A Required Drive Partition is Missing – Solved

Summary:

If you want to reset your PC and encounter that you’re unable to reset the PC because a required drive partition is missing. This article is a complete guide to understand why the error is caused and how to troubleshoot the error using simple yet effective methods.

Windows computers come along with many options to resolve issues related to the operating systems.  Be it Windows or any other operating systems, hard drive errors are evidently noticed while working on PC. One such common error encountered while resetting your PC is A required drive partition is missing error.

When your computer fails to boot or displays hard disk 3f0 error, you would try fixing the issue by resetting it. While resetting your computer, you may come across Unable to reset your PC. A required drive partition is missing error message.

It is always important to know the causes of the error before heading to fix the same. Different reasons that lead to the error required partition is missing are explained in the below section.

Why Required Drive Partition is Missing Error Occurs?

There are different reasons that cause required drive partition is missing error including corrupted boot configuration, not active partition, faulty HDD or SSD and others.

1. The corrupt Master Boot Record or BCD (Boot Configuration Data): A virus infection, hard drive failure or a forced MBR overwrite caused by a malicious program can lead to MBR or BCD corruptions. This leads to the required partition is missing error while resetting a PC.
2. No active partition: You can only set one partition as an active partition or bootable partition on each hard drive. If the active partition encounters any issue, the computer fails to boot successfully. This leads to the error and data becomes unreadable. Click on the link to recover data from the unreadable partition and try fixing the error.

The issue Unable to rest PC. A required drive partition is missing commonly occurs on Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. The article provides four DIY methods to resolve the issue and helps you to reset your PC. Let’s begin to fix the error unable to reset pc a required drive partition is missing.

Note: It is recommended to recover data from the partition as performing the below-mentioned methods might lead to data loss condition from the partition during the repairing process. Connect your hard drive as an external hard disk on the other computer and recover the data.

4 DIY Methods to Fix the error Required drive partition is missing

Follow the below-given methods to fix the error unable to reset the PC. A required drive partition is missing. 

1. Run Bootrec.exe

Bootrec.exe is the utility provided by Microsoft in the Windows recovery environment. Any issues related to MBR, BCD, boot sector can be fixed using bootrec.exe.

You can make use of Bootrec.exe if the reason behind unable to reset the PC a required drive partition is missing error is corruption in MBR. Follow the steps to open Bootrec.exe utility.

1. Initially, insert Windows installation disk or bootable USB. Press any key to boot from the DVD. Select language and time and click OK.
2. Choose Install Windows from the screen and then select Repair your computer. 
3. From the repair menu select Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >> Command prompt
4. Type bootrec.exe in the command prompt
5. Once operation completed, type Bootrec.exe /fixmbr
6. Type bootrec.exe /fixboot
7. Type bootrec.exe /scanos
8. Type bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

Where, bootrec.exe /fixmbr is used to fix any corruption-related Master Boot Record

bootrec.exe /fixboot is used to write a new boot sector

bootrec.exe /scanos is used to add missing windows installations to the boot configuration data

bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd is used to rebuild boot configuration data

 

If these commands fail to fix the issue “unable to reset PC a required drive partition is missing” try the next method given below.

2. Run CHKDSK

Computer disk often suffers from errors when the MBR is corrupted, to fix those errors caused by MBR or BCD CHKDSK is used. CHKDSK is the utility used in the command prompt, to fix logical errors on the drive.

• Follow the same procedure as shown in method 1 till step 3 that indicates From the repair menu select Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >> Command prompt
• Type chkdsk c: /f and Enter ( c is the name of the drive you need to check for)
  

If you fail to fix the required hard drive partition is missing error, follow the next method.

3. Run SFC (System File Checker)

Sometimes missing or damaged system files can lead to the error unable to reset the PC a required drive partition is missing. To fix the error try the Windows system file checker tool.

• Get access to command prompt by following the same procedure of method 1 till step 3.
• Type sfc /scannow. This option scans an entire hard drive for missing system files.
  

After the completion of the process, check for the error required partition is missing. If you still encounter the error message, try setting the partition as an active partition.

4. Set Partition as Active Partition 

For this method, you will need to use a command-line tool called DISKPART that will help you to set your partition as active.  Get access to Command Prompt through Windows Repair mode which is described in method 1 by performing till step 3. Next, follow the below-given steps.

• • Type diskpart to run DISKPART command-line tool
  • Type list disk to list available hard disks
  • Type select disk x to select disk, x represents the number of disk discovered by diskpart 
  • Type list partition to get a list of available partitions on your hard disk. For example, you may get partitions like partition 1, partition 2…. partition x. It depends on how many partitions does your computer has.
  • Enter select partition (number) to select a partition
  • Type active to make the selected partition to act as an active partition. 
  • Type Exit to exit diskpart line
  • Type Exit to exit from Command Prompt
  • Click on Turn off your PC
  • Restart the computer and check for the error unable to reset PC. A required drive partition is missing.
    
    

If all the above-mentioned methods fail to fix the error “Unable to Reset PC. A required drive partition is missing.”, the last option would be resetting your computer to the earlier point.  To do so, repeat the first two steps of method 1 and then select Troubleshoot Advanced Options System Restore.

Note: Restoring your system to the earlier point will certainly cause some data loss from the drive. If you have not recovered data before performing the above-given repair methods, recover files after system restore.

How to Recover Data from Missing Partition?

Download and install the SFWare SD card recovery software. Run the application and follow the steps to recover data from the blank SD card.

1. Select Recover drive/Partitionfrom the main screen and select the drive from where data to be recovered and click Next
   
2. SFWare data recovery tool performs the deep scan and displays the list of the files recovered from the drive in Data Viewor File Type View
   
   
3. Preview the recovered files from drive and if you are satisfied by the given results Save the files by activating the software.
   

Conclusion

You need to reset your PC when you encounter any trouble in operating systems or during the booting process. During resetting the computer, you may lose your important data stored on the hard disk.

It is always recommended to take a backup of your important data. If you have no backup of the data, do not worry about that. You can easily rely on the SFWare partition recovery software to recover data from any drive partition. 

If you were able to fix the issue successfully, please share your thoughts in the comment section below and do share this article.