How to “update” Your Computer When Windows Reports a Problem
Windows tends to accumulate digital dust and grime that can render the system unusable, and reinstalling the operating system is a good all-round cure for anything that bothers it.
Newer versions of Windows include a handy update option that preserves your personal files, but removes your applications and reinstalls Windows. This saves you the hassle of longer backups and restores and reduces the need to reconfigure your device after reinstalling the OS – it just doesn’t always work.
Ironically, many of the issues that lead users to try to update Windows can also prevent it from working. I recently ran into this very scenario while trying to update my desktop regularly and it seems I am not alone. The annoying error message “There was a problem restarting your PC, no changes were made” seems to have been circulated in many forums and in Reddit discussions.
I finally found a solution that worked for me after some trial and error, but it’s a catch: there are several solutions for the myriad causes of the “There was a problem restarting your computer” error message, none of which are a cure-all. … You may have to use several methods until you find a suitable one. To help with this process, I have looked at various viable solutions on the internet and put them together here in the hope that it will make the process easier for you.
However, before we get to them, I highly recommend that you back up your important files before trying the following recovery options. While updating Windows may save some of your personal files, it’s wise to back up your files elsewhere in case something goes wrong and you need to resort to the option to uninstall everything and reinstall Windows from scratch.
Fix Windows Update Using Command Prompt
In fact, there are several ways to use the command line to resolve the “problem with restarting the computer” error. Start with the first method and work your way down until you find one that works.
For each set of commands listed below, start by opening the Start menu and typing Command Prompt into the search bar. Right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as Administrator. After opening Command Prompt, try the following commands:
Method 1:
At the command prompt, enter:
-
sfc /scannow - Press Enter to start scanning. Wait for it to finish, then close Command Prompt.
- Restart your computer and then try updating again. If it works, great! If not, move on to the next set of commands.
Method 2:
Enter each of these commands in turn, pressing the Enter key after each:
-
cd %windir%\system32\config -
ren system system.001 -
ren software software.001 - Restart your device, then try reset / update Windows. If it doesn’t work, try the following set of commands:
Method 3:
Again, use each command in turn:
-
reagentc/disable -
reagentc/enable - Restart your device, then try resetting / updating Windows again. If it still doesn’t work, we still have another set of commands to try out before moving on to other solutions.
Method 4:
- Enter
wmic logicaldisk get deviceid,volumename,description - You will be shown a list of the various drives on your PC. Enter the letter of the drive where Windows is installed on your computer (if you don’t know, run the
dir [letter]command (for example, dir C if you have drive C) to see the directory for that drive. You should see “Windows “Listed on one of them; use that drive for the next command). -
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=[letter]:\ /offwindir=[letter]:\Windows(Example: sfc / scannow / offbootdir = C: \ / offwindir = C: \ Windows) - Restart your device one last time and try reset / update one last time.
Using system restore or Windows installation media
If you’ve tried all the system commands (or didn’t want to go that route and skipped ahead), the following set of solutions should help.
System Restore
If you’ve previously created a Windows restore point or backup , you can use System Restore to revert to that older system image and then try updating Windows. Go to Control Panel> System and Security> System> System Protection . If System Restore can be clicked, then a viable restore point exists. Click it and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the recovery; if it is inactive, then this parameter is not available. Please note that this is not available for all Windows versions.
Use installation media (USB / DVD)
Use this guide to create a Windows installation disc or USB drive . Follow the instructions until you reach a point where you can choose to either reset / update or clean install. Try the reset / update options first.
Be that as it may , none of the above options worked for my specific problem, so that’s how I solved the problem. I still recommend trying the above methods first, as they are less time consuming. However, if the reset / update options still don’t work even in this last step, your only option is to use the installation media for a clean install of Windows and start from scratch as directed in the guide linked above.