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 wonโ€™t 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. Hereโ€™s how you can do it-

  1. Press theย Windowsย key on your keyboard and typeย CMD. Right-click on theย Command Promptย and then click onย Run as Administrator.ย 
  2. In the Command Prompt, execute the command given below to run the SFC Scan-sfc scan
    • sfc /scannow
  3. After this, execute the following commands one by one to run the DISM Scan-DISM
    • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
    • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
    • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  4. 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 

  1. Open theย Start Menu, search forย Windows Security, and open it.Windows Security
  2. Click on theย Virus & Threat Protectionย here. Virus & threat protection
  3. Now, click onย Scan Options.Scan Options
  4. Selectย Full Scanย and then click onย Scan Now. Full Scan

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 

  1. Press theย Windows + Iย key combo to open theย Settings.ย 
  2. Now, click on theย Windows Updateย on the left pane.ย 
  3. After this, click onย the Check for Updatesย button. check for updates
  4. 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. Hereโ€™s how you can do it-

  1. Open theย Run Dialog Boxย by pressing theย Windows + Rย key combo.ย 
  2. Typeย cmdย and pressย Ctrl + Shift + Enterย to run the Command Prompt as administrator.ย 
  3. Now, execute the following command-
    • chkdsk c: /r /scan /perf
  4. 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-

  1. Pressย theย Windows + Rย key combo, typeย appwiz.cpl, and pressย Enter. appwiz.cpl
  2. Select the program you recently installed, and then click onย Uninstall.ย 
  3. After this, click onย Uninstallย again to uninstall the program.kodi uninstall from control panel
  4. 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 shouldnโ€™t face this issue if services and apps cause it. Here are the steps to clean boot your PC-

  1. Click theย Startย icon on the taskbar, typeย msconfig, and pressย Enter.ย 
  2. Head to theย Servicesย tab here.ย 
  3. Check the option sayingย Hide all Microsoft Servicesย and click onย Disable All. Hide all Microsoft services
  4. Now, click on theย Startupย tab and click onย Open Task Manager.
  5. Right-click on the startup apps, and then click onย Disable. click onย Disable
  6. You will have to disable all the startup apps one by one.ย 
  7. Once done, restart your PC to clean and boot it.ย 

8. Roll Back Update

Facing the โ€˜Unknown Hard Errorโ€™ in Windows after the recent update? The Windows update may sometimes have underlying issues, so you may face the โ€˜Unknown Hard Error.โ€™ You can follow the steps given below to revert the update and fix the issue-

  1. Open theย Settingsย app and clickย Windows Updateย on the left pane.ย 
  2. Now, click on theย Update Historyย option. Windows update - Update History
  3. Scroll to theย Related Settings, then click on theย Uninstall Updatesย option.Uninstall Updates
  4. 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. uninstall windows updates
  5. 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 donโ€™t 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-

  1. Pressย the Windowsย key on your keyboard, typeย Create a restore point, and pressย Enter. Create a restore point
  2. Under theย System Protectionย tab, click on theย System Restoreย button. System Restoreย button
  3. In theย System Restoreย window, click on theย Nextย button. click on the next in the system restore section
  4. Now, select the restore point from the list and click onย Next.
  5. 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-

  1. Open theย Start Menu, typeย Settings, and open it.ย 
  2. Click on theย Systemย tab and then onย Recovery.
  3. Now, click on theย Reset PCย button. reset pc
  4. You will get two options. Continue withย Remove Everythingย orย Keep My Filesย as per your preference. Keep my Files
  5. 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 
  6. 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 canโ€™t 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 

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