If you face a systemic problem on your PC that is too complex to fix or are not able to fix entirely, 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 saying, “There was a problem resetting your PC.”

If that’s the case with you, simply follow the below-mentioned instructions and you will be able to reset your PC in no time.

1. Run SFC and DISM

Deployment Image Servicing and Management scans will check and repair the existing operating system files installed on your device along with other system files currently on your PC. This has been known to fix the issue for many users.

Head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to search for it. Then, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and choose the ‘Run as administrator’ option from the context menu to proceed.

Next, if you are not logged in with an admin account, enter credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed.

After that, click on the ‘chevron’ (downward arrow) icon and select the ‘Command Prompt’ option.

Then, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter on your keyboard. This will restore the currently installed OS image on your device.

DISM/ Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth

Once completed, type or copy+paste the following command to check and repair the 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

Once the scan is successful, restart your PC and check if the method resolved the issue.

2. Run Automatic Repair

Typically the ‘automatic Repair’ tool is used to fix boot-related issues. However, some of the users have been able to resolve the problem by running the tool.

First, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile.

After that, ensure you have selected the ‘System’ tab from the left sidebar.

Then, from the right section 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 a separate window to your screen.

Next, click on the ‘Restart’ button from the alert to restart your PC immediately.

Once the PC restarts, click on the ‘Troubleshoot’ tile to proceed.

After that, click on the ‘Advanced options’ tile.

Then, click on the ‘Startup Repair’ tile to commence the process.

You may be prompted to select your user account and provide credentials for it. Once entered, Windows will run the 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 resetting process on your PC.

First, head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to perform a search. Then, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and select the ‘Run as administrator’ option.

Now, a UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in with an admin account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button.

After that, click on the chevron (downward arrow) and select the ‘Command Prompt’ option.

Then, on the Command Prompt tab, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned code and hit Enter on your keyboard to execute the command.

reagentc /disable

After that, restart your PC and launch the elevated Command Prompt as shown previously in this section.

Now, on the Command Prompt window, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter to execute.

reagentc/ enable

4. Perform Restore in Clean Boot State

Many times there’s a third-party software or service that is interfering with the Windows reset process which can bring out the issue on your system. A Clean Boot state is when all third-party software and services are disabled and only necessary Microsoft services are running on your computer.

First, head to the Start Menu and type System Configuration to perform a search. 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, head 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 the Settings and check if the issue has been resolved.

5. Run System Restore

If you have created a system restore point previously, you can easily roll back to it instead of resetting the PC. In case you are factory resetting the computer to giveaway, you can initiate the process after restoring your PC.

Head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to proceed.

After that, locate and click on the ‘Recovery’ tile from the grid of icons.

Next, click on the ‘Open System Restore’ option from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.

From the separately opened window, click on the ‘Next’ button.

All created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the ‘Next’ button to initiate the rolling back process.

Next, a list of drives that will be impacted by the rollback will be displayed, along with the timestamp of the restore point created. You can also check the programs that will be affected; click on the ‘Scan for the affected programs’ button. A new window will appear on the screen.

On the new window, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored (since no programs will be affected on the test PC, 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 even system restores fails to resolve the problem for you, the only option you have is to fresh install Windows 11 on your computer. You will first need to create an installation media if you have not already created it. Once you have the installation media, follow the below-mentioned steps.

There are mainly 2 ways to fresh install Windows 11 on your computer. Either from the bootable USB or by mounting the ISO file. To showcase the process, we will be using the ISO file. Though the steps vary a little 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, head 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 updates and prepare your PC for the installation; wait patiently while the process is running.

Once done, the installer will display the currently chosen configuration on the screen. To customize, click on the ‘Change what to keep’ option.

On the next screen, it is best to choose the ‘Nothing’ option in order to eradicate the problem once and for all. Then, click on the ‘Next’ option.

Finally, click on the ‘Install’ button on the installer window.

Once the installation is complete, you will have to go through the OOBE (Out of the Box Experience) which is a one-time setup of Windows 11.

The first screen on the OOBE will be for region selection. Select your country from the provided list and click on the ‘Yes’ button.

After that, select the keyboard layout according to your region. This can be important because if a wrong layout is selected, some of the keys might function differently from what is intended. This can be changed later though. Once selected, click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed.

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.

In case you do not have access to the internet at present, click on the ‘I don’t 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 institution or organization, click on the ‘Set up for work or school’ option. Otherwise, click on the ‘Set up for personal use’ option and click on the ‘Next’ button. You will need to provide your Microsoft account credentials on the next screen.

After you are signed in, click on the ‘Setup as new device’ option to ensure no issues are carried forward in the fresh install.

On the next page, read all the privacy settings and toggle each one as per your requirement. They are not compulsory, so choose as you please. Then, click on the ‘Accept’ button.

Afterward, Windows 11 allows you to choose for which purpose you wish 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 move to the next screen.

Next, choose if you wish to use OneDrive to store your files. If not, click on the ‘Only store files on this device’ option and click on the ‘Next’ button.

On the next screen, you might be prompted to opt for 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 it is a fresh install, you will hopefully not face any of the previous issues on your computer.

That’s about it, people. If you have been facing the ‘There was a problem resetting your PC error’, the above-mentioned methods will most likely resolve the issue for you.