Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

Corrupt files are not a new subject for Windows users, from transferred to copied files on the system, any file can fall victim to a bug waiting for it to corrupt. The in-build file scanning utilities on Windows come as a savior in such cases for PC users. Two such utilities are SFC and DISM which help to run scans on files with errors. Sometimes, while running the System File Checker scan, users can encounter there is a system repair pending error which requires reboot to complete on the screen.

Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

How to Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

The system repair pending error leads to no further scanning of files till the system is restarted and the reasons behind it can be multiple. So, let us name a few of them below:

  • Outdated drivers
  • An old version of Windows
  • Pending .XML files
  • Pending reboot key
  • Pending commands

Method 1: Restart PC

This is one of the easiest methods to follow if you ever happen to see there is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete error on Windows 10. Restarting/rebooting has been of help for many users to get rid of this error.

1. Click on the Windows icon on the screen.

2. Click on Power.

Click Power. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

3. Select Restart.

4. After restart, hit the Windows key, type Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator as depicted below.

run command prompt as administrator. How to run sfc scannow repair command

5. Type SFC/scannow command and hit the Enter key to run the system file scan.

Method 2: Repair System Files

Reverting pending actions using DISM is another way to get rid of the system repair pending error. Read our guide on how to repair system files on Windows 10.

Run SFC and DISM command lines to repair system files. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

Method 3: Update Windows

Another method that has helped a lot of desktop/laptop users is to update their Windows. A deferred Windows update can be a prime reason why SFC is holding back scanning of the corrupt files and there is a system repair pending showing up on your screen. Read our guide on how to download and install Windows 10 latest update.

Update Windows

In case there is no update available, try out the next method given below.

Method 4: Update Graphic Drivers

If you happen to see sfc scannow there is a system repair pending followed by Blue Screens of Death error, the problem is certainly due to outdated drivers of your system. Therefore, updating all the drivers is essential to ensure that the error does not recur. Read our guide on 4 ways to Update Graphics Drivers on Windows 10.

Click on Update driver

Method 5: Delete Few Tracking Files

A few files on your system keep track of pending system repairs and one of these files may have gone corrupt leading to there is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete error. Deleting such files can be of help in resolving this error, and to do so you follow the step-by-step instructions given below:

1. Open the Run dialog box using Windows + R keys together.

2. Type cmd.exe and press Enter key.

Type cmd.exe and press enter

3. Type the given command and press the Enter key.

del d:\windows\winsxs\pending.xml

Note: Make sure to change the drive d by replacing it with c if the d drive is not working in your case.

type following command

4. Next, type the given command and hit the Enter key.

del x:\windows\winsxs\pending.xml 

type the given command

Once the process is complete and you see the operation completed successfully message on the screen, run SFC again to check if the problem is resolved.

Also Read: Fix Windows 10 File System Error 2147219196

Method 6: Change BIOS settings

The system repair pending error also can be a cause of Microsoft teams changing settings on the hard drive bus management driver classes. If this is the case, then changing BIOS settings can help the Windows users to settle the issue. You can change the SATA settings to IDE mode by performing the steps on your system given below:

Note: If SATA is already on IDE, then try changing it to other options available.

1. Restart your system and open BIOS settings by pressing keys like F1, F2, Del, ESC, or others alike.

BIOS setting. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

2. Locate SATA and change from AHCI, ATA, and RAID to IDE.

3. Go to the Exit section and select Exit Saving changes.

Method 7: Delete Registry Key

The registry key in the registry editor keeps track of all the programs that require a reboot. These programs, when lost and not rebooted, can cause an error of system repair pending. Thus, to resolve it, deleting the registry key comes in handy.

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.

2. Type regedit and press Enter key to open Registry Editor.

Type regedit and press enter

3. Navigate to the given folder path in the Registry Editor.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

go to microsoft windows currentVersion key folder

4. Locate the RebootPending key and right-click on it and select Permissions as depicted below.

Open Permissions. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

5. Next, locate your name, and click on it.

Click on your name

6. Check the box for Full control and click OK.

7. Now, right-click on the RebootPending key and select Delete.

Select Delete

8. Select Yes to confirm.

Select Yes. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

9. Once done, restart the PC and check if the issue of system repair pending is now solved.

Also Read: 7 Ways to Fix iaStorA.sys BSOD Error on Windows 10

Method 8: Troubleshoot Through Recovery Mode

The last resort to there is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete issue is by modifying a few changes in recovery mode. This advanced step helps in troubleshooting the error from its core. It can be performed via a recovery environment available on Windows. Let us get into the method with the below-mentioned commands:

Note: The following steps were performed on Windows 10.

1. Restart the system in safe mode by pressing the shift key and clicking the Restart icon together.

2. On the screen that appears, select Troubleshoot.

Troubleshoot option

3. Choose Command Prompt in Advanced options.

4. Type the following commands one by one and press the Enter key after each command.

Note: Make sure to enter the command in the same order as given and wait for them to finish their process.

  • bcdboot C:\Windows
  • bootrec /fixmbr

type bootrec fixmbr command in cmd or command prompt. Fix There is a System Repair Pending Which Requires Reboot to Complete

  • bootrec /fixboot

5. Now, restart your system in normal mode and check if there is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete error is resolved.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Should I restart my system after scanning files using SFC?

Ans. If you are using SFC in command prompt to scan some problematic file then restarting your system once the process is complete is necessary. Even if the restarting is not prompted, you should imply it regardless.

Q2. Can I stop the SFC scan?

Ans. Yes, it is possible to stop the SFC scan. You can do so by entering the sfc /revert command in the Run dialog box which will stop the SFC activity on your system.

Q3. Why am I unable to run the SFC scan on my desktop?

Ans. Problems in running an SFC scan on a system can be the cause of a corrupt hard drive. These corrupt drives can crash the System File Check utility. Use the chkdsk command to verify the data integrity of your hard drive.

Q4. Is it okay to stop the SFC scan midway? Will it cause any harm to my system?

Ans. It is completely fine if you choose to stop the SFC scan. There is no harm in stopping the command, if you wish to, you can stop it by restarting Windows.

Q5. How long does it usually take for an SFC scan to complete?

Ans. An SFC scan can take about 1 hour to complete a command. It all depends upon the system’s configuration.

Q6. Do I need an internet connection to run the SFC scan?

Ans. To run an SFC command, you do not need internet. This in-built file scanner does its job without the need for a network.

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To sum everything up, it is safe to say now that system repair ending error is nothing but the result of corrupt files, outdated drivers, and software errors in Windows. We hope that this guide helped fix this issue and you were able to know thoroughly about there is a system repair pending which requires a reboot to complete error.

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