How to Fix 0xC1900101 Error Code in Windows 10

After the launch on Windows 10, there were many bugs and flaws in the Windows OS. If you upgrade to a newer version of Windows 10 and you haven’t changed your drivers yet, incompatibility problems are likely to occur. This is what happened to users who were trying to install the Creators Update for Windows 10. They stated that since a set of 0xC1900101 errors stopped them from doing so, they did not effectively complete the procedure of updating Windows 10.

0xC1900101 is the error that usually follows the BSOD. The BSOD for those who don’t know is the “Blue Screen of Death”. The issue is usually brought into notice by the system itself. This error is usually reported with a message following which tells you what exactly was the reason for the BSOD or the error to pop on your screen uninvited! The error can also be seen when Windows 10 fails to install an update on your computer.

The Reasons and Types of 0xC1900101 Errors

Due to a series of 0xC1900101 errors, several users who tried to update to Windows 10 confirmed that they could not complete the upgrade phase. As a brief note, there are several 0xC1900101 errors unique to driver problems. These errors have been tied with a disturbed or damaged or outdated driver and that being the reason why you would face an issue. There can be times when these issues will hamper your progress and hence it is important that the problem is eradicated.

There are many variants of this error and here we list them down:

• 0xC1900101 – 0x2000c
• 0xC1900101 – 0x20004
• 0xC1900101 – 0x20017
• 0xC1900101 – 0x40017
• 0xC1900101 – 0x30018
• 0xC1900101 – 0x3000d
• 0xC1900101 – 0x4000d

The issues that you many have faced are pretty common and a lot of other Windows 10 users might have encountered and hence there is nothing to worry about. This is not a personalized error and with some neat hand tricks and following the steps judicially, you can get back to gaming or working once again.

7 Ways to Fix 0xC1900101 Error in Windows 10

You might think, “How do I fix errors like 0xc1900101 on Windows 10?” Well if you are searching for the right answer, then you have come at the right place. In this post, we will help you repair the error code, ‘We were unable to install or upgrade Windows 10-0xc1900101.’ For you, we’ve prepared some options. But, make sure you work your way down the list before the one that fits well for you is identified. These methods that we are going to guide you to are simple hacks that do not need much computer expertise.

The following are various ways to fix 0xC1900101 Windows update error or driver errors in Windows 10.

1. Disconnect All External Devices

Often a problem related to Windows 10 installation error 0xC1900101 can occur due to multiple peripheral devices attached to your machine. Microphones, portable cameras, microphones, scanners, among many more, for instance. When the operating system attempts to decide the drivers for both of them, it gets trapped. However, external application drivers may often not be compliant with the operating system.

Therefore, we urge you to unplug all non-essential external devices in order to address this problem. After that, restart the machine and verify that the 0xC1900101 error is still there. This is an easy trick and it has worked for many Windows 10 users in the past. Though it may not be very effective and if it doesn’t work for you then continue to the next round of work as we tell you more ways to solve Windows 10 0xc1900101 error.

2. Run an SFC Scan

Most of the reasons that the c1900101 error occurs is that you have corrupted or damaged machine data. Fortunately, Windows has a built-in feature designed to address problems such as this. You should run a search to fix the issue by using the System File Checker (SFC). The measures are here:

Step – 1: On your keyboard, press Windows Key+S.

Step – 2: Inside the Search box, type “cmd”.

Step – 3: Right-click on Command Prompt from the results, then select Run as Administrator.

Step – 4: Once Command Prompt is up, type “sfc/ scannow” (no quotes), then hit Enter.

Step – 5: Keep in mind that the scan process usually takes a couple of minutes. Make sure you avoid interfering with it.

Try installing the operating system again until the process is complete. If the error continues, we recommend that you use the DISM (Deployment Image Service and Management) utility for Microsoft Windows as an alternative step to patch lost or broken device images. Follow the instructions below to proceed:

Step – 1: Go to your taskbar, then click the Search icon.

Step – 2: Type “cmd.exe” (no quotes).

Step – 3: From the results, right-click Command Prompt, then select Run as Administrator from the context menu.

Step – 4: Make sure you give permission (Click YES) to run the app.

Step – 5: Inside Command Prompt, run the command line below:

“DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth”

This would patch the broken images during the Windows 10 update in your system. If the error is still troubling you, proceed to the next method.

3. Remove Third Party Securities

Anti-virus and security-related solutions are also pointed to as the computer device’s savior as it aims to defend them from ransomware and violations of security. However when it appears to make some high-level changes in the Windows upgrade, it becomes rouge and vulnerable.

In this case, certain programs, like Windows Defender, need to be disabled. You should still keep them away from your computer until the problems with the changes are resolved. Here is a step by step guide of how to do it-

Step – 1: Open Windows Start menu.

Step – 2: Type Windows Security.

Step – 3: Press Enter on the keyboard.

Step – 4: Click on Virus & threat protection on the left action bar.

Step – 5: Scroll to Virus & threat protection settings and click Manage settings.

Step – 6: Click the toggle button under Real-time protection to turn off Windows Defender Antivirus temporarily

Step – 7: Click Yes to confirm the change, if prompted.

Step – 8: Check if the issue with 0xC1900101 error is resolved.

Step – 9: To turn back on Windows Defender Antivirus, click the toggle button again.

Step – 10: If you do not turn on the real-time protection manually, it will automatically resume upon the next computer reboot.

Apart from Windows defender, you can also disable third-party antivirus programs which can fix the issue. It works like a charm to fix 0xc0000142 error which usually occurs because of few applications that aren’t unable to start correctly.

4. Run Disk Checking Utility through Command Prompt

The issue with the windows can many times occur due to the failure of the hard drive. This failure could be one of the reasons why you would be facing the error popping up abruptly on your screen.  In this case, you need to run an elevated command prompt and execute the “run chkdsk” command line. This run can prove very helpful and increase the chances of eradicating not only this issue but any such issues that might have been created in the hard disk and may or may not have come to your notice. Here is how you get this job done –

Step – 1: Click on the start button and type “cmd” in it.

Step – 2: Select “Command Prompt” from the dropped list and follow it by right clicking on it.

Step – 3: Then from the context menu, select “Run as administrator.”

Step – 4: If UAC prompts on the screen, select “Yes.”

Step – 5: Now, in the Command Prompt box, type this command: chkdsk C: /f /r /x

• C – It represents the Disk where the OS is installed. You can change this to D:, E: or any depending upon your usage.
• f – indicates fixing the scanned bugs.
• r – implies detecting the existing problems in the Disk.
• x – stands for splitting up the disk volume to help the detection process.

Step – 6: Then press the “Enter” key as the Disk Checking Utility starts looking for bad sectors.

Step – 7: Don’t press any keys and be patient till the scan is completed as it is bound to take some time.

Step – 8: When the scan finishes, restart your device so the changes are saved and implemented on the computer.

5. Fix the BIOS of your Computer

Upgrading your BIOS is another way to address this problem. According to consumers, if you have an expired BIOS, you may not be able to access a certain upgrade. Several users indicated that the issue was resolved by upgrading the BIOS, so you may want to try it.

Bear in mind that upgrading your BIOS is a potentially unsafe process that can destroy your PC. We encourage you to review your motherboard manual for specific guidance in order to see how to upgrade your BIOS properly.

As we mentioned, this is a very harmful process and we would suggest that you would choose this as your last resort or when you are certain about this being the issue and make sure you do the process step to step.

6. Use Windows Device Manager to 0xC1900101 error

Microsoft advises having all device drivers updated at all times. For third party accessories that are mounted on your Windows, this will be very handy. It is the network driver available on your device, or the graphics driver. If you are unable to find a Windows update, you need to search the OEM website and update it after that. To upgrade it, follow the steps below –

Step – 1: Right click on the start button and navigate to the “Device Manager” from the list.

Step – 2: Then in the Device Manager, find your way to the driver that is faulty or needs change and updates. To get on easier, there is a yellow exclamation mark besides the driver making it easier for you to identify it.

Step – 3: From the available disk for the drivers, expand the ones that you want and see for the changes required or updates needed.

Step – 4: Once you find the driver, right-click on it and select the Properties option.

Step – 5: In the wizard, move to the Driver tab and follow it by selecting the Update Driver option.

Step – 6: Then on the next page, click on “Search automatically for updated driver software.”

Step – 7: Once selected, the Windows will automatically download and install the latest updates available.

Step – 8: Once you complete the above procedure, restart your device and check if 0xC1900101 error still persists.

7. Check Required Space for the Windows Update

Bear in mind that anytime you want to install Windows 10 Creators Upgrade, you need to have at least 16 GB worth of storage space on your computer. You can experience separate 0xC1900101 errors if you do not fulfil this minimum requirement. So, we suggest that you free up space on your hard drive to correct the issue and to successfully install the upgrade.

There are different options for your hard drive to recover any megabytes of disc space. The handpicking method is the most common way as that way you can know what is getting deleted and you can have control over it. The other way is that you can format a particular section or drive to retreat some memory back but that can make you lose some important files or documents too. You should use the Disk Cleaning tool to get rid of unwanted garbage files on your computer if you’re afraid of missing important files. Here is how you can do it –

Step – 1: Open File Explorer by pressing Windows Key+E on your keyboard.

Sep – 2: Right-click the drive you want to clean, then select Properties from the context menu.

Step – 3: Once the Properties window is up, click the Disk Cleanup option. The utility will begin calculating the amount of space you can regain.

Step – 4: Select all the junk files you want to remove, then click OK.

Step – 5: To remove unnecessary system files, click the ‘Clean up system files’ button and proceed with the permission by clicking on Yes.

To obtain more free space on your hard disc, you can also disable Hibernation mode. It is worth remembering that once you reach Hibernation mode, your device stores the contents of your RAM memory on your hard disc. With that, it makes sure that once you restart or reboot, you can continue from where you left but in this case as you need space, the Hibernation mode tends to eat up a lot of it and hence we suggest that you disable it.

Summing Up

The 0xC1900101 Windows update errors or driver errors are pesky little errors which more often than not are nothing serious. They tend to pop up on unusual times and hamper your progress. Hence we suggest that you should try the above mentioned methods and make sure you follow the steps. Keep trying the methods one after another till your issue is not solved. The methods mentioned aren’t harmful and can be performed easily.

We suggest that you start it all by restarting your computer and see if the issue has evaded. It is not a solution but a silly trick to have up your sleeves. This 0xC1900101, pesky error is bound to have issues with the driver so make sure your driver or laptop does not have any external damage or physical damage as it will only hamper the progress. None of the methods will treat a physical or hardware damage and for that we suggest you ask help from the experts.

Let us know which of those fixes did the trick for you and eradicated the 0xC1900101 Windows 10 update or upgrade error in the comment section below. If you got stuck somewhere or need further assistance, do let us know so our team can guide you to a proper solution. Stay tuned for further updates as we will keep bringing to you the latest hacks and tricks which can help you get out of such irritating error situations.