Tag: windows recovery environment » Page 2

“We can’t create a recovery drive on this PC” Error

Last Updated on: August 5, 2023 by Ramesh

Windows allows you to create USB recovery media using the RecoveryDrive.exe (“Create a recovery drive”) utility. When you attempt to create the recovery drive in Windows 10 or 11, the following error appears, and the process stalls: We can’t create a recovery drive on this PC Some required files are missing. To troubleshoot problems when … Read more

Error “Could not find the Recovery Environment” When Resetting PC

Last Updated on: August 5, 2023 by Ramesh

could not find the recovery environment - reagentc.exe

When you attempt to use the Reset this PC option to Reset (“Remove everything”) or Refresh (“Keep my files”) Windows 10 or 11, the following error may appear:

Could not find the recovery environment

Insert your Windows installation or recovery media, and restart your PC with the media.

This error occurs if the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is disabled, or if the WinRE image is corrupted in the system.

Regardless of this issue, you should be able to carry out Refresh or Reset operation by booting the computer with your Windows 10 or 11 Setup disk.

With the Windows RE feature disabled on the computer, if you boot into the Windows RE (without the setup or repair disk), the following features would be missing in the Windows Recovery Environment:

Reset this PC
System Restore
Uninstall Updates
System Image Recovery
Startup Repair
Command Prompt
Startup Settings

Additionally, if Windows RE is disabled or corrupted, the following error occurs when you attempt to create a Windows Recovery Drive (USB).

We can't create a recovery drive on this PC
Some required files are missing. To troubleshoot problems when your PC can't start, use your Windows installation disc or media.

This article tells you how to fix the errors “Could not find the recovery environment” and “We can’t create a recovery drive on this PC” by enabling or repairing the Windows Recovery Environment feature.Read more

How to Use “Reset this PC” to Clean Install Windows 10

Last Updated on: August 2, 2023 by Ramesh

reset this pc in windows 10 recovery options

Windows 10 has multiple recovery options to revert or roll back to an old configuration. The built-in recovery options include System Restore, driver rollback, in-place upgrade (a.k.a repair install), Reset This PC, Recovery disk, Go back to the previous version of Windows, etc.

The Reset this PC option reinstalls Windows 10 cleanly, but it also lets you choose whether to keep your files or remove them. Reset this PC is a “Push-button reset” procedure that utilizes the files from the Component Store C:\Windows\WinSxS as the source (if you choose the Local reinstall option) to rebuild the OS without requiring a recovery image or the ISO.

In this article, we’ll see how to use the Reset This PC feature to reinstall Windows cleanly with or without preserving your personal files.

Before using any of the reset or recovery methods, it’s advisable to back up your files. Backing up (a system image backup is preferred) is recommended even though the Reset this PC (Keep my files) feature keeps your data intact.

How to Uninstall a Windows Update Offline via Windows RE

Last Updated on: January 26, 2024 by Ramesh

If a recently installed cumulative update or feature update has rendered your Windows 10/11 computer unbootable, you can use the Windows Recovery Options to uninstall the newly installed update.

You can uninstall a recent update using two methods, and this article explains both ways.Read more

System Restore Error 0xc000021a Rolling Back after Installing Updates

Last Updated on: August 5, 2023 by Ramesh

On your Windows 10 computer, when you create a System Restore point (say, “R1”), install Microsoft updates and then attempt to do a rollback to the “R1” state, the STOP error 0xc000021a appears on the screen and the computer doesn’t open your desktop.Read more

Enable the Built-in Administrator in Windows 10/11 via Windows RE

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

There are situations where you’ll need to activate and use the built-in Administrator account in Windows. The built-in Administrator account is disabled by default. If your existing admin user account profile gets corrupted (and you have no alternate user account with admin privileges), you’ll need to enable and use the built-in administrator account to fix things up or create a second administrator account.Read more

Fix: Windows Defaults to Safe Mode, Can’t Boot into Normal Mode

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

The Safe mode is used to troubleshoot problems on your PC. It is a mode wherein Windows starts in a basic state, using a limited set of drivers. For example, if the problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, you’ll know default settings and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue. Here is how to start Windows in Safe mode.
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Lost Administrator Rights in Windows 10/11? Regain Admin Rights

Last Updated on: September 6, 2023 by Ramesh

Summary: This article tells you how to restore your user account’s lost administrator rights and privileges in Windows 10 and 11.

This article discusses the “lost administrator rights” issue caused by tampered user account group membership. Like the ‘lost password’ scenario, losing your account’s administrator rights & privileges is an awkward lock-out situation where the user can’t run anything that requires elevation.

If your user account has lost admin rights, it may have been caused by malware. Or you may have inadvertently set yourself a “Standard User” via Account settings or incorrectly configured the Local Security Policy or user account group membership.

This means you can’t return to the User Account settings page and set yourself as administrator. In such cases, the Yes button in the UAC dialog will be missing or grayed out.

How to Edit the Registry Offline Using Windows Recovery Environment

Last Updated on: July 23, 2023 by Ramesh

Sometimes, you may need to edit the Windows registry offline to rectify a situation where Windows doesn’t boot after modifying some settings recently. Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is a handy platform that provides various system recovery options to diagnose and repair an unbootable Windows installation.
Read more

How to Run System File Checker (SFC) Offline in Windows 10/11 & Earlier

Last Updated on: December 22, 2022 by Ramesh

The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a useful tool that lets you scan the integrity of Windows system files and repair corrupt or missing system files. Numerous cases have been resolved by running the sfc.exe /scannow command.

However, there are situations wherein a corrupt or missing system file prevents Windows from booting normally or prevents Command Prompt and console programs like Sfc.exe from being launched. In such cases, Sfc.exe can be run offline via the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) in all versions of Windows, including Windows 11.Read more