘Troubleshooting’ tile to proceed.
After that, click on the ‘Advanced options’ tile.
Then, click on the ‘Startup Repair’ tile to start the process.
You may be asked to select your user account and provide credentials for it. Once entered, Windows will run Diagnostics and repair any issues found.
3. Repair WinRE Image
WinRE stands for Windows Recovery Environment; If the image is corrupted or damaged, it may hinder the reset process on your PC.
First, go to the Start Menu and type Terminal to search. Then, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and select the option ‘Run as administrator’.
Now, a UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in with an administrator account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button.
After that, click on the chevron (down arrow) and select the ‘Command Prompt’ option.
Then, on the Command Prompt tab, type or copy+paste the code below and press Enter on your keyboard to execute the command.
reagentc /disable
After that, restart your PC and launch the elevated Command Prompt shown earlier in this section.
Now, on the Command Prompt window, type or copy+paste the below command and press Enter to execute.
reagentc/ enable
4. Restore in clean boot state
Sometimes there is a third-party software or service that is interfering with the Windows reset process which can cause problems on your system. A clean boot state is when all third-party software and services are disabled and only essential Microsoft services are running on your computer.
First, go to the Start menu and type System Configuration to search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘System Configuration’ tile.
Then, click on the ‘General’ tab and select the ‘Selective startup’ option. Afterward, check the ‘Load System Services’ option.
Now, go to the ‘Services’ tab and click on the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ option. After that, click on the ‘Disable all’ button.
Finally, click on the ‘Apply’ and ‘Ok’ buttons to save the changes and close the window.
Now restart your PC from the Start menu and try resetting your PC from Settings and check if that solves the problem.
5. Run System Restore
If you’ve previously created a System Restore Point, you can easily roll back to it instead of resetting the PC. If you’re factory resetting a computer for a giveaway, you can start the process after you restore your PC.
Go to the Start menu and type control to search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to proceed.
After that, locate the ‘Recovery’ tile from the grid of icons and click on it.
Next, click on the option ‘Open System Restore’ from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Click on the ‘Next’ button from the separately opened window.
All the created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the ‘Next’ button to start the rolling back process.
After that, a list of drives that will be affected by the rollback will be displayed with the timestamp of the restore point that was created. You can also see the programs that will be affected; Click on the ‘Scan for affected programs’ button. A new window will appear on the screen.
On the new window, you can see the programs that will be removed and those that will be reinstalled (since no programs on the test PC will be affected, the list in the screenshot below is empty). Click on the ‘Close’ button to navigate to the previous window.
Finally, click on the ‘Finish’ button to initiate the rollback process.
6. Fresh Install Windows 11
If System Restore also fails to resolve the issue for you, then the only option left with you is to fresh install Windows 11 on your computer. You will need to create an installation media first if you haven’t created it already. Once you have the installation media, follow the steps below.
There are mainly 2 ways to fresh install Windows 11 on your computer. Either from a bootable USB or by mounting an ISO file. To demonstrate the process, we’ll use an ISO file. Although the steps differ slightly in the bootable USB method, the overall process remains the same.
Once you have downloaded the ISO file, navigate to the folder and right-click on the file. Then, select the ‘Mount’ option.
After that, go to the mounted drive and double-click on the setup.exe file to run the installer.
On the installer window, click on the ‘Next’ button.
After that, read the EULA (End User License Agreement) and click on the ‘Accept’ button.
The installer will then download the update and prepare your PC for installation; Wait patiently while the process runs.
Once done, the installer will display the currently selected configuration on the screen. To customize, click on the ‘Change what to keep’ option.
On the next screen, it is best to choose the ‘do nothing’ option to erase the problem forever. Then, click on the ‘Next’ option.
Finally, click on the ‘Install’ button on the installer window.
Once the installation is complete, you will need to go through OOBE (Out of the Box Experience) which is the one-time setup of Windows 11.
The first screen on OOBE will be for region selection. Select your country from the list provided and click on the ‘Yes’ button.
After that select keyboard layout according to your region. This can be important because if an incorrect layout is selected, some keys may function differently than intended. Although this can be changed later. Once selected, click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed further.
On the next screen, you will need to connect to a wireless network. Select one from the list and provide a password for authentication.
Once connected, click on the ‘Next’ button.
If you currently do not have internet access, click on the ‘I do not have internet’ button.
On the next screen, provide a name for your PC and then click on the ‘Next’ button.
After that, if your user account is created by your institute or organization, click on the option ‘Set up for work or school’. Otherwise, click on the option ‘Set up for personal use’ and click on the ‘Next’ button. You will need to provide your Microsoft account credentials on the next screen.
After you’ve signed in, click on the ‘Setup as new device’ option to make sure that no problems are going on with the fresh install.
On the next page, read all the privacy settings and toggle each one as per your requirement. They are not mandatory, so please choose as you wish. Then, click on the ‘Accept’ button.
Afterwards, Windows 11 allows you to choose for what purpose you want to use this PC. Select one from the list by clicking on the following checkbox. Windows will suggest tips and tricks based on your selection. However, this is not a mandatory step and you can click on the ‘Skip’ button to proceed to the next screen.
Next, choose whether you want to use OneDrive to store your files. If not, click on the option ‘Store files only on this device’ and click on the ‘Next’ button.
On the next screen, you may be asked to select the ‘Microsoft 365’ service. You can either buy the service or try it for free. However, you can also choose to skip it by clicking on the ‘No thanks’ button.
The first setup is now complete. Since this is a fresh installation, hopefully you won’t encounter any of the previous problems on your computer.
That’s about it, people. If you are facing ‘There was a problem resetting your PC’ error, then the methods mentioned above will most likely solve the problem for you.
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