How to Fix Windows Error 0xC1900101

If you’re currently bogged down with one of several 0xC1900101 errors, then you’ve come to the right post.

Microsoft’s support for Windows 7 has officially ended, as from the date I’m writing this, with mainstream support ending way back in 2015. This means, upgrading your system to Windows 10 is an inevitability. Upgrading your OS to Windows 10, will ensure your system receives up-to-date patches and security updates, which you need, to safeguard the data on your computer.

Windows 7, when it was first launched, was really well accepted. This is because of its features, flexibility and performance. However, Windows 10 has since eclipsed it, with more features, better performance and improved ease of use. It’s also much more secure with a more advanced version of Windows Defender, coming preinstalled with it. There are a plethora of reasons why you should consider the update, but for now, let’s assume you already have.

For the vast majority of computer users, upgrading their system to Windows 10, goes ahead without any hiccups. However, for some individuals, they may stumble into a variety of upgrade issues. All of these problems come with their own error code, so that you can properly diagnose the problem and come up with a solution. In this particular post, I intend to cover all the variants of error 0xC1900101, that may occur when you attempt to install, upgrade or update Windows 10.

The commonly encountered error message typically looks like the following:

Couldn’t update to Windows 10, Sorry we couldn’t complete the update to Windows. We’ve restored your previous version of Windows to this PC.

The error code could be one of the following:

0xC1900101 – 0x20004, 0xC1900101 – 0x2000c, 0xC1900101 – 0x20017, 0xC1900101 – 0x30018, 0xC1900101 – 0x3000D, 0xC1900101 – 0x4000D, 0xC1900101 – 0x40017

What Causes Error 0xC1900101

Well, to start things off, all the error codes that begin with 0xC1900101 are driver related. The second portion of the error, indicates the exact cause of the problem. Below is a breakdown of the various codes, and their general meanings:

• 0x20004: This is the most commonly encountered variant of error 0xC1900101, which indicates that the error was caused by an outdated driver.
• 0x30018: This error indicates that a device driver has stopped responding while performing an OS upgrade.
• 0x2000c: This is another variant of error 0xC1900101 that indicates an outdated device driver is to blame.
• 0x20017: End users will encounter this error code after a failed SafeOS boot up. Again, this error is also caused by device drivers, but in some instances, third-party encryption software has been shown to be at fault.
• 0x3000D: This error code indicates that you need new display drivers.
• 0x4000D, 0x40017: These two error codes also occur because of rollbacks and driver issues.

How to Fix It

To good thing about error 0xC1900101 is that it’s specific. If you were able to identify the exact variant of the error, you’re encountering on your system. Then you should have a clear idea of how to tackle it. Some solutions are more advanced than others, which is why I listed them in order of difficulty.

When it comes to fixing 0xc1900101, you may find that you’re better off, entering Safe mode, but that’s all circumstantial. For now, I recommend, you carry out the solutions below, in the order that they appear.

Update Device Drivers to Fix Error 0xc1900101

As has been shown above, error 0xc1900101 is almost always caused by a driver issue. Whether it’s an outdated display driver or other device driver. So one of the very first things you’ll want to do, is update all the drivers on your system.

When it comes to updating the drivers, you have two options available to you. You can opt to update the drivers manually. Typically, this will require you to visit the website of all the different components attached to your system, and download them. This can be a painstaking process, but is well worth it in the end.

The second option is the automated approach. If you don’t have the time, expertise and/or patience, to go through all the different components, under Device Manager, and download drivers for them separately. Then you can use the automated driver updater tool DriverFinder. This tool will carry out the entire update process with a simply click of a button. Turning, what would otherwise take hours, into a 5 minute job!

You can learn more about DriverFinder and how it can help you, from the link below:

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT DRIVERFINDER

The solution(s) below are for ADVANCED level computer users. If you are a beginner to intermediate computer user, I highly recommend you use the automated tool(s) above!

Remove External Devices

If your system has a lot of external devices attached to it, such as USB flash drives, digital cameras, printers, etc., then this can cause the upgrade process to crash, when trying to work out which drivers to use for each device. In other instances, one or more of the devices, may not be compatible with the new operating system.

Thus, as a viable solution to error 0xc1900101, you should definitely consider removing all nonpriority components. Then restart your system, to verify whether or not this has rectified the problem.

Uninstall Antivirus Software

Third-party internet security software has been known to cause 0xc1900101 errors, in some instances. Thus, you may want to consider uninstalling your antivirus software, then try whatever it was you were doing, prior to the update.

Depending on the brand of security software, you may need to download a special remover tool from its official website. You should be able to find out, from the developers website.

Run Chkdsk

As you may not know, corruption of your file system or bad sectors are all capable of causing errors. 0xc1900101 errors are just one of a long line of potential issues. Thus, to rectify this issue, you should consider using the built in Windows tool, check disk.

Check disk is capable of scanning your Windows file system and repairing any corruption it finds. Additionally, it’s also capable of handling bad sectors, by transferring data on them, and marking them, so that they are not used by the operating system in the future.

Anyway, you can run this powerful tool, by doing the following:

1. First, boot into your computer as an administrator.

2. Then press + R, type cmd and press CTRL + Shift + Enter.

3. When Command Prompt loads up, type the following code and press Enter.

Chkdsk C: /f /r

Note: C: represents the letter of the drive Windows is installed on. If it requests you schedule the scan for when you next restart your system. Type Y and press Enter.

Perform a Clean Boot to Fix Error 0xc1900101

When you perform a clean boot, only the necessary drivers and programs are run during system boot up, therefore, if error 0xC1900101 is being caused by a software conflict, this will eliminate that as a potential culprit.

Simply, carry out the clean boot, then attempt to update or upgrade Windows 10.

For step-by-step instructions on how to do that, follow the process on my post called repairing error code 0x8007007E.

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