Windows 11 error message showing Reset this PC failed after KB5077212 update

If you were planning on giving your PC a fresh start this week, you might want to hold off. Microsoft has officially confirmed a disruptive bug affecting Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. Following the installation of recent cumulative updates, the “Reset this PC” feature may fail to complete, leaving users stuck with an error message or an unchanged system.

The Issue: KB5077212 and KB5079420 updates

The problem stems from two specific updates released in early 2026. Microsoft’s health dashboard indicates that after installing these packages, the system recovery environment (WinRE) fails to trigger the reset process correctly.

  • Affected Updates: KB5077212 and KB5079420

  • Affected Versions: Windows 11 24H2 and the 25H2 (Insider/Early Release) branches.

  • The Symptom: Users attempting to reset their device—whether choosing to keep files or remove everything—are met with a “There was a problem resetting your PC” error, or the system simply reboots back into the existing desktop without any changes.

Why is this happening?

According to initial technical reports, the updates interfere with the way Windows handles provisioning packages and the recovery image pathing. Essentially, the update “breaks the map” that Windows uses to find the clean files necessary to reinstall the operating system.

Note: This bug does not appear to affect “Cloud Download” resets as consistently as “Local Reinstall,” though results vary based on the hardware configuration.

How to Fix (or Work Around) the Reset Failure

Microsoft is currently working on a permanent resolution, likely to be delivered via a “Known Issue Rollback” (KIR) or a follow-up emergency patch. In the meantime, if you must refresh your system, here are your best options:

  1. Use an External Bootable Drive: Instead of using the built-in “Reset this PC” button, download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool on a different PC and create a bootable USB. Booting directly from the USB to perform a clean install bypasses the broken local recovery environment.

  2. In-Place Upgrade: Download the Windows 11 ISO from the official Microsoft website. Open the ISO within your current Windows session and run setup.exe. Choose the option to “Keep all files and apps.” This effectively replaces the Windows system files without using the “Reset” trigger.

  3. Uninstall the Updates: If you haven’t cleared your update cache, you can try navigating to Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall updates and remove KB5077212 or KB5079420.

What’s Next?

Microsoft suggests that users who do not need to reset their PCs immediately should simply wait for the next servicing update. If your machine is running fine, there is no need to panic—your daily operations, security, and performance are not impacted by this bug unless you trigger the recovery process.

Are you seeing this error on your machine? Check your update history to see if you’ve moved to the 2026 builds, and stay tuned for the official patch, which is expected within the next few days.

Keep yourself updated with all latest news about Windows issues and fixes by reading our full coverage here.

Please follow us on our Facebook page and X account for all latest and breaking Windows and Microsoft related news.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR