Reset Windows PC - Reset Freezes or Fails
For when Reset Windows PC doesn’t play: the reset from Settings fails, or the reset from Windows Recovery freezes partway through.
Before you start
- Get anything local off the machine first: Downloads, Desktop, screenshots, anything not synced to OneDrive. A failed reset attempt can still wipe things. Check OneDrive is actually synced rather than assuming.
- Don’t bother looking for a manufacturer-branded reset. Plenty of vendors (e.g. Lenovo, on some models) don’t have one, and it’s Windows Recovery either way.
The fix: uninstall updates, then reset
If the reset from Windows Recovery freezes, and there are no system restore points to fall back on:
- Boot into Windows Recovery: hold Shift while clicking Restart, or let it fail to boot 3 times
- Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Uninstall Updates
- Uninstall the latest quality update (and the latest feature update if that doesn’t cut it)
- Back to Troubleshoot → Reset this PC. It should now actually proceed.
A half-applied or broken pending update can block the reset. Removing it clears the way.
If the reset works
It rules out basically everything except BIOS and hardware. If the original problem comes back after a clean reset, stop blaming Windows.
After the reset
- Do the Entra join / “Access work or school” sign-in with the user present, using their own credentials, rather than a Temporary Access Pass. A TAP is single-use and short-lived, so it can leave the join half-finished.
- If the site also has on-prem AD, remember the machine may need joining to the domain instead of, or as well as, Entra.
- If a domain-joined machine throws a trust relationship error, disconnect it from the domain and rejoin rather than fighting it.
also… Crash Dump Analysis with WinDbg if the reset was to fix crashes or freezes. Check the dumps first, because it might just be a driver.