Are you facing the Unknown Hard Error as soon as you boot into your PC? Users have encountered this error shortly after booting into their PC or when opening the app for the first time after booting.
The unknown hard error is a common name for all the hard errors you may face on Windows 11/10. Talking about this error, you are likely to encounter it if there are some software bugs, issues with the Windows Update, corrupted system files, software issues, or more.ย
In most cases, the user may encounter this issue once, and then they can use their PC without further problems. But if the issue is the major one, then you might repeatedly get this issue, and you might not be able to use your PC. Here are all the steps you can follow to fix the Unknown Hard Error in Windows.ย
How to Fix Unknown Hard Error in Windows 11/10
This error may prevent you from using software on your PC. You may get this error repeatedly until it is resolved, thus rendering your PC useless. Nothing to worry about; you can follow the steps given below to fix Unknown Hard Error in Windows-
1. Restart PC
Before continuing with the steps mentioned in this article, we suggest restarting your PC. Rebooting your PC will restart all the services and apps running in the background, so temporary glitches in the services and apps caused the issue, and this should fix it.ย
If the issue is fixed, you wonโt have to go through the other steps mentioned in this article. If the issue is not fixed, we have more steps that can be followed.ย
2. Run SFC and DISM Scan
The next step is to run the SFC and DISM Scan. You can use Both command-line tools to run through the command prompt. Both these tools can be used to scan your system for corrupted files and fix them. Hereโs how you can do it-
- Press theย Windowsย key on your keyboard and typeย CMD. Right-click on theย Command Promptย and then click onย Run as Administrator.ย
- In the Command Prompt, execute the command given below to run the SFC Scan-
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sfc /scannow
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- After this, execute the following commands one by one to run the DISM Scan-
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
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DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
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- Once you have executed all the above commands, close the Command Prompt and restart your PC.ย
3. Scan for Virus
An unknown hard error in Windows can occur if a virus or malware has infected the system files. To fix this issue, you can run a virus scan using Windows Security.ย
- Open theย Start Menu, search forย Windows Security, and open it.
- Click on theย Virus & Threat Protectionย here.
- Now, click onย Scan Options.
- Selectย Full Scanย and then click onย Scan Now.
4. Update Windows
Another thing that you can do is check your PC for Windows Updates and install all the available updates.
This will replace all the files from the previous Windows Update, so if there was a bug or issue in the previous update, it will be fixed by restarting your PC.ย
- Press theย Windows + Iย key combo to open theย Settings.ย
- Now, click on theย Windows Updateย on the left pane.ย
- After this, click onย the Check for Updatesย button.
- Now, download and install all the updates and then restart your PC.ย
5. Run CHKDSK Command
Next, you can run the CKDSK Command to check and repair issues on your disk. Hereโs how you can do it-
- Open theย Run Dialog Boxย by pressing theย Windows + Rย key combo.ย
- Typeย cmdย and pressย Ctrl + Shift + Enterย to run the Command Prompt as administrator.ย
- Now, execute the following command-
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chkdsk c: /r /scan /perf
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- The process should start, and Command Prompt will check your PC for disk errors and fix them.
6. Uninstall Problematic Apps
If the issue is encountered after recently installing an app, then that app is probably causing this problem. You can try uninstalling the recently installed app and see if that fixes the issue. Below are the steps to do so-
- Pressย theย Windows + Rย key combo, typeย appwiz.cpl, and pressย Enter.
- Select the program you recently installed, and then click onย Uninstall.ย
- After this, click onย Uninstallย again to uninstall the program.
- Check if the issue is still fixed; if not, the app was the reason behind it.ย
7. Clean Boot PC
Chances are that some third-party apps and services running in the background on your PC can cause this issue. You can clean boot your PC to check if that is causing the issue.
This will boot your PC without any third-party apps and services, and you shouldnโt face this issue if services and apps cause it. Here are the steps to clean boot your PC-
- Click theย Startย icon on the taskbar, typeย msconfig, and pressย Enter.ย
- Head to theย Servicesย tab here.ย
- Check the option sayingย Hide all Microsoft Servicesย and click onย Disable All.
- Now, click on theย Startupย tab and click onย Open Task Manager.
- Right-click on the startup apps, and then click onย Disable.
- You will have to disable all the startup apps one by one.ย
- Once done, restart your PC to clean and boot it.ย
8. Roll Back Update
Facing the โUnknown Hard Errorโ in Windows after the recent update? The Windows update may sometimes have underlying issues, so you may face the โUnknown Hard Error.โ You can follow the steps given below to revert the update and fix the issue-
- Open theย Settingsย app and clickย Windows Updateย on the left pane.ย
- Now, click on theย Update Historyย option.
- Scroll to theย Related Settings, then click on theย Uninstall Updatesย option.
- You will see all the updates that you can uninstall. Check the recently installed update with the date, and then click onย Uninstallย next to it.
- Click onย Uninstall again to confirm that you are uninstalling the update.ย
9. Perform System Restore
The previous method of reverting to Windows Update may not help you uninstall all the recent updates. If you donโt see the recently installed update here, you can try performing a system restore.
The system restore will revert all the changes you have made and fix the issue those changes caused. To perform a system restore, follow the steps given below-
- Pressย the Windowsย key on your keyboard, typeย Create a restore point, and pressย Enter.
- Under theย System Protectionย tab, click on theย System Restoreย button.
- In theย System Restoreย window, click on theย Nextย button.
- Now, select the restore point from the list and click onย Next.
- Finally, click onย Finishย and wait for the System Restore to do its magic.
10. Do a System Reset
If nothing helps, you can try resetting your Windows PC. You can either proceed with this method or reinstall Windows from scratch. This will delete all your files, settings, and apps and resolve all the issues caused by the current Windows version installed on your device.ย
Having a backup of all your files and apps is a crucial step to resetting your PC. You can follow the steps given below to reset the system-
- Open theย Start Menu, typeย Settings, and open it.ย
- Click on theย Systemย tab and then onย Recovery.
- Now, click on theย Reset PCย button.
- You will get two options. Continue withย Remove Everythingย orย Keep My Filesย as per your preference.
- If you want to reinstall Windows from the internet, click onย Cloud Download. If you have Windows Setup on your PC, you can click onย Local Reinstallย to continue.ย
- After this, follow the on-screen instructions to reset the PC.ย
Conclusion
Unknown Hard Error in Windows preventing you from doing work on your computer? If this issue troubles you and you canโt seem to fix it, this article is all you need. We have discussed all the ways you can fix this error on a Windows PC.ย