A reader asks: “Why am I not able to reset my PC or reinstall Windows?”

(Answer requested by Reese Lynn.)

The most common problems include obsolete drivers (check your PC vendor site for updates); too-aggressive third-party software (e.g. anti-rootkits/anti-malware); and disk errors (run chkdsk ).

For some general how-to fixes, see this text; it mentions Win7, but the general fixes discussed there work on any Windows version.

Also, Google/web-search for the exact verbiage and any error message numbers you’re presented with when the reset/update fails: The information in error messages often offers a near-direct route to discovering what’s wrong. For an example of how this works, see my column, “Reader’s PC won’t update — for an unexpected reason” in the AskWoody newsletter.

Beyond that, exact fixes are version-specific. For the easiest way I know to get Win7 reinstalled, see: “(Reprint): Win7’s no-reformat, nondestructive reinstall.”

For Win8, see “(Repost): A ‘no-reformat reinstall’ for Windows 8“

For Win10, see “Win7 upgrader seeks ‘no-reformat reinstall’ for Win10” in the body of the 2019-04-15 AskWoody newsletter.

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