Quick fix: Force-reboot to the Recovery Environment, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command Prompt, run DISM /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions, then exit and continue to Windows — this rolls back the half-finished Reset and gives you a working desktop.

Reset This PC ran for two hours, then displayed: There was a problem resetting your PC. No changes were made. Windows reboots, you get to the lock screen, and apps are missing or behave strangely. The reset left the system in an inconsistent state — partially reset, not fully recovered. You need to either complete the rollback or do a clean reinstall.

Symptom: Reset This PC failed midway; system is in an inconsistent state but still bootable.
Affects: Windows 11 (and Windows 10) after a failed Reset.
Fix time: ~30 minutes.

What causes this

Reset This PC has several stages: dismount user profile, expand recovery image, copy system files, install drivers, finalize boot config. A failure in any stage leaves the system between states. The recovery image may be corrupted, a driver may have refused to load against current hardware, or the destination drive may have a filesystem error that interrupted the copy. Often Reset doesn’t cleanly roll back — it just stops and leaves you on a partially-modified system.

Two recovery paths: roll back pending operations and stay on the current install, or do an in-place upgrade install that preserves files while replacing the OS.

Method 1: Revert pending actions via DISM in Recovery Environment

Use first. Cleanest if it works.

Force a reboot (hold power button 10 seconds, release, power on).
If Windows boots normally despite the Reset failure: open Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced startup → Restart now.
If Windows doesn’t boot, Windows enters Recovery Environment automatically after three failed boot attempts.
From the recovery menu: Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command Prompt.
Determine the Windows drive letter — it may not be C: in WinRE. Run:
```
diskpart
list volume
exit
```
Note the letter assigned to the volume labeled Windows.
Revert pending operations:
```
DISM /Image:D:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions
```
(Replace D: with your Windows drive letter.)
Wait for the operation to finish. It can take 5-30 minutes.
Close Command Prompt and choose Continue: Exit and continue to Windows 11.

The system boots back to a state from before the failed Reset. Personal files, apps, and most settings should be intact.

Method 2: Run sfc and DISM RestoreHealth to repair the inconsistent state

Use after Method 1 succeeds but the system shows residual issues (missing apps, broken Settings, services not starting).

Sign in to Windows normally.
Open Terminal (Admin).
Run System File Checker:
```
sfc /scannow
```
This takes 10-30 minutes. Note the result.
If sfc reports unfixable corruption, run DISM:
```
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
```
RestoreHealth downloads replacement components from Windows Update servers as it finds corruption. Requires a working internet connection.
Re-run sfc /scannow after DISM completes. The second pass should report no integrity violations.
Reboot.

This pair of repair tools restores most damaged system files without removing apps or user data.

Method 3: In-place upgrade install (when Methods 1 and 2 aren’t enough)

The escalation path. Reinstalls Windows on top of the current install, preserving files and most apps.

On a working PC, download the latest Windows 11 ISO from microsoft.com/software-download/windows11.
Transfer the ISO to the affected PC (USB drive or download in-place if Windows still has working internet).
Open File Explorer, right-click the ISO, choose Mount. A virtual drive appears.
Open the virtual drive and run setup.exe.
The Windows 11 setup wizard opens. Click Next through the initial screens. Don’t enter a product key — choose I don’t have a product key if asked.
On the “Choose what to keep” screen, select Keep personal files and apps. (If apps are too damaged, choose Keep personal files only.)
Setup reinstalls Windows 11 in place. This takes 20-45 minutes and reboots multiple times. Don’t interrupt.
After completion, your PC is on a fresh Windows 11 install with personal files and most apps preserved.

This is the right escalation when DISM RestoreHealth doesn’t fix the corruption — the in-place upgrade replaces all system files with fresh copies.

How to verify the fix worked

Windows boots to the lock screen normally.
Open Settings → System → About. OS Build matches a current Windows 11 version.
Run sfc /scannow from elevated Command Prompt. Result: Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Check Settings → Apps → Installed apps. Apps that were installed before the failed Reset should still be present.
Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System. Check for recurring errors (Service Control Manager failures, application crashes). New install should be clean.

If none of these work

If all three methods fail or the system won’t boot at all, the only path is a clean install. Create a Windows 11 installation USB from another PC (Microsoft Media Creation Tool or Rufus), boot from it, and perform a Custom install — selecting the existing Windows partition without formatting will move old files to C:\Windows.old and produce a fresh OS install. You’ll need to reinstall apps but personal files survive under Windows.old. For chronic Reset failures across multiple attempts, the underlying drive may be failing — run chkdsk C: /f /r from an elevated prompt and reboot to let it scan. For SSDs, also check SMART values with CrystalDiskInfo or the manufacturer’s utility — Reset failures on a drive with degraded health usually indicate end-of-life storage.

Bottom line: A failed Reset isn’t a dead end — RevertPendingActions undoes the half-finished operation, sfc/DISM repair the residue, and in-place upgrade rebuilds the OS without losing files.