Windows 10: I can't enable ReagentC. Please help!

Hey all. I've had some trouble with Windows Updater, specifically with the WinRE update recently, where it can't be downloaded/installed.I've tried to troubleshoot this myself a bit, but I'm getting stuck here in CMD prompt:C:\windows\system32>reagentc /info Windows Recovery Environment Windows RE and system reset configuration Information: Windows RE status: Disabled Windows RE location: Boot Configuration Data BCD identifier: 132b39f3-fb36-11e8-a6db-a3a6dbeaa0f1 Recovery image location: Recovery image index: 0 Custom image location: Custom ima

:)

 

ReAgentC will not enable

Oh derp!

Copying the Recovery folder from a known-good-working computer and pasting it to the not-working computer does not work. C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\ReAgent_Merged.xml1 file is custom created on-the-fly for each machine.

1. Check to see if Windows\System32\Recovery\ folder exists;
   • if N skip to next step;
   • if Y rename it RecoveryBUP or something similar, then continue;
2. using 7-Zip or similar navigate the installation media to ...\Sources\ install.wim or install.esd
3. double-click either and go to ...\1\Windows\System32\
4. click the Recovery folder and tell 7-Zip to extract it to the target machine at C:\Windows\System32\;
5. reboot
6. Go to Settings > Update & Security > click Recovery in the left menu list;
7. under Advanced startup click Restart now
8. You should now see the full Recovery console like this:

MBR2GPT.EXE is a Microsoft program included free in Windows. If running Windows 10 v 1803 or later and the objective is to convert MBR to GPT with NO data loss, MBR2GPT.exe will do that. It is fast and works well. MS posted a video of it in use at their site. There is also an updated step-by-step tutorial at WindowsCentral with pictures. The steps follow:

In order to enable UEFI on a UEFI-able system that has been using BIOS because it was running Windows 7 or some such, the MBR (master boot record) first must be converted to GPT (GUID partition table):

• click Command Prompt in the Recovery Console to open an elevated command prompt without the Windows GUI;
• that should bring you to C:\Windows\System32;
• type MBR2GPT.exe /validate;
• type MBR2GPT.exe /convert and await the successful conversion;
  • there may be an error message about reagentc.exe, you can ignore that until after you change the CMOS/BIOS settings

now change BIOS to UEFI:

• reboot and tap F12 continuously before the Windows logo appears (or whatever key your device requires to enter the BIOS settings)
• change boot to UEFI from BIOS & reboot
• DONE

Now, ensure the Recovery console is as you want it...

1. In Windows launch an elevated command prompt and navigate to C:\Windows\System32
2. type reagentc /info and tap [enter], if disabled
3. type reagentc /enable and tap [enter]

RESOLVED & DONE with much thanks to SIW2 and NavyLCDR!

 

ReAgentC will not enable

ISSUE:
In Windows 10 Pro v1909 reagentc.exe cannot ENable from an elevated command prompt -- "The Windows RE image was not found."

QUESTIONS:

1. Does it even need to, per 18918 "Can't enable Windows Recovery Environment"?
   (or)
2. Should I just follow the steps in 90923 "Enable or Disable Windows Recovery Environment in Windows 10"?

BACKGROUND:
I am completing an upgrade-refresh-update cycle with a few identical systems. Right now there's trouble with the next-to-the-last step: updating MBR & BIOS to GPT & UEFI.

All systems were delivered using BIOS (TPM & Secure Boot disabled) with Windows 7 Pro x64 on MBR in Jan-2015 with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSDs, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN NICS, USB 3 ports, and Win 8.1Pro licenses. All have functioned flawlessly. In 2018 I maximized their RAM to 16GB.

In mid-November 2019 I started doing in-place non-destructive refreshes with machine T-14: Win-7 > 10 v1803* > v190x. The MBR & BIOS were not updated, oops. B-12 (the problem device) was refreshed around December 10 the same way. In early Jan 2020 T-14 got an SSD upgrade to 1TB and the v1909 update, then in mid-January B-12 got the same.

Lastly my rig, G-13 got its new SSD before refreshing the OS to Win-10 and updating to v1909. Next, after many days and rabbit holes researching BIOS-to-UEFI updates, I both discovered my mistake *Banghead and was able to painlessly update the BIOS on my rig using the Recovery|Advanced startup|Troubleshoot|Advanced options|Command prompt|MBR2GPT /convert** to convert the MBR > GPT (thus avoiding the whole copy everything to B restore back to A nightmare), then shut off Legacy ROM & turn on full UEFI. It went very smoothly. *Party (Note: This was done within 2-weeks of refreshing the OS to Win-10 from Win-7***. )

Then I tried the same thing on B-12 and fell flat on my face, unable to get a command line option. B-12 had been refreshed to Win-10 from Win-7 over 7-weeks before and could no longer be rolled-back to Win-7. I suspect that is what caused this problem, notwithstanding my initial foul-up.

STEPS TAKEN:

1. "Enable or Disable Windows Recovery Environment in Windows 10" seems to be a possibility but will it mess up some of the customizations already in place? Will it have issues using 32-b software? I have not tried that yet.
2. "Can't enable Windows Recovery Environment" looked promising, but reagentc.exe presents the basic problem noted above.

ALL DEVICE SPECS:

• Dell Optiplex 9020 M built 01/2015
• i7-4785T CPU @ 2.20GHz
• 16GB RAM
• Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB drive
• Windows 10 Pro x64 v1909 build 18363.592
  • Successful in-place non-destructive refresh from Windows 7.1 Pro x64
• B-12 device with issue:
  • OS refreshed mid-December, updated to v1909 on 1-19-2020
  • has Bluetooth peripherals
    • Logitech wireless keyboard & mouse
    • Logitech unifying Bluetooth receiver
    • (I don't know that this device needs this receiver as B-12 has built-in Bluetooth?)

* It may have been v1803, it was definitely 18-something
** Source: How to convert MBR to GPT drive to switch BIOS to UEFI on Windows 10 | Windows Central
*** I did enable TPM but left it deactivated immediately discovering I was in over my head

 

REAgentC does not let me enable Windows RE

Hi Carljung,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I'm Hahn and I'm here to help you with your concern.

It seems that you are encountering an error when trying to enable the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) using the REAgentC tool. This tool is used to manage the Windows RE settings, but it appears to be failing in your case.



This issue may be caused by a missing or corrupted Windows RE image file (Winre.wim) in the \\Windows\\System32\\Recovery folder.

To troubleshoot the issue, here are a few suggestions:

1. Check if the Winre.wim file exists in the \Windows\System32\Recovery folder. If not, you can copy it from another working computer with the same Windows version and architecture, or from the Windows installation media.
   
2. Run the command reagentc /setreimage /path <path_to_Windows_RE_image> to set the location of the Windows RE image file.
   
   For example, if the file is in C:\Windows\System32\Recovery, run reagentc /setreimage /path C:\\Windows\\System32\\Recovery.
   
3. Run the command reagentc /enable to enable Windows RE. If you get an error message, try running reagentc /disable first and then reagentc /enable again.
   
4. Run the command reagentc /info to verify that Windows RE is enabled and has a valid location.
   
5. Check the BCD configuration: The "Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier" in the reagentc /info output is showing zeros, indicating an issue with the BCD configuration. You can try rebuilding the BCD by running the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:
   
   bcdboot C:\Windows /s C:
   
   This command assumes that your Windows installation is located on the C: drive. Adjust it accordingly if your system is installed on a different drive.
   
6. Ensure system integrity: It's possible that some system files related to the Windows RE are corrupted. You can run the System File Checker (SFC) utility to scan and repair any corrupted files. Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter the following command: Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files - Microsoft Support
   
   sfc /scannow
   
   Let the scan complete, and if any errors are found, SFC will attempt to repair them.
   
7. If the above steps don't resolve the issue, you might consider performing a clean installation of Windows. This will reinstall the operating system and recreate the necessary system partitions, including the Windows RE. Windows 11 Clean Installation (microsoft.com)
   
   Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.
   

If there is anything not clear, please do not hesitate to let me know.



Your Sincerely

| Microsoft Community Support Specialist