- Press ⊞ WINDOWS to open the start menu and click on the settings
- On settings, screen click on system
- When the system dialog opens go to Power & Sleep and on the right side change all values to never.
Customers will most likely encounter the “We couldn’t update system reserved partition” error when upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This error may also come with error code 0xc1900104 or error code 0x800f0922.
“We couldn’t update system reserved partition” Windows 10 upgrade error is normally caused by too little space on the System Reserved Partition (SRP). The System Reserve Partition is an additional small partition created by Windows, which stores boot files. The SRP can be filled up with security apps and third-party anti-virus. Once this partition has insufficient space, the system will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.
Caution: The following steps are complex and need to be done by experienced users especially using the command line. Once an error is made in entering commands, there’s a chance that your device can be put in a no-boot situation, or data stored on the device can possibly get lost.
To upgrade to Windows 10, your device needs to have at least 15MB free space on the System Reserved Partition. Follow the procedure below and then try upgrading again.
Depending on what partition style your device has and whether you’re currently on Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1, there are various methods you need to do.
NOTE: While in Admin mode, some apps like OneNote will not run.
Doing this method will make a permanent, but small increase in the free space of the device’s SRP.
a. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R. Type diskmgmt.msc then hit Enter.
b. Select System Reserve partition then right-click on it.
c. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths then select Add.
d. Type Y for the drive letter then click OK.
e. Click on the Start button and search for cmd. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
f. Type Y: at the command prompt then press Enter.
g. Once you’ve switched to drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f . then hit Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that the space and period after “f” is included in order for the command to work properly
h. Type icacls Y:* /save %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t then hit Enter to back up the permission to the drive.
NOTE: Ensure that all files are marked as successful and that no files are marked as failed.
i. Type whoami then hit Enter. Record the username that appears. Afterwards, type icacls . /grant <username you got from whoami>:F /t then press Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or the command will not work.
j. In the File Explorer, open the SRP drive and select the Boot folder. Choose the language folders you want to permanently delete. Language folders are named with four letters split with a hyphen. For example: de-DE is the German language while en-US is the U.S. English language.
2. Truncate the NTFS Log:
a. Open the Command Prompt then type chkdsk /L Y: to check the size of the NTFS Log. If the NTFS Log size is less than 5000KB, you need not truncate the file.
b. Type chkdsk /L:5000 /X /F then hit Enter to truncate the NTFS Log.
c. Return to Disk Management window. Select Action menu then select Check if the device’s SRP now has a larger amount of free space. Once there’s enough space, right click the System Reserve Partition then select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Choose Y: then select Remove.
3. If there’s still not enough available space after truncating the NTFS Log, resize the USN journal:
a. Open the command prompt then type fsutil usn queryjournal Y: to display the size in hex value. Convert the hex value to decimal then divide it by 1048576. The result you will get will be in MB. If the journal size is 30MB or more, proceed with truncating the file.
NOTE: To convert the Hex value to Decimal, open the Calculator app in Windows then choose View menu. Select Programmer then choose Hex. Type the Hex value then choose Dec.
b. Type fsutil usn deletejournal /D /N Y: then hit Enter to delete the journal. Type fsutil usn createjournal m=1500 a=1 Y: to recreate the journal having the new log size value.
a. Type icacls Y: /restore %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t in the Command Prompt. Check if the files were successfully processed before proceeding. If you see a message saying some files failed while processing, this is normal since some of the files have already been deleted before performing a backup. However, if there are no successful files indicated, the command was not properly executed.
b. Type icacls . /grant system:f /t then hit Enter to adjust the ACL back to System. Now, you can set the owner of the drive by typing icacls Y: /setowner “SYSTEM” /t /c then press Enter.
c. Check if the device’s SRP now has enough free space by going back to Disk Management and refreshing the data. If the SRP already has sufficient space, you can now remove the drive letter. Right-click on the System Reserved Partition then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. Select the Y: drive then choose Confirm deleting the drive letter by clicking OK.
This method makes a larger, but temporary, increase in the SRP free space.
1. Be sure you have an external drive having at least 250 MB free space and formatted as NFTS.
2. Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R. Type mscthen to choose the Recovery Partition. Right-click on it then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
3. Select Add then type Y for the drive letter, click
4. Click on the Start screen then type cmd in the search bar. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
5. Switch to another drive by typing Y: in the command prompt. Once you’re in the drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f .
NOTE: Ensure that space and period after “f” are included in order for the command to work properly.
NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or else the command will not work.
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Error code 0xc004fc03 occurs when Windows users fail to activate their Windows operating system due to a networking problem. The error code’s common symptoms include the following:
Error code 0xc004fc03 in Windows 10 usually occurs due to issues related to a Windows user’s network. Your computer may be having problems connecting to the Internet or your firewall may be blocking or interrupting your device’s ability to activate Windows 10. In some cases, users may simply need to wait a day or two to reattempt to activate their system using a valid product key, as there may be an issue with the Windows activation servers. Failure to promptly fix this error code might result in other Windows 10 error messages, such as error code 0xc004f034.
To rectify the error code, Windows 10 users will need to perform manual repair procedures that fix the underlying problems causing error code 0xc004fc03. These procedures may include reconnecting to one’s network, checking your firewall settings, or activating your Windows operating system via phone. The manual repair methods are simple and do not require technical knowledge of the Windows operating system. If your attempts at manually repairing this error code fail, however, you may need to try a few other procedures.
To check your Internet connection, you’ll need to access the Network & Internet tab in Windows 10. Follow the instructions below to access this tab and fix Internet connectivity issues if they are preventing you from activating Windows on your machine.
If your status shows that you are not connected to a network, you will need to fix your connection. Simply use the Network Troubleshooter to troubleshoot your connection. You will be able to activate your copy of Windows once your connectivity issues are resolved.
If, however, the problem persists and error code 0xc004fc03 occurs during the activation process, this simply means that the existence of the error code is not due to connectivity or networking problems. In such a case, move to the next manual repair method listed below and follow the exact instructions given.
Windows Firewall protects your PC from hackers, worms, and other malicious programs. However, in some cases, it may result in error codes like error code 0xc004fc03. If your firewall is interfering with the Windows 10 activation, you’ll be able to rectify the problem by simply adjusting your settings. Follow the steps below to check – and adjust if necessary – your Windows Firewall settings.
In some cases, Windows users may not be able to adjust settings within the Windows Firewall tab, as your firewall settings may be controlled by a third party antivirus software. If this is the case, open the antivirus software and turn off the firewall if the software does not prevent you from making such changes to its settings.
Note, however, that you will need to readjust the settings as soon as you activate your version of Windows 10. This is due to the fact that turning off your firewall settings permanently may lead to exposure to worms and other malicious programs.
Activation of Windows via phone is another option for individuals experiencing error code 0xc004fc03. The activate by phone option in the Update & Security tab will be available once you fail to activate Windows 10. To complete this manual repair method, follow the steps below.
This is one of the most effective ways to fix error code 0xc004fc03. If the issue persists, however, you can proceed to the last resort.
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