With the coming of Windows 11, many Windows users are currently upgrading from the previous Windows 10 to the new Windows 11. This procedure is eased with the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. Though easy to use, sometimes users still face problems installing Windows 11 using Windows 11 Installation Assistant due to errors that they may experience during the installation process.
One of the most common error codes that users experience using Windows 11 Installation Assistant is the error code 0xC1900101.
This is the most frequent cause of the error code as this code pops up mostly when there are drivers incompatible with the operating system, damaged drivers, outdated driver or faulty drivers.
Sometimes, just the presence of a third-party antivirus will completely prevent the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from properly functioning causing the error code 0xC1900101.
This is one of the reasons why it is advised not to overfill your storage space because when the space gets very low, you may not have enough space to upgrade your Windows which will result in the popping of the error code 0xC1900101.
When your BIOS is not up to date, Windows 11 Installation Assistant is prevented from installing Windows 11 due to the various prerequisites that need to be fulfilled before the process can proceed. This is another cause of the error 0xC1900101.
At times, just the presence of other connected hardware or newly installed software can cause the error. If you had connected a new hardware device to your computer or maybe installed new software before performing the installation of Windows 11, then the error may come from there.
These are files that result from the incomplete uninstallation of the previous Windows, interrupted installation of Windows 11 before re-installation, and equally improper deletion of hardware and other applications. The presence of files coming from these aforementioned interrupted processes can cause the error.
There are other series of errors that start with 0xC1900101. These errors are usually caused by reasons related to driver problems and file systems. As a result, you can use the same approach listed below to solve error 0xC1900101 in order to solve these problems. Some of these related errors include;
After going through the different problems that may be causing error 0xC1900101, you are well placed to look for a solution to these problems so that you may be able to safely continue your Windows 11 installation process.
It is important but not compulsory to put your computer into safe mode before trying out the different solutions in case there is an error which occurs when you are solving the problem.
Windows 11 needs a minimum space of 64GB to completely get installed. As a result, make sure you provide at the very minimum 64GB to enable Windows Installation Assistant to correctly install Windows 11 on your computer without which the error appears 0xC1900101. To free up some space, you could;
Once you free up space, you will not face the error again.
In certain cases, it is better to run to Windows for help. Running a Windows update troubleshooter will permit you to solve the problem especially when it is related to a hardware problem.
To run Windows update troubleshooter,
1. Go to the Start menu and from there click on Settings.
2. Once the Settings page appears, click on Update & Security
3. Click on Troubleshoot
4. Then click on Hardware and Devices on the right panel to continue.
5. Finally, Click on Run the troubleshooting
This will take some time and will try to detect any problems concerning your hardware. If the troubleshooter finds any problems, they will be displayed once the troubleshooter is done. Then you can fix them by selecting those you want to fix.
If no problem is detected, this therefore indicates that your hardware is in good condition and the problem does not come from there.
When installing Windows 11 without updating your present drivers, it may cause an error because Windows 11 may be incompatible with the old or outdated drivers. As a result of this, it is a good practice to update all your drivers before launching the Windows 11 installation Assistant. To update your drivers,
1. Locate My PC on your desktop or open File Explorer and locate My PC if it is not present on your desktop.
2. Right Click This PC and click on Manage
3. Then select Device Manager under System Tools to proceed.
4. Under the Disk Drive option, right-click on the disk device. Then you can choose between updating the drivers and uninstalling the drivers.
NB: In case you update the drivers and still encounter the problem, then you may need to uninstall the drivers which you can easily re-install when you complete the installation.
SFC, System File Checker is a utility program that can help you solve the error when it results from the presence of corrupted or missing system files. To carry on with the process,
1. Press Win + X on your keyboard to open the Power Menu
2. From the Power menu, Click on Run
3. Type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. Then Click on yes on the dialog box that appears. This will enable you to run CMD as an administrator.
4. Once CMD opens up, type: sfc/scannow and press Enter.
Finally, wait for the process to reach 100%. As soon as it is completed, restart your computer and try to install Windows 11 again.
If you remember installing an application on your computer recently then you may have to uninstall this application because it may be the cause of the error. To uninstall the application on Windows 10/11.
1. Open Control Panel
2. Go to Programs > Programs and Features. This will open a page displaying all the programs on your computer
3. Go through the list and find the recently installed application.
4. Click on it and select Uninstall. A confirmation window will be displayed, then click Uninstall again. Do this for all the recently installed applications and retry installing Windows 11. This should fix the error.
NB: This method works only for applications installed using executable files. For those installed from the Microsoft store,
1. Launch the power menu by clicking on Win + X.
2. Select Apps & Features
3. Go through the list of applications. When you find what you want to uninstall, you can uninstall by clicking on the application then click on Uninstall.
Many users who were faced with this error reported that disabling all wizards under the Network adapter category is an effective solution to the error. To disable the network adapter,
1. Press Win + R to launch the Run dialog.
2. Enter devmgmt.msc and tap on Ok or press Enter to open the device manager.
3. Then find Network Adapters among the listed options.
4. Click on it to open drop-down menu.
5. Right Click on each of the entries and select Disable Device. Make sure you disable every entry.
Once this is done, you can restart the installation process.
This is the method to use when all of the above methods have not resolved the issue. It is an easy process on the desktop but not on the laptop because on the desktop you can easily access the hardware components than the laptop. This method consists of clearing the BIOS and will surely fix the error.
It is important to get help from an expert to carry on with this procedure if you feel you cannot risk damaging your computer. Seek help from an expert if necessary.
1. Firstly, turn off the power supply then disconnect all power cords which are connecting to your Computer.
2. Proceed by opening the computer's casing and locating a flat battery connected to the motherboard
3. Remove the battery from its position and wait for a time frame of 5 minutes.
4. Reinsert the battery in its original position then you can reinsert the computer casing.
5. Plug all power cords that you disconnected to carry on with this process.
6. You can now turn on your computer and try installing Windows 11 again.
Our files are most often very precious to us and we don't want to risk losing them. We should note that sometimes when updating your system and even when your computer is running daily, some files go missing or are mistakenly deleted. It is not a major problem now due to the presence of data recovery software for Windows 11 which you can use to recover your data.