Windows · high · Recovery, imaging & repair

"There was a problem resetting your PC" — Reset this PC fails

The reset needs a working recovery environment and an intact component store. If either is damaged, it stops before it starts.

What you see

Reset this PC runs for a while, or fails immediately, and reports that no changes were made. Sometimes it reboots into the same message repeatedly.

What is actually wrong

A missing or disabled WinRE partition, a damaged component store, or a third-party disk layout — commonly a machine where the recovery partition was deleted to reclaim space.

Codes and articles

There was a problem resetting your PCNo changes were made0x80070005 resetReAgentWinRE not found

Fixes (3)

Restore the recovery environment

Elevated PowerShell40 minutesmedium riskreversible

reagentc reports the environment is disabled or missing.

Check the current state.
PowerShell
```
reagentc /info
```
Try enabling it — it is frequently just switched off.
PowerShell
```
reagentc /enable
```

If the image is missing, take Winre.wim from a mounted ISO of the same build and put it back.

PowerShell

mkdir C:\Windows\System32\Recovery -ForceCopy-Item 'E:\sources\install.wim' C:\temp\ -ForceDism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\temp\install.wim /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount /ReadOnlyCopy-Item C:\mount\Windows\System32\Recovery\Winre.wim C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\ -ForceDism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\mount /Discard

The image has to match the installed build. A Winre.wim from a different version registers successfully and then fails at the point it is needed, which is the worst possible time to discover it.

PowerShell

reagentc /setreimage /path C:\Windows\System32\Recoveryreagentc /enablereagentc /info

Confirm it workedreagentc /info reports Windows RE status Enabled with a valid location.

PowerShell

reagentc /info

If you need to undo itreagentc /disable returns it to the previous state.

Repair the component store the reset builds from

Elevated PowerShell60 minuteslow riskreversible

WinRE is fine but the reset still fails.

Scan the store.
PowerShell
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
```
Repair it. Without a source this pulls from Windows Update, which needs a working connection.
PowerShell
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```
If Windows Update is itself broken, repair from a mounted ISO of the same build.
PowerShell
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:WIM:E:\sources\install.wim:1 /LimitAccess
```
LimitAccess stops DISM trying Windows Update at all, which matters on the machines where a broken update stack is the reason the reset failed in the first place.
Then run the file check, which repairs from the now-healthy store.
PowerShell
```
sfc /scannow
```
Retry the reset.

Confirm it workedScanHealth reports no component store corruption and the reset proceeds past its first stage.

If you need to undo itThese repair in place; there is nothing to undo.

Use an in-place upgrade instead of a reset

A mounted ISO of the same or a newer build90 minutesmedium riskreversible

The reset will not run and the machine needs repairing without losing anything.

Back up first, regardless of what the process promises.
Download the current Windows ISO from Microsoft and mount it. The build must be the same or newer than the one installed — you cannot repair with an older one.
Run setup.exe from within the running Windows, not from a boot menu, and choose to keep personal files and apps.
Command Prompt
```
E:\setup.exe
```
An in-place upgrade rewrites every system file while preserving applications, settings and data. It repairs almost everything a reset would have fixed, and unlike a reset it does not remove installed software.
Disconnect non-essential peripherals and pause any third-party antivirus for the duration — both are common causes of a failed upgrade.
Allow 60–90 minutes, and expect several restarts.

Confirm it workedWindows starts with applications and data intact, and winver shows the expected build.

Command Prompt

winver

If you need to undo itSettings → System → Recovery → Go back offers a return to the previous build for ten days.

Related faults

Where this stops. This write-up was written and checked by hand. It says what each step changes, how to confirm it worked and how to reverse it, and anything destructive is flagged before you reach it. If it does not match what your machine is doing, search the Support Centre for the exact code or message — and when something needs a person, get in touch.