Windows 10 reset failed

Windows 10 has the built-in feature "Reset This PC" that allows you to reset your computer to factory settings when it runs into serious problems. With this feature, you do not need to rely on the factory recovery partition for resetting your PC or use installation disc to reinstall the operating system and later install all your previous apps again.

However, sometimes, the reset process may fail with an error “there was a problem resetting your PC”. Then you will end up with Windows 10 reset failed no changes were made.

Don't worry, stay relaxed, scroll down to get the reasons and solutions to this error.

Why Can't I reset my PC in Windows 10?

To know more about the real cause of Windows failed to reset, you can open an elevated command prompt and the run “dir c:\ /a:sh” (without quotes). Then you will see a $SysReset folder on the root directory of your C: drive.

Open the file C:\$SysReset\Logs\Setupact.log to read the log of Reset This PC to see what the issue is. It may be caused by a corrupted .dll file, damaged recovery partition, hardware and software problem, etc. After getting the reasons why you receive Windows 10 reset failed error, click on to next part and learn the possible solutions.

5 possible solutions to Windows 10 reset failed

Solution 1: Windows 10 recovery faled via reenable Windows recovery environment

The most likely cause of Windows 10 reset problem is that the Windows Recovery Environment image is offline or corrupted.

Open an elevated command prompt, and run the following command to see if it can fix the problem.

Reagentc /info

Reagentc enable

This might automatically fix the issue for you. If it does not, you can copy the Winre.wim file from another working computer to replace the original one. After you copy the new Windows reset image to your hard drive, run the following command:

Reagentc /setosimage /path [location of the image file] /index 1

The command should be like this: Reagentc /setosimage /path E:\RecoveryImage /index 1

After that, you should be able complete the Windows 10 reset without getting stuck.

Notes:

• If you cannot access the file, you can copy the entire Recovery folder that should be on the root of your C: drive. You need to show hidden files before you can see the Recovery folder.

• If your hard drive has a Windows recovery partition, then this Winre.wim file is in the recovery partition. You need to first sign a drive letter to the recovery partition before you can view its content in Windows 10 File Explorer.

• If the Windows 10 reset stuck or failed in the middle of the process, it is most likely because the reset image file (install.wim) corrupted. You can get a new Windows reset image file from a Windows 10 installation ISO file.

Solution 2: Fix Windows 10 won't reset via SFC command

This factory reset error may be caused a corrupted file like .dll. To solve it, you can try SFC command prompt.

Open command prompt window with admin priority, type sfc/scannow and press Enter. Then, wait patiently and try to reset your PC again.

Solution 3: Factory reset failed Windows 10 - fixed by Startup Repair

Startup Repair is one of Windows recovery tools that can help users solve many system problems, which hinder system startup. Just give it a try.



Click Restart while you press and hold the Shift key, then it will boot into Windows 10 recovery mode and start automatic startup repair. Also, you can manually perform this operation by clicking Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.

Note: You can also enter recovery mode by booting from a Windows 10 recovery USB disk.

Solution 4: Unable to reset Windows 10 - solved by command prompt

If Startup Repair does not work, use another Advanced option under Recovery mode. Just run the following command in an elevated command prompt.

cd %windir%\system32\config

ren system system.001

ren software software.001

After that, close the command prompt. Reboot your computer and then you should be able to perform Windows 10 Reset without getting the error "There was a problem resetting your PC".

Solution 5: Windows 10 failed to reset - use clean install as instead

Still now, if your problem is not solved, you can download the same version Windows 10 ISO file and perform a clean install, which works the same with Windows 10 reset failed.

Download Windows 10 Media Creation tool, and create an installation ISO file with it. Then, mount the file as a virtual disk and open the Setup.exe file to start clean install. Please follow the on-screen instructions to finish the rest of steps.

Notes:

• Alternatively, you can also burn the ISO file to a USB drive or CD drive to perform clean install.

• If you have Windows 10 activated and then you reinstall the same version of Windows, you do not need to activate it again. It will automatically reactivate when your computer connect to internet.

Solution 6: unable to reset Windows 10 - restore previous system image

Other than reset Windows 10 or clean install, you can also restore your system to previous version from a backup if you have one. When you have successfully installed Windows and configured the settings well, it is highly recommended to create a Windows 10 recovery image backup for prevention.

To restore system with AOMEI Backupper:

1. Open AOMEI Backupper and then click Restore and Select Task or Select Image File. here, take Select Task as an example.

2. From the Restore screen, select a backup image to restore. Then, click Next.

3. Choose to restore the entire system backup. Then, click Next.

4. Select destination path to restore to and click Next. If you receive prompt, just click OK to exit this window.

5. At the Operation Summary screen, confirm and click Start Restore if no problem.

Notes:

• If your system cannot boot, you can use this freeware to create a bootable USB disk or CD from another working computer. Then boot your computer from the bootable media and then start the restore. When you have tried all the solution and still cannot solve Windows 10 reset failed problem, the restore system from an image backup is a good workaround solution.

• If your system image is from another computer with different hardware, you need to upgrade to the professional version and use "Univeral Restore" feature to ensure secure boot.

Wrapping things up

That's all for Windows 10 reset failed error, you can use given solutions to fix it. Please note system error or disk failure may happen unexpectedly without a sign, you need to make preparations ahead of time, for example, create a system or disk backup image with trust and reliable backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard.

Meanwhile, multiple schedule settings are supported for backup tasks, such as, daily/weekly/monthly, incremental and differential backup, USB plug in etc. Whenever in need, you can easily restore the system backup to any of the previous points that you backed up.

In addition, it a disk cloning software that allows you to clone your boot drive as a copy of backup, and this kind of backup can be used to replace hard drive directly without restoration.

If you want to protect unlimited computers within your company, you can pick AOMEI Backupper Technician. With the inbuilt AOMEI Image Deploy tool, you are also allowed to deploy/restore system image file on server-side computer to multiple client-side computers over network.