Windows 11 Update 25H2 Error and WinRE Problems

Alex R 65 Reputation points
2026-01-07T19:21:55.61+00:00

I'm currently running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (22631.6199), and I've had problems updating to 24/25H2. I've tried updating from the windows updater, as well as from the bootable media. I currently get the following error:

Windows 11 Setup 0xC1900101 - 0x20017The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during BOOT operation.

I've exhausted virtually all solutions that I've found online, including the following:

  • Activating SecureBoot
  • Resolving driver conflicts
  • Running sfc /scannow
  • Running DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  • Updating BIOS, etc.
  • And many other solutions.

While attempting these, there were a few references to reagentc - disabling and re-enabling it. This is where I noticed a problem, and I believe it's what's blocking the update.

Running reagentc /info shows it as disabled:

User's image

Attempting to enable it says that it's successful, but it's still disabled.

User's image

I've tried replacing the winre.wim file and the reagent.xml file from the update image (adding them to C:\Windows\System32\Recovery) - and enabling after that does remove the files - but everything still shows as disabled.

I then recalled that I actually cloned my old windows drive to the current SSD its on - and noticed that I had 2 recovery partitions, and 2 system partitions. After a lot of experimenting, I deleted both recovery partitions and recreated a single recovery partition - but that still did not work:

User's image

I'm honestly at my wits end with this, and would appreciate any help. Running reagentc /enable is doing something, but I've no idea what windows thinks my recovery partition is, or why it isn't enabling. Any advice or assistance is greatly appreciated.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Ramesh 180.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-01-12T13:32:53.7833333+00:00

Please boot into Windows.

Post the latest Disk Management screenshot.

Was this answer helpful?

Answer accepted by question author
Ramesh 180.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-01-12T12:38:33.21+00:00

No wonder you were unable to enable WinRE. The problem here is the system is booting from the System Reserved partition instead of the EFI partition.

Please boot into Windows RE using the Windows 11 USB setup disk. We have to fix the boot partitions.

In WinRE Command Prompt, type the following commands:

diskpart

select disk 1

list part

list vol

Exit

Take a photo of the output screen and upload the image(s) here.

Don't quit WinRE yet. Some more commands need to be run.

Was this answer helpful?

4 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Ramesh 180.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-09T13:24:22.95+00:00

    Install the latest chipset drivers and Ethernet drivers for your PC Z390-A PRO (MS-7B98).

    https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z390-A-PRO/support#driver

    Restart Windows.

    Create a System Restore Point

    Unplug all peripherals (except the keyboard, mouse, WiFI) and run these commands:

    rundll32.exe pnpclean.dll,RunDLL_PnpClean /DEVICES /DRIVERS /MAXCLEAN

sc.exe delete AthDfu

sc.exe delete cbfs3

pnputil /delete-driver oem115.inf /uninstall /force

    Rerun the 25H2 upgrade. Let's see how it goes.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. Ramesh 180.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-09T12:24:01.1433333+00:00

    Please run the fixlist below.

    • Download fixlist.txt
    • Save Fixlist.txt to the same folder as FRST64English.exe.
    • Close all programs.
    • Launch the Farbar Scanner tool and click "Fix".
    • Restart Windows when prompted.
    • Upload the output log file (FixLog.txt) in your next reply.

    NOTE: The fixlist.txt script was written specifically for this user and for use on that particular machine. It is not recommended to run it on another machine, and don't run the same fixlist.txt more than once.

    Was this answer helpful?

  3. Ramesh 180.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-08T15:08:07.2566667+00:00

    Hi,

    The 0xC1900101 - 0x20017 error is not related to the WinRE issue.

    From Upgrade resolution procedures - Windows Client | Microsoft Learn

    0xC1900101 - 0x20017 Ensure that all that drivers are updated. Open the Setuperr.log and Setupact.log files in the %windir%\Panther directory, and then locate the problem drivers. For more information, see Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 setup log file locations. Update or uninstall the problem drivers. A driver has caused an illegal operation. Windows wasn't able to migrate the driver, resulting in a rollback of the operating system. This is a SafeOS boot failure, typically caused by drivers or non-Microsoft disk encryption software. This can also be caused by a hardware failure.

    Please share your Farbar scan logs for analysis.- Download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool 64-bit FRST64.exe

    • If the OS language is not English, rename FRST64.exe to FRST64English.exe.
    • Run the program. Don't check or uncheck any options. Click "Scan".
    • Add the two logs, FRST.txt and Addition.txt, to a zip archive.
    • Share the zip file on OneDrive or GoFile.io, and post the link here.

    Note: If Microsoft Edge or Chrome mislabels the Farbar Scanner executable as PUA/malware, choose to keep it by tapping … in the bottom bar, choosing Keep, and then choosing Keep anyway in the dialog that appears. See this screenshot. It's a safe tool used in most antimalware forums.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.