How To Troubleshoot Unknown Hard Error Windows 10 [Step-By-Step Guide]

An unknown hard error is a specific error, generally appears on Windows 10 OS. Most of the users often face this error while running a video game or any other intensive process on their Windows 10 devices.

This error states that your device ran into a critical problem and needs to restart. This error can appear due to various factors. 

If you are searching for the best solutions, then you have landed on the most appropriate page. Here, you will get some of the simple and most effective troubleshooting measures that you can try to eradicate the error.

But, before that, you should know the predictable reasons behind it. So, chcek out this post and resolve the error.

Causes Behind the Unknown Hard Error Windows 10

There can be various factors, responsible for the unknown hard error. However, here, we are going to discuss the most significant causes that can lead to the Unknown hard error. Well, then the principal cause behind the error is incorrectly configured system files. Moreover, updating to a cumulative version of Windows 10 is another potential reason for this error.

Apart from these, the other major causes are as follows.

• Registry error due to software change,
• Damaged or corrupted hard disk,
• Faulty or outdated device drivers,
• Malware or virus infection,

Now, you are well accustomed to the principal causes of the unknown hard error. Thus, you can go to the next section where you will get the best possible solutions to overcome this error.

Learn How To Fix Unknown Hard Error

There can be various methods that you can try to resolve the unknown hard error. But, in this section, we are going to mention the most prominent troubleshooting methods. 

Method 1- Try to Run System File Checker

Sometimes, corrupted or missing system files can conflict with your Windows device. Therefore as a result, the Windows update process gets stuck at a certain point with the unknown hard error message.

On such occasions, you can use the SFC.exe (System File Checker) tool that can be accessed through administrative Command Prompt on your device. System File Checker scans your entire device and detects the corrupted or damaged system files. This situation mostly occurs due to malware or virus infection. 

To run the System File Checker, follow the steps, cited in the following section.

Step 1: 

Firstly, go to the Start menu. Then, write “Command Prompt” into the Search field. After that, you will find the Command Prompt option at the top of the search result. 

Step 2: 

Now, right-click on the Command Prompt. And then choose the “Run as Administrator” option from the appeared menu. Once the Command Prompt opens with the Administrator rights, enter “sfc/scannow” and hit the Enter key.

Wait for a few minutes till the System File Checker scans your entire device. If it finds any corrupted or damaged files, it will repair them automatically. After finishing the process, reboot your device to let the new changes take effect.

Method 2- Upgrade the Device Driver

If installed device drivers are obsolete or backdated, then you might face the unknown hard error. Especially if you are receiving this error while playing a game, then you can be assured that the error occurs due to the outdated device driver. To overcome this situation, you can update it to the latest compatible version.

• Open Device Manager and double-click the category of the device you want to update.
• Then, right-click on the device and choose the option named “Update Driver”. 
• Click on the “Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software” option from the appeared window.
• If updates are available, then hit the “Install Update” option from the resultant menu. Confirm the process by tapping on the OK button twice.

Method 3- Execute a Clean Boot

Clean Boot State refers to the process of opening a device with the most important applications and services, required by the OS. It is used to detect and troubleshoot critical Windows errors. If you get the “unknown hard error Windows 10” notification while opening your device, then you might resolve this matter by performing a Clean Boot.

Steps to Perform a Clean Boot:

Here are the steps to perform a clean boot.

Step 1:

Log on your device as an Administrator. Then, write “msconfig” into the Search field and hit the Enter key. Now, the System Configuration utility will invoke. Under this window, navigate to the General tab and click on the Selective startup.

Step 2: 

In the next window, clear the Load Startup items and locate the Use “Original boot configuration” and “Load System Services”. Now, make sure both of the options are checked.

Step 3:

Now, go to the Service tab and find out the “Hide All Microsoft Services” checkbox. Once you find it, tap on it and choose the “Disable All” option. Thereafter, hit the Apply and OK button to save the new changes.

Now, your device is in the Clean Boot State. After executing a clean boot, if the error gets removed, then you can revert the changes by following the undermentioned steps.

Step to Revert the Changes:

Follow the steps to revert the new modifications.

• Invoke the System Configuration window and then navigate to the General tab. Under this tab, choose “Normal Startup” from the resultant menu.
• Now, click on the Service tab and remove the tickmark from the “Hide all Microsoft services” checkbox.
• After that, locate and choose the “Enable all” option. Next, navigate to the Task Manager and enable all the Startup services and applications. 
• Confirm the process by hitting the OK button twice. Lastly, restart your device when prompted.

Method 4- Perform a Complete System Restore

If all the above methods fail to overcome the Unknown hard error, then you should perform a system restore. To do so, follow these steps.

• Go to the Start menu and write System Restore tool in the search field. Once you perform this action, you will find a list. From the list, you need to choose the Create a restore point.
• Now, navigate to the System Properties window and click on the System Restore option from the queue window.
• Under the System Restore settings window, click on the option Choose a different restore point and hit the Next button to proceed further.
• Here, you need to choose a particular restore point your device saved before. From the list, choose any available restore point and press the Next button to restore the device. Make sure, you select the restore the point of before the issue began to occur on your PC.

Parting Words

In this article, we have mentioned all the effective workarounds to get rid of the unknown hard error. You can go through all the solutions one by one until you will find the most suitable one that can rectify the error.

While performing the above methods, if you did anything wrong, then you won’t be able to resolve this error on your own. On such occasions, you can post your difficulties in the comment section below.